I recently wrote a pair of pieces about giving and responding to critiques of photography with a certain level of decorum. As many of you already know, criticism is best given when actually asked for.
Photography, like every art form, is subjective. As such, anything we create is open to criticism, whether we like it or not. When criticism is given with the best of intentions, it can lead to growth.
I’d like to start by saying that I feel the word ‘criticism’ is interpreted by some as inherently negative, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Throughout this article, I’ve used the words ‘critique’, ‘criticism', and ‘feedback’, interchangeably, because I consider them to be more or less the same in this particular context.
After significant backlash, the Associated Press pulled plans to offer a video of a boat overcrowded with migrants as an NFT. The situation has called into question the ethics of selling photojournalism at all.
In spite of my great fondness for my Fujifilm cameras, I have some constructive criticism. My biggest pet peeve with Fuji is their frustrating lack of consistency among bodies. It drives me a little nuts when switching between my Fujifilm bodies that are different models.
Devastating photos and videos emerged from Afghanistan as the Taliban regained control of the country and U.S. troops prepared to withdraw in August 2021.
A woman in Seattle, Washington, is facing criticism after sharing a video on TikTok in which she confronts an older man who was photographing her on a public outdoor path.
Fashion magazine W sparked a great deal of ridicule recently over the celebrity portraits in its latest Best Performances issue -- photos criticized as being uninspired, of poor taste, technically flawed, and amateurish. That may all be true, but it was also intentional -- that's just photographer Juergen Teller's trademark style...
Snapchat has apologized after releasing and then pulling a Juneteenth camera filter that prompted users to "smile" to break the chains of slavery.
A photographer and TikTok star is catching criticism after posting a video of himself crashing a wedding photographer's photo shoot with a bride and groom, asking the couple to take time out of their session to pose for him instead.
My name is Adam Marsh, and I'm a Melbourne-based event photographer. I recently wrote an article titled "Adobe, This is Why Photographers Are Hating on You,” and it seems to have been incredibly divisive. There was a huge amount of feedback and engagement on this topic in the wider global photography community.
When it comes to technology, consumers have been conditioned to expect notable feature changes with version numbers increases. The iPhone 11 Pro, for example, not only included the snappier A13 Bionic chip, it also sported a three lens array and significantly better low light performance.
Fujifilm has apparently dropped ambassador Tatsuo Suzuki from its X Photographer program after Suzuki's "in your face" street photography shooting style sparked controversy over the past week.
A few decades ago, Nikon was the number one manufacturer for high-end professionals. If you were a pro photographer who shot with a 35mm full-frame camera, you probably shot with a Nikon.
I’ve read The Onion headlines and McSweeney’s pieces that have knocked me off my chair. I can still remember staying up late during high school to watch Saturday Night Live sketches like “Change Bank,” or Dave Chapelle’s Killing Me Softly on HBO. I’m a person who can appreciate good humor and satire.
I'm Allen Murabayashi, the co-founder of PhotoShelter. We recently launched our Guide to Photo Contests 2019, an annual look at contests around the world that we think are worth your consideration. Here's an excerpt from this year’s guide that looks at the sometimes controversial world of contests.
Looking for a place to receive constructive criticism and feedback for your photos outside of popular social media platforms and photo sharing sites? ARS BETA, a service created by street photographer Eric Kim, is designed to offer just that.
World Press Photo is at the receiving end of sharp criticism today for a series of photos on its Instagram account showing poverty-stricken Indians standing in front of tables laden with feasts.
The National Press Photographer Association (NPPA) published a statement this week criticizing Sinclair Broadcast Group for its controversial on-air scripted message for local news anchors. Sinclair responded by canceling a $25,000 donation it had pledged. Now photographers and photo editors are speaking out in support of NPPA.
Ah, the joys of dealing with difficult clients as a wedding photographer. A dissatisfied newlywed couple in Hong Kong recently sent their wedding photographer a giant 30-page document to point out flaws in bad photos they had received.
Nikon is being criticized this week for its selection of pro photographers promoting the new D850 DSLR in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Take a look at the professional photographers in the lineup, and you'll see 32 men and zero women.
A top portrait photo contest in Australia has sparked an outcry this week after awarding its $20,000 top prize to a "photo" of scratches and spit.
Brooklyn Beckham, the son of soccer star David Beckham, caused a stir in the photo industry a couple of years ago when he jumped in and shot a campaign for Burberry -- industry veterans reportedly called the hiring "sheer nepotism" and a "devaluation of photography." Now the 18-year-old is set to release his first photo book later this week, and this new endeavor is getting slammed as well.
Is the most egalitarian form of photography, ‘street photography’, being destroyed by its own popularity? Is such a thing even possible? I won’t profess to have a clear answer to this question, but I do have some thoughts. Those thoughts may turn into a rant, but I'll try to contain myself!
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was honored by the UK's Royal Photographic Society this week, sparking a heated debate about whether or not the amateur (albeit royal) photographer deserved the recognition.
Want to have your photos critiqued... by a computer? Keegan is a new online personal photo coach that can do that. Show Keegan one of your photos, and he'll do his best to give you technical feedback to improve your photographic skills.
French criminologist (and high school dropout) Alphonse Bertillon was a pioneer in the field of anthropometry – the use of human measurements – to identify criminals. As a part of this practice, Bertillon standardized the modern mugshot in 1888 with the now familiar frontal and profile portrait, the latter of which was selected because Bertillon believed the ears to be a highly identifiable characteristic.
Mahmoud Raslan’s photograph of “the boy in the ambulance” from Aleppo has struck a chord with viewers in a way that we haven’t seen since Nilüfer Demir’s image of 3-year old refugee Alan Kurdi in 2015. The photo and accompanying video of 5-year old Omran Daqneesh covered in dust and blood and sitting motionless is a stark reminder of a desperate war that started the year he was born.
When it comes to critical feedback, knowing who to listen to and who to ignore is challenging. While I am by no means a “known” photographer, I’ve put enough of my work out into the wild that I’ve run into the inevitable criticism that it catches.
In this short Q&A exchange, filmmaker Kevin Smith delivers an important message to all creative people—be they photographers, filmmakers, writers, or anything else. The message is this: create work for yourself, not everyone else. (Warning: Video contains some NSFW language).
There’s an article, published here on PetaPixel, that’s currently making the rounds on social media. It's called “A Disturbing Trend in Photography.” In it, long-time photographer and photo educator Neal Rantoul makes the argument that the art photography of today is heavy on words and light on quality.
After sharing some of his work online recently, photographer Sean Tucker got a harsh taste of the hurtful words of online critics. Learning from the experience, Tucker just posted this 5.5-minute video on how you can deal with Internet criticism and not allow it to kill your creativity and passion.
Okay, so the title was a little click-baity... but it's true. Posting to social media outlets where family members and friends can all admire your work can stifle your creativity and prevent you from getting truly constructive feedback that you can develop from.
Hungarian journalist and human rights lawyer Boglarka Balogh recently published a series of photos for a good cause... and it blew up in her face.
Balogh is now being widely criticized online for the project, which featured Photoshopped portraits of her face edited onto the portraits of black African tribeswomen.
User interface designer Brad Colbow has sparked a conversation about Adobe's mobile app lineup with the 5-minute video critique above. It's titled "Dear Adobe, Your Mobile Apps Are a Mess."
Apple and Adobe sparked some unintended controversy yesterday after unveiling and demonstrating the new iPad Pro. Adobe mobile design director, Eric Snowden, took to the stage and showed off a new app called Adobe Fix, which offers powerful face detection features for mobile photo retouching. This is the mobile Photoshop app that was previously referred to as Project Rigel.
As an example of the app's powers, Snowden showed how the app can easily turn a woman's neutral expression into a smile. The demo drew some chuckles from the audience, but journalists and commentators immediately turned to social media to condemn the demo as sexist.
Have you ever looked at a piece of artwork -- a photo, for example -- and had the thought “I could do that”? PBS's The Art Assignment takes a closer look at the statement to explore a few questions it raises.
Earlier this month, the photo sharing service 500px rolled out a new version of its iOS app that focused on sleekness, simplicity, and social sharing. Media outlets immediately pointed out how similar the new app's look and feel is to other services, particularly Instagram.
Unfortunately for 500px, it seems that many users aren't responding well to the change: the latest version of the app is getting slammed by reviewers in the iTunes App Store.
If you share your photography in any public manner, you’re bound to run into critics who point out things …
(The Roosevelt quote above is one of my all time favorites. I have a couple of copies of it and one is on the wall next to my cluttered, USB encrusted desk.)
Ahhh… the world of the artist. A place where we can nurture our ideas and share our bountiful creativity to others who will accept it into their lives with open arms, and smiles of gratitude.
Or… not.