What Does Your Profile Picture Really Mean?

For some, picking the perfect profile picture is as easy as clicking the first image in your computer's library, for others it is agony. Hours spent analysing their own face to scope out any potential insecurities and whether these are less visible in other images. Have you got a double chin, do you look tired or overweight?  Probably not but certain angles and certain poses make some people feel better about their own image. The Myspace pose may have been the staple of the mid-noughties teen but now there are a whole range of different profile styles to choose from but what do they say about you? Classic portrait How to Spot It: The classic profile picture – showing the waist up, looking into the camera (or into the distance for artiness). What It Says About You: You are normal. The vast majority of profile pictures look like this. However, if it's professionally taken as a headshot or blatantly airbrushed you might come across as a show off. If it's a 'selfie' it screams insecurity as people now know you sit in your room taking pictures of yourself in your spare time. The landscape shot Read more... What Does Your Profile Picture Really Mean?

Why Photography Will Never Die

A picture is worth a thousand words. It's a cliché but is there still truth behind the phrase? In a world of instant communication, there is a constant demand for information and news. Whether this info comes from war torn countries, the UK riots or even the local village fete; news relies on visuals and imagery as much as it does words, statistics and information. What was more shocking during the riots which spread across the UK? Was it the news reports condemning the looting and violence? Or was it the videos and photographs of real people caught up in the melee? In scriptwriting and prose writing, there's a saying which says 'show not tell.' If you want your character to feel real to an audience you don't have them talking about their actions, you have them doing them. The ability to filter what an audience knows through story telling is a powerful tool in fiction and news features alike. Photography is one of the only mediums which can still shock its audience. A person in court on assault charges is less shocking than seeing someone beating another human being, especially if they appear weak or defenceless. Photography places the audienc
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Photography: Who Owns the Copyright?

While it only really affects those who have been professionally commissioned, copyright can be a confusing minefield for any photographer. Who has the rights to the image? Legally, the copyright of any idea belongs to the person whose skill, ability and work went into creating the copyrighted work. There is no copyright in an idea only in how it is presented, for example, a clown logo outside a fast-food restaurant isn't in breach of a copyright. But, if that clown bears an overdue resemblance to a certain Ronald Macdonald, you may have one of the world's largest corporations knocking on your door. While this may not affect photographers it is good to bear in mind whether you think someone has plagiarised your work. In photography copyright, the 1 August 1989 is a key date to remember. On this date, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 came into force. Before this date, who ever commissioned the photograph owned the full copyright to the image. After this date, the photographer or their employee owns the copyright to the image, unless otherwise stated in the contract. While the people in the photograph may not own the copyright, they do have legal moral rights for the redistribution of their image. So, for example, if you want to create a new portfolio of your work or a new advertising campaign, you would need permission from the people who commissioned you to take the picture, or you may be liable fo
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The Power of Photography

Recent images of a newborn baby being cut precariously from a sewer pipe have caused shock and repulsion across the world. The ability of photography to shock and spark debate never fails to amaze me and it seems that even in a world of pre-watershed sex and violence, photography still holds the occasional ability to make the world stand up and pay attention.

The photograph in question was taken in China once the baby’s mother (who only admitted to having given birth to the child) rang authorities after the infant apparently fell into the toilet by accident. The image has caused outrage worldwide but for very different reasons.

In China, the woman is being ostracised for such an act of wanton cruelty and demonic negligence. Whereas, in the UK, the media and society has looked to the symptomatic way in which a young mother could feel so pressured during pregnancy that, not only does she keep her pregnancy secret and deliver a child in a toilet, she resorts to such an act of desperation in order to maintain the life she wants. Granted this assumes that the mother in fact intended to dispose of the infant rather than it being an unfortunate accident.

Either way, the image of a child literally flushed down the toilet is an enduring one. In the modern world we are used to seeing infants in sanitised, nurturing environments and the shot of a child trapped in a womb of defecation is appalling on so many levels. This type of imagery would feel at home in a David Lynch or Werner Herzog film but the fact that such a strong political and social criticism is real is even the more powerful.

What is for sure is that this image may fade over time but it will always be there in the psyche of the world. This child will forever be the person who started life inside a toilet, betrayed by a mother who was in turn betrayed by her society. Even if this is a tragic accident with a redemptive ending, why would the mother have a newborn near the unsanitary public toilet rather than a hospital? The very circumstances brought about by the woman’s selfishness and desperation is a damning criticism of Chinese society.

There’s something gut wrenching about the site of a blue new-born covered in excrement, wedged inside a pipe and crying for help. While it is easy to criticise the mother, it should be remembered that through the power of photography, exposure has been shone on societies failings and hopefully this may lead to change in future – surely the greatest power that art can possess.

Getting it Right on Linkedin

The popularity of Linkedin among professionals has risen significantly in past years, so much so that it is now an essential part of the job application process. Competition for jobs post economic crisis has meant that more and more people are turning to Linkedin to give them an edge over the competition.

Given the nature of this social network, it would stand to reason that it should display only the very best and professional aspects of a user, in order to secure them the very best employment. You might assume that the format is pretty straight forward for most members of this job networking site, but you’d be wrong...

A common mistake of many hopeful Linkedin users happens when they misinterpret the medium. Linkedin is a networking site for professionals, this means that employers and other users expect your page to look the part. Countless bikini clad photos, blatant ‘selfies’ and cleavages are all over Linkedin, and not one of them is taken seriously. Employers are not interested on how well an employee tanned over their summer break, nor are they interested in hiring the biggest breasts in the office (we hope).  Linkedin photos should be plain portraits which illustrate a workplace persona, in professional dress and with an appropriate expression.

Winking, leering, and closed eyes have all featured on some of Linkedin’s finest profile photo failures, without even considering the appalling choice of outfit and random background location. The key is to get the right balance between ‘passport photo’ and ‘career.’

Black and white, photoshopped, pixelated photos or scanned in prints are not ideal choices for Linkedin either.  A clear digital image is all it takes to impress an employer, while techniques which mask the true image of a person are a hindrance at best. Employers must review thousands of applicants’ sites, which means they need their information clearly and readily available in order to save time and ensure they hire the right person.

Photos with animals, babies or a spouse are also an inappropriate addition to a Linkedin profile photo. Unless you and the baby, animal or spouse come as a twinset in your application (which I would strongly advise against) there is no reason for their image to be there, as it is simply a distraction. Your Linkedin profile is about YOU, and a chance for YOU to shine. Your loved ones will have their day too.

Finally, the worst crime a Linkedin user could possibly commit? Not having a photo at all. This is tant amount to self sabotage, which anyone who is looking for work could do without.