Art Articles

“It’s Time We Met”

The Met has started a new ad campaign. The museum will be plastering city buses and buildings with amateur photos of people at the Met which were posted to flickr. I think this says a lot about the new administration and how they’re trying to be cool and hip and reach a new breed of visitors. 

This photo, of Gene and Cindy Russell was taken by their daughter Laura while they were all on holiday to the museum. Laura then posted the photo to flickr and the Met’s marketing team came across it: 

There has been quite a debate on the subject of fair use and undermining professional photographers by going to a free source and amateur photographers for their campaign. I think its a very interesting way to do business and I certainly don’t think that this sort of photo sharing will ever get rid of the paid photographer. Photography is many things to many people (just as other forms of art are as well…think of the Sunday afternoon painter versus Degas) and while we may use amateur photography for things like this - we’re doing so with a purpose: for it to look amateur.

Any thoughts? Any photographers angry about the appropriation of their profession?

3 years ago | Tags: marketing, art museum the met fair-use advertising amateur photography