It's a classic family scene. The proud parents showing off their new baby in the garden. A doting grandpa snapping photographs.
Fine for Facebook or Instagram. But when the baby in question is the future British king, and the photos are the first official photos, it doesn't take long for the world to weigh in -- on their quality, no less.
Most seem to agree that Michael Middleton, father of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and granddad to Prince George of Cambridge, should leave royal photography to the professionals.
"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" is the verdict of Eddie Mulholland, vice chairman of the British Press
The Daily Mail describes Catherine and Prince William's decision to use "one of proud grandpa Mike's happy family snaps" as "a startling break with tradition."
Most criticism zeroed in
on the focus and the lighting -- always a challenge for amateur
photographers not equipped with fancy flashes or reflectors.
Prince William
and Catherine, the latter holding Prince George swaddled in a white
blanket, are posed on the lawn of her parents' home in Berkshire with
the sun behind them, a difficult shot to pull off.
"I guess the reason
Kate's father chose backlight was to avoid bright sun on little George,"
speculates the Mirror's royal photographer, Kent Gavin.
He's happy to share some
advice though. "Back-lighting is always a little tricky for the
non-professionals but it does give a nice result. Photographing against
the sun needs a fill-in flash. Another option would be to use an area in
shade away from harsh light."
His other tip? "My professional view would be to see more of baby George."
'Babies, happy parents and dogs all bring smiles'
The inclusion of the
family pets -- the Cambridges' cocker spaniel Lupo and the Middletons'
golden retriever Tilly -- in some of the snaps also gets a mixed
reception.
A reporter for The Times of London remarked that the official photographs came "in a choice of formats: with or without dogs."
Mulholland, of the
Telegraph, was more scathing. "The photograph with the dogs is the
worst. One of the dogs in the corner looks like a furry rug," he wrote.
But the pictures got a more favorable write-up from some CNN readers who commented on the story.
"Babies, happy parents and dogs all bring smiles and the world needs more smiles!" said Earlypro.
"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," wrote Ann.
The public also weighed in on Twitter.
"Who cares? The photos are beautiful and show a new family! I think it's great that 'Grandad' got to take the photos," tweeted MammaMia, a mother of two from the English West Midlands.
"I'm no royal watcher,
but love choice new family made to release photos snapped by baby George
grampa. Can u blame them?" posted @MemoryMan Studios, a portrait studio in Dublin, Ireland.
No 'feeling of grandeur'
However, John Keatley,
an editorial and celebrity photographer in Seattle, told CNN that taking
such informal pictures jars the royal "brand."
"The amateur image that
these photos put across certainly doesn't create the most grand or royal
image in the viewer's mind," he said.
"They're decent photos.
They're not terrible. But at the same time, they certainly don't have
the same shine and pop and feeling of grandeur that you often see from
official royal family photos."
He acknowledged that the family may have been trying to project a casual, informal image.
But, he added, "You can
still make it casual. But this is just casual and poor quality. They
didn't have to make a bad quality product to put that idea across."
Christopher Barr, a professional photographer in Arizona, agrees.
"It's obvious that a
professional didn't take these. It hasn't been color-corrected. Even
somebody with a modicum of Photoshop knowledge could improve these
pictures immeasurably," he said.
"It's not a very good
effort. It's a particularly poor effort given that he's taking pictures
of such an important thing at such an important time."
But Lana Marks, a friend
of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told CNN's "AC360" show that she
thinks William's mother would have been delighted by his approach.
"One of the things she
told me is that she so much wanted William to have a normal life with
his family in the future, with whoever he wed and had children with,"
she said.
"All of her dreams have
come true and her legacy's coming true, and all the influences she's had
on William, the normalcy, is showing through so greatly now. She would
be immensely happy
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