Vision Slightly Blurred

Brendan Smialowski Unwittingly Strikes Internet Gold with Bernie Memes

While covering the inauguration of President Joe Biden, AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski focused his camera onto Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for two quick frames. Somehow the totally unremarkable photo perfectly captured Bernie's spirit and a thousand memes were born much to Smialowski's chagrin. In this episode of PhotoShelter's Vision Slightly Blurred, hosts Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi discuss Bernie Memes, Quil Lemons becomes the youngest photographer to get a Vanity Fair co...

Trump Gives Nick Ut the National Medal of the Arts and the Backlash Ensues

Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Nick Ut of "Napalm Girl" fame, received the National Medal of the Arts from President Trump. While many celebrated the achievement, a number of people expressed dismay over Ut's decision to accept it from the twice impeached President.  In this episode, Allen and Sarah discuss the controversy, and also tackle the copyright grab at Penn State's Collegian, and Joe Biden's official White House photographer, Adam Schultz.

Photojournalists Capture the Capitol Under Siege

January 6, 2021, an infamous day in U.S. History when citizens overran the Capitol was also a day when photojournalists delivered incredible work under heavy duress. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen review some of the exemplary work and discuss the outsized influence that social media had on the "performative" acts of many of the rioters.

Photojournalist Kenneth Jarecke Launches The Curious Society

A quarterly print publication of top notch photojournalism for $300 per year? Seasoned photojournalist Kenneth Jarecke believes there's a market for it and has launched The Curious Society to prove his point.  Also in the show: Congress passes the CASE Act which establishes a 3-person copyright tribunal as an alternative to filing copyright cases in federal court, and the New York Times licensing department informs photographer Daniel Arnold that they gave away his portrait of Jerry Seinfel...

The Final Show of 2020 – And We Hear From You!

Two weeks ago, we solicited voice memos and stories from you, the listener, on how you're coping during the pandemic, projects you're working on, or places where you're finding inspiration. This is your show! Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2021.

NYT's The Year in Pictures 2020

The New York Times recently published their annual Year in Pictures, and Sarah and Allen discuss their favorite photos, the role of editing in making sense of the world, and what they missed.

Lawyer Richard Liebowitz Suspended in SDNY

Intellectual property attorney Richard Liebowitz was ordered to stop practicing law in the Southern District of New York following a unanimous decision by the Grievance Committee stemming from repeated misconduct. Liebowitz has been a staunch advocate of photographer rights and has successfully sued for copyright infringement. Have his transgressions crossed the line? Sarah and Allen discuss in this week's show.

Reuters Photos of the Year Look Terrible...On the Web

Reuters is the first major wire service to publish a year-end "best of" photo gallery. The photos are an incredible collection of well-composed images that convey so many of the seminal moments of the year including COVID-19, protests, wildfires, and more – but the images are highly compressed and the presentation doesn't do the photos justice. 

Diana Markosian's Santa Barbara & Instagram's Latest Update

Diana Markosian's latest project, Santa Barbara, is named after the 80s soap opera which she watched as a child in the Soviet Union. Little did she know that a short while later, her mom became a mail order bride in order to move the U.S. amid economic collapse in the USSR. In addition to an Aperture monogram, Markosian is releasing a film – a semi-autobiographical account of her early life in America. Also, Women Photograph's Mentorship Class of 2021, the Alexia Foundation announces its gr...

Where Did That Viral Collage of Kamala Harris Come From?

After most major news outlets called the election for Joe Biden, a collage of former VPs and VP-elect Kamala Harris began to circulate on social media. Where did it come from? Allen does some sleuthing, and wonders why the major social media platforms don't have a reverse image search feature. Also, photos from Election Day around the country, The 30 (formerly PDN30) announces its 2020 winners, and super size German art photo prices have plummeted.

Johnny Depp Plays Photographer W. Eugene Smith in "Minamata"

MGM has acquired the rights to "Minamata" a drama about Eugene Smith's last photo assignment documenting the horrific mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan. Smith expected to work on the project for 3 months, but ended up working on the story for 3 years with his wife Aileen, and photo assistant Takeshi Ishikawa.  Also, an interview with Joe Biden's official photographer Adam Schultz, Kennedi Carter becomes the youngest ever to grab the cover of Vogue UK, Tyler Mitchell photographs Alexandri...

Pete Souza Recounts History in "The Way I See It"

The long awaited documentary featuring the Obama administration's Chief White House Photographer Pete Souza recently made its debut on MSNBC, and Sarah and Allen share their thoughts, and why they shed a few tears. In addition, Pari Dukovic's photo of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter goes viral on Twitter (do you think that's appropriate????), a comparison of campaign photos in key senate races, Joe McNally recalls photo shoots with Biden and Trump in the 80s, and a lightning round featurin...

PSA: Unsplash is Still Awful for Photographers (and end users)

Free stock photo site Unsplash entered the news cycle again when the UK government used a photo of an Atlanta-based dancer as the subject of their "Cyber First" ad campaign, suggesting that dancers would be better served with a job in cyber security.  Photographer Krys Alex, who previously had uploaded the image to Unsplash, was horrified that her image could be appropriated in such a way. But folks, that's how Unsplash works! It's almost like Zack Arias told you so... Also: The Grammy's e...

Has Adobe Gone Too Far?

Adobe Photoshop Element's Face Tilt feature allows you to repositions faces in your photos to direct their gaze back towards the camera (or anywhere else you see fit). Washington Post photo editor Olivier Laurent asks whether Adobe has gone too far. Photographer Melissa Golden gets critical of pandemic portraiture, Gary He launches a subscription-based food newsletter to diversify his income, and we celebrate Indigenous People's day and the work of Edward Curtis.

Did President Trump Stage Photos While Being Treated for COVID-19?

A small controversy occurred this past weekend when the AP circulated handout photos taken by White House photographer Joyce Boghosian of President Donald Trump signing documents without a mask while being treated for COVID-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Were they staged? How are presidents depicted while they are sick? Sarah and Allen discuss the details and nuance of staging photos for political propaganda. Also in this episode, Chrissy Tiegen releases photos on soci...

Photoville Returns to NYC in a Pandemic, TIME 100 Covers, and Photos of Fancy Cake

Since its inception, Photoville has used outdoor space to display a wide range of incredible photographs on the Brooklyn Bridge waterfront – which ironically makes it a perfect way to celebrate photography in the era of COVID-19. This year's show runs from Sept 17 - Nov 29 at multiple locations around the NYC, so check it out. Also in the show, TIME tapped multiple photographers for its TIME 100 issue of influential people, and Sarah and Allen tell you why it doesn't create visual cohesion;...

Emily Ratajkowski Wants to Reclaim Her Image. What Does That Mean for Photographers?

Last week, New York Magazine's The Cut published a lengthy essay written by model Emily Ratajkowski on her experiences working as a model, actor, and influencer entrepreneur. She gives numerous examples where she felt unable to control her own image from being sued by a paparazzo, having two Instagram posts appropriated by Richard Prince, and being sexually assaulted by a photographer who later sold photos taken the night of the assault as "art" without her consent. Sarah and Allen try to u...

Do You Still Need a Photography Website in 2020? (And Get Your SEO Guide Too)

Flak Photo's Andy Adams asked his followers for their website URLs early this month, and was surprised to find that a number of them didn't have a website. Instagram has become the dominant way to follow photographers and see updates, but that doesn't mean it's a good replacement for a website. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen discuss the limitations of social media, and the value of building your brand and SEO through your own website.

BJP's The Ones to Watch and SFMOMA Animates the Pioneers of Photography

The British Journal of Photography recently released their 2020 Ones to Watch list – a globally diverse list of talent that includes a number of photographers that we've talked about in previous shows.  Also, SFMOMA creates a series of short animations to introduce some of the pioneers of photography. The animation is kitschy, the info is high quality, and you'll want to read up on the names you've heard before, but probably forgot since your college photo history course.

The Folded Map Project's Tonika Johnson Confronts Alec Soth & the NYT

On September 5, 2020, The New York Times published the latest entry in their "The America We Need" Times Opinion series to examine two neighborhoods on Chicago's North Side and South Side and the enormous disparities in wealth and health. The NYT hired an out-of-towner – Magnum Photos' Alec Soth – to cover the sensitive and complex topic of the effects of segregation and racism, only to discover that Chicago photographer Tonika Johnson had done nearly identical work with a significantly gre...

California Wildfires, the Whitney Screws Up, Texas Isaiah, and RIP Chadwick Boseman

Sarah is back in NYC, and we're ready to talk photography! In this episode, a network of surveillance cameras captures the California wildfires, the Whitney Museum tries to mount a show with Black photographers with images from a charity print sale, Texas Isaiah becomes the first trans photographer to land the cover of Vogue UK, and remembering Chadwick Boseman in pictures. #WakandaForever

What Photographers Can Learn from the Whitney Museum & See in Black Debacle

Today's episode is an audio version of Allen Murabayashi's piece entitled "What Photographers Can Learn from the Whitney Museum & See in Black Debacle" which can be found at blog.photoshelter.com

The Strange Lure (and Joy) of Other People's Photos

Is Alberto di Lenardo the next Vivian Maier? Prior to his death, di Lenardo showed his granddaughter a "secret room" filled with the negatives of over 8,000 photos which she edited into a new book entitled "An Attic Full of Trains." Also, Aaron Siskind's "Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation," Hannah Beachler requests that we use color photos from the Civil Rights era, and Bill Shapiro on the strange lure of other people's photos.

Beirut in Photos, #IwanttoseeNyome, Is Getty Selling Images of Child Exploitation?

In this jam-packed episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen discuss how citizen journalism and professional photojournalism gave us an incredible point of view of the tragic explosion in Beirut, Andy Day and Benjamin Chesterton uncover Magnum Photo images of child sexual exploitation, Instagram censors (then allows) images of plus-size Black model Nyome Nicholas-Williams, CJR interviews Art Greenspon, Robert Hodierne, David Burnett and David Hume Kennerly on covering COVID, the #R...

Kodak Becomes a Pharma Company, AP Switches to Sony, RIP John Lewis

With a $765 million loan under the U.S. Defense Production Act, Kodak has pivoted from film chemistry to pharmaceutical ingredients. The loan sent Kodak's stock price soaring from $2.61 to as high as $60 before settling in the low $20s. Eyebrows were also raised when it was revealed that Kodak Executive Chairman Jim Continenza scored a stock option grant the day before the announcement that could net him close to $100 million.  Also, Judge Nelson Lee stays his own ruling for three weeks to ...

Martin Parr Apologizes, Male Doctors Try to Shame Their Female Peers with Photos, and the Hippest Octogenarians

After 18 months, a campaign started by then 18-year old Mercedes Baptiste Halliday, a Black photo student in London, to stop the sales of a republication of Gian Butturini's "London" by Martin Parr has come to and end. An official apology plus Parr's request to destroy the remaining inventory (although publisher Damiani has apparently put the books on sale rather than destroyed them) has given Halliday a well-earned victory against racism and an entrenched "generation of white, middle-aged m...

Dario Calmese Photographs Viola Davis for Vanity Fair and References a Slave Photo

After the controversy surrounding Annie Leibovitz's Vogue cover of Simone Biles, Vanity Fair published a beautiful photo spread of Viola Davis taken by Dario Calmese. The images were spectacular, but Calmese used an old photo as a reference image for the cover, which caused controversy and discussion on Twitter.

Annie Leibovitz Photographs Simone Biles for Vogue...and Twitter Loses Its Mind

Co-host Allen Murabayashi recounts his participation on an ICP panel about protestors and ethics with panelists Tara Pixley, Brent Lewis, and Joshua Lott, David Burnett writes a letter to NPPA, Amy Scott responds, Women Photograph announce their grant winners, and Twitter does not like Annie Leibovitz's photos of GOAT Simone Biles.  In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen breakdown the week's photo news right now!

Did the Media Get Played by Trump? Magnum Faces Questions About Diversity, and Hot Dogs!

President Trump gave a Fourth of July Speech at Mount Rushmore, which provided a perfect spectacle for Presidential propaganda. Did the media get played by circulating these "patriotic" images, or was the publication more nuanced?  In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi also discuss controversy surrounding diversity at Magnum Photos and of members Martin Parr and Lua Ribeira, and finally some images of hot dogs to round out the holiday weekend.

Presented with Pride – The Evolving POV of LGBTQ Photographers

As Pride month comes to a close, we highlight just a small number of photographers doing thought-provoking work from Robert Mapplethorpe's controversial sex images to tender images of middle-aged love by Matthew Papa. Also in the show, the Photo Bill of Rights is unveiled (controversy follows), the Robert Giard Foundation's grant for emerging LGBTQ photographers, Tom Bianchi, Collier Schorr, Ryan McGinley, Muholi, Queer Appalachia, and a comparison of three kiss photos by Elinor Carucci, Da...

Jake May's Beautiful Juneteenth Photo, Jesse Dittmar Snaps Charli D'Amelio, and NYT's Selfies of Black Photographers

Juneteenth, the Summer Solstice, and Father's Day – all in one weekend – with some fantastic photography to boot. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen discuss the wonderful work of Jake May in Flint, MI, Linda Tirado sues the police for shooting her in the eye, Jesse Dittmar takes an assignment with the Washington Post to photograph TikTok star Charli D'Amelio, and the NYT's "Self-Portraits From Black Photographers Reflecting on America."

Jake May's Beautiful Juneteenth Photo, Jesse Dittmar Snaps Charli D'Amelio, and NYT's Selfies of Black Photographers

Juneteenth, the Summer Solstice, and Father's Day – all in one weekend – with some fantastic photography to boot. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen discuss the wonderful work of Jake May in Flint, MI, Linda Tirado sues the police for shooting her in the eye, Jesse Dittmar takes an assignment with the Washington Post to photograph TikTok star Charli D'Amelio, and the NYT's "Self-Portraits From Black Photographers Reflecting on America."

Photojournalists Have a Heated Ethics Debate & Black Photographers Create the VogueChallenge

As photographers responded to the controversial Poynter article entitled "Photographers are being called on to stop showing protesters' face. Should they?" PhotoShelter co-founder Allen Murabayashi published a series of pieces that intensified the conversation around the First Amendment and the well-being of protesters and vulnerable populations.  Allen and co-host Sarah Jacobs also discuss Michael Christopher Brown's response to criticism of his NY Mag cover, Michael Santiago takes a buyou...

Should Photographers Show Protestors' Faces? It's a Misleading Question.

In the midst of global protests in support of #BlackLivesMatter, the Poynter Institute caused a ruckus within the photojournalism industry last week with the provocatively titled “Photographers are being called on to stop showing protestors’ faces. Should they?” At least part of the outright dismissal of the article by some photojournalists stemmed from the second sentence which reads “But there’s a growing movement that calls for journalists and citizens to blur or not show protesters’ fac...

Photojournalists Attacked and Arrested at Protests Around the Country

In the span of less than a week, concerns about COVID-19 have taken a backseat to the nationwide protests against police brutality and racism sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmad Aubrey, and Breonna Taylor. Photojournalists covering the scenes have been confronted with violence against them by police and unknown agitators. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi discuss the incredible photography being produced around the country – including by...

Are There Enough Photos of COVID-19 Death?

Harvard professor Sara Elizabeth Lewis raised the ire of some photojournalists by suggesting that there weren't enough photos of COVID-19-related death to create "mental images" of the breadth of the pandemic and the wake of destruction. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi discuss the reactions by Gary He, Lucas Jackson and Reading the Pictures, Philip Montgomery's work for the NYT, plus a visualization of the news by Josh Begley. But wait there's ...

Are There Enough Photos of COVID-19 Death?

Harvard professor Sara Elizabeth Lewis raised the ire of some photojournalists by suggesting that there weren't enough photos of COVID-19-related death to create "mental images" of the breadth of the pandemic and the wake of destruction. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi discuss the reactions by Gary He, Lucas Jackson and Reading the Pictures, Philip Montgomery's work for the NYT, plus a visualization of the news by Josh Begley. But wait there's ...

Robert Pattinson Takes a Selfie for GQ, Travis Long Covers Protesters, and Justine Kurland's Girl Pictures

In this episode of the PhotoShelter podcast, Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi talk about Travis Long's photo of a missile launcher-carrying protestor, Nicola Cordi's "Italy in the Spring of 2020" diptychs using Google Earth, Robert Pattinson's selfies for GQ, an interview with New York Magazine's Jody Quon, Emman Montalvan's portraits of Kehlani, and Justine Kurland's new book featuring the work of her Girl Pictures project.

Daniel Arnold's Seinfeld Photos, Spencer Tunic on Zoom, and Deanna Dikeman Says Bye to Mom

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the moms out there! In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen laugh at Daniel Arnold's remote portraits of Jerry Seinfeld, critique Spencer Tunic's latest attempt at photographing nudes via Zoom, fawn over Justin von Oldershausen's apartment building portraits, compare Olivia Harris' sun worshippers to Greg Miller's Primo Amore, review more quarantine shoots by Nikola Tamindzic, Elizaveta Porodina, and Grace Gelder, and give a final wave g...

Bryan Derballa's Botanic Garden, Sally Mann on Dorothea Lange, and UFOs!

Spring is in the air, and we've got the photos to prove it. Er, we're talking about the photos to prove it. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi go gaga for Bryan Derballa's Brooklyn Botanic Garden photos, laugh with Liz Devine and her roomies, talk race with Elijah Nouvelage's viral nail tech photo from Georgia, those crazy UFO videos and much more!

Glow In the Dark Dolphins, the COVID Lives of NYT Photographers, and Life Imitates Art

Your weekly dose of photography and culture with hosts Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi. In this episode, we talk about a collection of 15 essays written by NYT staffers and contributors, DJs and strippers on Instagram, the trend of recreating famous artwork at home, and cool images of dolphins and whales to end the show!

Sinclair v Mashable, Zombie Protestors, and High School Seniors

A judge dismissed Stephanie Sinclair's lawsuit against Mashable after the website embedded an image she posted to Instagram without permission. How should photographers react and protect themselves? Photojournalist Joshua Bickel's image of protestors in Ohio has been likened to zombie movies, and for good reason. But he's a bit uncomfortable with the comparison. Matt Mendelsohn is trying to photograph an entire 500-student graduating class in Arlington, VA, while Calla Kessler captured stu...

3 Photographers on Applying for Economic Assistance: Moral Failing or Necessity?

How Photographers Are Staying Creative During COVID-19

In this week’s episode of PhotoShelter’s podcast “Vision Slightly Blurred,” @sarahjake and @allen3m discuss sheltering in Dallas and Honolulu, the dystopian photography of empty places, how teachers are dealing with distance learning, and the creative things that photographers do.

Photography in the Age of Coronavirus

What once seemed like a distant threat has turned into a major nightmare for photographers. The rapid spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to major uncertainty for freelancers dealing with a "black swan" event that has resulted in cancellations of music festivals, tech conferences, weddings, and nearly every sporting event.  In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen discuss how COVID-19 has already impacted freelancers, how photo editors are trying to help, how the med...

How the Kids Are Learning Photography on TikTok

TikTok, the video-based social media app, usually conjures visions of teens mimicking the latest dance craze, but it's probably better described as short attention span YouTube. In 2017, ByteDance, the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok, acquired the Musical.ly app, which had gained a toehold with an under-18 demographic by becoming a replacement for the comedy-oriented Vine app along with a burgeoning lip synching community. Although the app still skews heavily towards music, it has pr...

Twitter Beefs: The Photo Industry Fights Over Photo Contests

Late Winter and early Spring bring another cycle of photo contest season – that time of year when many major prizes are announced (especially in the photojournalism realm). And with each year bring another round of punditry regarding the value of photo contests and an almost inevitable controversy regarding the winners. In this week's episode of PhotoShelter's Vision Slightly Blurred podcast, Sarah (@sarahjake) and Allen (@allen3m) discuss the controversy around the 77th Pictures of the Yea...

Celebface: Why everyone looks the same on Instagram

Are Your Social Media Photos Ending Up In a Law Enforcement Database?

The New York Times investigative reporter Kashmir Hill uncovered some unsettling details about Clearview AI – a facial recognition start-up that scrapes publicly available photos from sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Venmo and makes the data searchable by law enforcement – even if you're not suspect or convicted of committing a crime. Facial recognition is an incredibly useful consumer tool for organization burgeoning albums, but the privacy implications are enormous when third parties sta...

Fujifilm Launched a Camera and Revealed How their Ambassador Takes Photos. Then He was Canceled.

As a part of the launch of the Fuji X100V, Fuji posted a video of Japanese street photographer Tatsuo Suzuki at work. Suzuki's aggressive style rubbed people the wrong way, and within the week, he was scrubbed from the campaign, and then erased from the Fuji website. But Suzuki is an accomplished street photographer who has also helped build a community of street photographers with his zine/collective Void Tokyo. Why does Suzuki get canceled when photographer like Bruce Gilden earn gallery ...