Just a few weeks ago, I got up at the crack of dawn and went to Trillium Lake with a few other photographers, intent on photographing the sunrise. Soon after we got there, we met up with a few more photographers at the same location. The lake was beautiful, and so was the mountain, but there were zero clouds sky to soak up the sunshine as it started making its way up into the sky. We all ended up gravitating towards the dock that was sitting in a beautifully foggy lake.

So here we were, eight photographers photographing pretty much the exact same thing from the exact same location. And when a boat with a couple of fishermen made their way out to the middle of the lake, guess what we all started pointing our cameras at? That’s right! All of us were photographing the same thing … again.

For some, this could be a little bit unnerving. After all, photographers can be a selfish bunch, and I won’t exclude myself from the mix of photographers who love to have their own unique image. But was I worried we would all end up with the same photo? Not really. I have had a lot of experience photographing the same subject in the same location with at least dozen other photographers, and we all end up with different photos at the end of the day.

It’s quite simple, really: We all see differently. Our final images ultimately are a representation of our own personal photography styles. It could be from the choices we make with our settings in-camera, how we compose, what lens and camera we use, or even filters we put on the front of the lens. And then, once that photo makes it onto a computer or mobile device to be processed, we add our own spin and unique vision to the photograph.

Here are four different (and unique) photographs from four of the photographers at Trillium Lake that morning (including myself). Hover over each image to view the photographer and a link to their work.