Picture Michael Middleton

This story is going to run and run isn’t it ?
Well it is August – traditionally silly season.
Today’s Guardian followed up the story with an item by Roger Tooth. Roger is head of photography at the Guardian – surely one of the best Fleet Street jobs left.
Mr Tooth, who knows about these things, critiscises the above picture on 6 individual counts.
I am listing them as they are good advice to all you budding Royal photographers.
But we are missing the point here …

1) Harsh rimlight.
2) Flat skin tones and harsh highlights – Should use a reflector or fill flash when shooting against the light.
3) A higher viewpoint to isolate the subjects against the lawn, a more attractive background.
4) Lose the dog – it dominates the picture.
5) Second dog is cropped in half – either keep it in or keep it out.
6) Hand in foreground is too near the camera and appears distorted.
Avoid using wide angle lenses when shooting portraits.

See them in detail here

However I maintain this is NOT the problem with this picture.
It is an amateur’s shot.
Taken by a doting grandparent and good luck to him – we can give him photography lessons later.
The problem with this picture is for the first OFFICIAL Royal Baby picture we should have had a professional doing the damn job.

Indeed I would have been happy to do the job; wouldn’t even have charged the happy couple a penny.Just pleased to get the syndication payments for the years to come – nice little pension fund !

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