Simeon Quarrie Calls Out the Trolls, Speaks to the Hazardous Reality of Negative Comments Online
Simeon Quarrie is a talented, well-respected wedding photographer based out of the UK. But despite his impressive portfolio, humble attitude, and dedication to his work, when he shares it online, people inevitably come out of the woodwork to tear into the most minute details, oftentimes without even bothering to put his work in proper context.
It’s these individuals that inspired Quarrie to sit down with a camera before a recent shoot and spill his thoughts on trolls: the overly and unnecessarily critical individuals who slam and bring down the work we all share online.
In the four-and-a-half minute video, Quarrie asks and subsequently answers the question, “How do we cope and what is the damage that comes from negative posts in response to what we present online?”
Using a Facebook post he recently shared as evidence, Quarrie sheds light on the unfortunate fact that unwarranted critique by trolls often reaches the ears of potential clients.
He also uses a number of blogs as examples, including PetaPixel, who share many photographers’ work on a daily basis. He notes that the comments on our posts are often positive, but that some outliers will say anything under a veil of anonymity to bring down the person and their work.
Quarrie eventually summarizes his thoughts into four words that we all might want to take to heart: “be sensible, be mindful.” If you want to critique a photographer’s work, do it in a private manner.
Sure, it might seem like there is little to lose for the person sharing their images, but it can affect far more than their self-esteem — it can affect their success as a whole.
(via SLR Lounge)
