Vision Slightly Blurred

With college costs skyrocketing and uncertainty around job prospects, more students are contemplating whether 4 years of photo school makes financial sense. In the age of YouTube, you can learn virtually any photo technique – from capture to post processing – online, and often for free. Content providers are publishing materials at an unprecedented pace, and making a living while doing it.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen contemplate a college-free world for professional photographers while profiling some of the YouTube personalities that are leading the way in the photo industry. 

Like the senior school photo, the prom photo is a rite of passage for most American teens. The traditional posed couple's photo has given way to trends like professional pre-prom photo, and the niche has been tackled by esteemed photographers Aristede Economopoulos, Gillian Laub, Mary Ellen Mark.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen delve into the world of prom, and even share some of their own prom photos.

The school photo – particularly the senior photo – has been a longtime rite of passage for most students in the US. And while schools enforce strict yearbook rules to ensure conformity, a niche industry of more creative photography has emerged that emphasizes individuality.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen talk about their own senior portraits, and investigate photographers who are taking different approaches to school photography (laser cats, anyone?)

No one could have predicted that the lowly animated GIF would have survived to the ripe old age of 32. Despite the rise of many more efficient technologies, the GIF remains stubbornly popular, and continues to thrive on social media as a sociological force. Its ability to convey emotion while leveraging popular culture combined with the popularity (and $150m investment) of sites like GIPHY, have made the animated GIF as influential as the emoji.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen run through some of their favorite animated GIFs of all time, and also discuss controversy (e.g. copyright, race) that surrounds the medium. 

From "Earthrise" to "The Pillars of Creation" to Mars rover selfies to this year's image of a black hole, it's undeniable that space photography captures the attention and imagination of the media and public at large. And space exploration is one area where scientists have successful leveraged photography to market their ideas and discoveries in a way that most branches of science have not.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah Jacobs and Allen Murabayashi discuss how NASA's early adoption of photography shaped the public's perception, and how today's off-the-shelf technology allows amateurs to capture stunning imagery of the night skies.

There are thousands of photography workshops to teach specific techniques and/or inspire attendees from amateurs to full-time pros. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen talk about workshop disasters, evaluating workshops, and whether pros should consider alternate events like a portfolio review to further their careers.And don't forget PhotoShelter's annual list of "40 Exciting Photography Workshops Happening in 2019 & 2020" which you can find on the blog at https://blog.photoshelter.com/2019/05/have-camera-will-travel-40-exciting-photography-workshops-happening-in-2019-2020/

Did you ever notice that celebrities love photography? Did you ever notice that they always carry around their Leicas and Contax G2s? What's up with that?But it's not always for show, some celebrities are accomplished and dedicated photographers like Jeff Bridges. Others like Cole Sprouse are honing their craft and getting editorial and commercial gigs to complement their day jobs. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen dig into the psychology of celebrities and their Leicas, identify a few celebs who are good photographers, and even talk about gear for about 5 seconds.

The New York Times Lens blog announced that after 10 years, its going on "indefinite hiatus" – a victim of the change in technology-driven consumption habits of photography. From its humble beginnings, it grew into a photography blog that had the might of a "newspaper of record," pushing documentary photography to a much larger audience than industry-specific blogs could.Lens didn't exist without criticism. Some photographers bemoaned the poor compensation for their often self-financed projects that took years to produce. But in a sea of sites like My Modern Met, Bored Panda, and the ilk, Lens at least offered something.In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen contemplate the legacy of Lens and what other sites might fill the void. 

There was a time when you could make a full-time living producing stock photography. That changed in the mid-90s with the introduction of royalty-free stock CDs. Digital photography and the rise of microstock created enormous downward pricing pressure on the industry.Nevertheless, stock photography still satisfies a real need for generic photography at a (too) reasonable price when commissioned photography isn't feasible. Sarah and Allen talk about stock as well as the co-opting of stock photos – like the "distracted boyfriend" – as fuel for memes in this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred.

Photo cooperatives and collectives have thrived for decades as a way to share resources (e.g. accounting and marketing functions) for like-minded photographers. But in the past few years, a palpable shift has occurred. Many contemporary collectives aggregate niche or marginalized groups of photographers, and provide a showcase and directory for photo editors to reference. Sarah and Allen examine the pros and cons of approaching photography through the lens of a potentially unknown "insider" vs the the more traditional method of using the "tried-and-true" photographer. The answer isn't always clear, but collectives are an important part of the photo ecosystem.

Social media influencers build economic viability by amassing as large an audience as possible. This raison d'etre is different than a photographer who sells their skill as a service. Despite this difference, what might photographers learn from their influencer counterparts about how to best take advantage of a medium like Instagram.Sarah and Allen talk about the Insta-famous from Kim and Kylie to Jimmy Chin and Brinson+Banks in the latest episode of Vision Slightly Blurred.

The fixation of some photographers to document their lives at any cost has led to unsavory behavior around the world – from the poppy fields in CA to the Grand Prismatic Springs in Yosemite to the railroad tracks at Auschwitz. To make matters worse, businesses have started designing their spaces to encourage and maximize Instagrammable moments. Could leaving your camera at home be liberating? Could it allow you to enjoy the moment even more? Sarah and Allen discuss the possibilities in this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred.

Many photographers have abandoned neutral documentary photography in favor of advocating for environmental causes that are important to them. And with massive social media followings, photographers like Paul Nicklen, Ami Vitale and many others are helping to shine a spotlight on issues big and small, and using photography as a primary storytelling device. On this Earth Day, we celebrate the photographers who are advocating for clean water, endangered species, and a healthy planet.

Facebook's content moderators have to look at some awful images and video to protect the rest of us from graphic content. The Verge reports that many of these $15/hour contract workers have suffered PTSD or secondary PTSD symptoms, which led Sarah and Allen to ask whether viewing photos could be hazardous to your health. From war photos to images of athletes with catastrophic injuries, what images should be published by the media, and what images should the public consume? 

It certainly won't hurt your career if Queen Bey hires you for a photo shoot, but the photographers who have worked with her in the past few years honed their skills and earned their keep before being tapped by one of the most influential people on the planet.Tyler Mitchell, Raven B. Varona, Awol Erizku and Blue Ivy have all taken a different approach to photographing Beyoncé, but the end result has been visually spectacular and helped to enhance her brand. 

In traditional photography, filters were used to block certain frequencies of light or to create in-camera effects like starbursts or soft focus. But in the age of computational photography, "filters" offer a stunning array of creative choices that can simulate film stock, swap your face, or apply other forms of augmented reality to significantly alter your appearance.In this episode, Sarah and Allen give you the low down on the latest and greatest. #nofilter

The hardliners say never give away a photo for free, and there is definitely a case to be made for not allowing other companies to use your intellectual property without compensation. But not all photos have the same economic value, and how can you evaluate whether allowing apps like Google Maps to use your images makes sense or not? The devil is in the details, and Allen and Sarah give it a go. 

Love 'em or hate 'em? Photo contests are ubiquitous in the industry providing contest promoters with an endless source of revenue and free content, and for a few select photographers, fame (sort of) and fortune (sometimes). Sarah and Allen discuss their own experiences with photo contests and why you might *still* consider them in this day and age.

Facial recognition software gives consumers a powerful way to auto-tag and organize photos. But like many technologies, the potential for abuse is significant – especially for hackers, overreaching governments and law enforcement agencies. Sarah and Allen discuss the implications in our premiere episode of "Vision Slightly Blurred," a new PhotoShelter podcast.

A brand new photography podcast from PhotoShelter with hosts Sarah Jacobs and Co-founder Allen Murabayashi. But we're not talking about gear or the newest version of your favorite software. Instead we're talking about how photography and photographers influence culture, how technology is shaping the definition of photography, and fun stuff like cool images of Beyoncé.Join us weekly starting Monday, March 11.