criticism

A Predictable Trend in Photography Criticism

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.

How to Deal with Internet Criticism as a Photographer

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.

Why ‘Great Photo’ Comments Will Ruin Your Photography

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.

Woman Slammed for Photoshopping Her Face Onto African Tribeswomen

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.

Apple and Adobe Slammed for ‘Sexist’ Photoshop Fix Demo That Made a Woman Smile

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.

500px’s Latest iOS App is Getting Slammed

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.

Should We Listen To ‘Critics’ or Show Them The Door?

(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.

Eyeist Brings Professional Photo Portfolio Reviews to the Masses

If you want more feedback about your photography portfolio than what your friends, peers, parents, and keyboard critics provide -- and you're willing to drop some money on a professional review -- you should check out Eyeist, a new disruptive service that's trying to bring high-quality portfolio reviews to the masses.

Words of Wisdom Regarding Criticism by Anton Ego in Ratatouille

The Internet can be a tough place for photographers. One can pour an immeasurable amount of time, money, energy, blood, sweat, and tears into a picture (or a series of pictures), only to have his or her hard work torn to shreds by nameless and faceless commenters who hide behind the veil of anonymity.

AP Apologizes After Poorly-Timed Photo of Romney Draws Criticism

The Associated Press caused a stir this week after publishing the above photograph of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Shot at Fairfield Elementary School in Virginia, the photo had the caption,

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va.

The caption was innocent enough, but the fact that the photo looked as though a girl behind Romney was gaping at his rear end instantly drew criticism from across the web, with commentators calling it "unflattering" and "inexcusable".

Flickr Designer Writes Blog Post Publicly Criticizing the Site’s Usability

There have been a number of stories lately reporting that a large number of Flickr users are leaving the site for new photo-sharing services that are cropping up, including Instagram and 500px. Earlier his week, a designer at Flickr named Timoni West wrote a post on her blog that publicly criticized Flickr's usability. More specifically, she calls the "Your contacts" page (the one that shows your contacts' photos) the "most important page on Flickr", pointing out the problems with the page and offering redesign ideas that would address them.

Sleeping Man Photo Wins BJP Award but Gets Bashed by Readers

The British Journal of Photography announced recently that South African photographer Michelle Sank's image "Man asleep on the Golden Mile, Durban, South Africa." had won the single image category of its International Photography Award.

The image, which shows a man asleep in a park just off the Golden Mile in Durban, was described by judges Nick Galvin, Bruno Ceschel and Diane Smyth as both surreal and disturbing, and was picked out from 338 other entries because of its quiet, enduring intensity. "The more I look at it, the more powerful it becomes," commented Galvin, who manages the archive at Magnum London.