Yesterday afternoon the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Prince William and his wife Catherine) released two beautiful snapshots of their family – including their dog Lupo, the Middleton’s dog Tilly, and their new baby boy Prince George. The royal couple opted for casual photos at the Middleton home, taken by Kate’s father Michael instead of using a professional photographer and it appears to be causing an uproar!
The biggest outcry seems to be coming from professional journalists and photographers from many of Britain’s news outlets, but from “regular folks” as well. They’re saying the photos are something you’d share on Facebook, but not for the first photos of a future king.
Vice Chairman of the British Press Photographer’s Association, Eddie Mulholland, slammed the pictures’ quality. “They are lovely snaps for a grandfather to have taken. But in terms of the quality, they are not really what you want for such a historic picture.” He also wasn’t a fan of the dogs being included, “The photograph with the dogs is the worst. One of the dogs in the corner looks like a furry rug.”
Some commenters were much kinder about it. CNN reports that on their site people were writing positive messages like “Its nice to see a family snap and not a professional one. Its a special time with a new baby I hope the press backs off and let them enjoy it.”
Getty’s royal photographer Chris Jackson gave them credit for the charming photos, saying “In the future, I would recommend taking photos in the early morning or late evening when the light is turning to give a softer light to the image but it’s a good all-round effort and it’s a very charming image.”
I have to say that I’m surprised at the upset over the photos. There will be official and much more formal photos coming when Prince George is baptized later this fall. These just seem to be “here’s an updated peek for you, three weeks after his arrival”. It seems that William and Kate can’t please us all.
There was a similar outcry back when the palace released photos of Catherine’s official painting, which seemed to age her by about 20 years. I had to agree that time – the painting was unflattering and didn’t capture her radiance and youth. But I do disagree with the critics on these family snapshots, I think they’re perfectly in line with William and Kate’s modern attitude of “no fuss” and keeping things simple and down-to-earth.
What do you think? Are they too unprofessional? Or just perfect for this laid-back royal family?
Photo Credit: Kensington Palace
