[ASheffield]

I'm not sure what these are called but I think they're pointless. This one happens to be a parody of the actual ones.

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[icywindow]

Some people think it's art to take a picture on their cell phone, apply a filter to it (brightness -2 gaussian blur 10px), and put a saying on them which speaks to people. It looks prettier on myspace or facebook than just a normal status update.

There's a daily webcomic which has been proliferating something similar for about 5 years now called a softer world. A Softer World: 951 I think they're pretty creative and thoughtprovoking, but your mileage may vary.

[MRRiley]

It's because some people feel that it's not enough that their pictures are worth a thousand words... They have to add text to up the tally (and explain that which their photo cannot explain on it's own).

Mike

[ASheffield]

Some people think it's art to take a picture on their cell phone, apply a filter to it (brightness -2 gaussian blur 10px), and put a saying on them which speaks to people.

I took that picture with my Blackberry because those batteries are the ones that are supposed to go in the camera, I gave it the soft focus using Picasa, and I think my saying speaks to people. Aside from that, I don't see how that's art. I do consider photography a type of visual art but to avoid confusing people I give photography and visual art (drawing, painting, etc.) separate terms. I am truly into "visual arts" (same as photography) but I don't see how those pictures and actual art are related. I don't create a piece and write a quote across it.

[johnmflores]

I'm not sure what these are called but I think they're pointless. This one happens to be a parody of the actual ones.

That's really profound, breaking through the third plane to create a relationship between the viewer and photographer that oscillates between subject and photographer and photographer and subject.

[scratchpaddy]

Your disdain is obvious. Sure, it doesn't involve much skill. That's part of why it's so popular. It's easy, and it gives some people the warm and fuzzies. Are you saying it's an invalid form of entertainment because it's easy?

The automatic reaction of someone with skill to something that doesn't take much skill is disdain. I think we all need to work against this. Some people like blurry cellphone pics with slogans pasted on them. Even though there are pictures involved, nobody's stepping on your toes. These images don't diminish the skill and care you put into your own pictures. In fact, I bet you pictures look even better compared to that. It's harmless fun. Let them have it.

[Kozlok]

The purpose of any artistic endeavor is to inform or entertain (or both). I laughed my butt off at your picture, so sadly, you have created a great piece of (satiric) art whilst attempting to not do so. In fact I'm still laughing. I really appreciate you doing this, really brightened up my day.

People are stupid, accept it. It's what makes us wonderful. Dogs are even stupider, and even more wonderful.

[magkelly]

They're popular for the same reason most people like to show off snapshots of their backyard, their dog or whatever. Because it's there, and why not? I don't particularly think taking pics of flowers on a bush is all that interesting but people do it all the time. Go out into the yard, take a standard pic of a rose or a daisy or whatever and post it. It's a snap. Which is not the same thing as a real photograph IMHO. There are photographers out there, and we have a few here, who can elevate what might be a snap for most into the level of high art. But most people they're just taking a random pic of a flower in the yard, it's really nothing that you can't find tons of pic of elsewhere really, but they do it because they like to anyway. Not every snap has to be perfect or every person who picks up a camera a budding genius. Some people they just like to snap pictures of random things, and occasionally share them for fun, that's all. With some people it's objects, with some it's plants, with some it's animals like squirrels. It's all done for fun. I don't have to like it at all. But if someone else does that's fine by me. Whatever gets them through a day and makes them smile, shrug.

[Dario79]

Maybe they have a broken camera....maybe dirty lens....maybe they shoot with Canikon...maybe they cant hold still for more than fraction of second.....maybe all those photographs are taken in the middle of some wildest party....
Who cares? They like to post that kind of photos, there are people who enjoy looking at them and there are people like me that don't even bother looking at them...
Who knows?
Life's too short to waste time on things you dont like .)

[grhazelton]

I continue to be amused...amazed...at the cell phone "cameras" which generate a sound supposed to sound like a camera. Yet another layer of unreality. Like the explosive sound used in movies, etc, when a flash camera is used. This can still be heard on some TV shows when a DSLR is triggered. Flash powder with a K5?? Hmmm, does Lomography have a flash powder kit??

[Kerrowdown]

Why are these types "photos" so popular?

Maybe they are where you are, but until this thread, this is the first instance I've seen of this.

But then maybe, I just don't get out much.

[scratchpaddy]

I continue to be amused...amazed...at the cell phone "cameras" which generate a sound supposed to sound like a camera. Yet another layer of unreality. Like the explosive sound used in movies, etc, when a flash camera is used. This can still be heard on some TV shows when a DSLR is triggered. Flash powder with a K5?? Hmmm, does Lomography have a flash powder kit??

All non-DSLR cameras make the artificial noise. It just serves to notify the user that a picture has, in fact, been taken, since they don't make much of a noise naturally (in the case of cellphones, none at all). They can all be turned off, if you want.

They always sound really "crunchy" to me. If my DSLR made a CRUNCH noise every time I pressed the shutter, I would be very worried.

[JinDesu]

All non-DSLR cameras make the artificial noise. It just serves to notify the user that a picture has, in fact, been taken, since they don't make much of a noise naturally (in the case of cellphones, none at all). They can all be turned off, if you want.

They always sound really "crunchy" to me. If my DSLR made a CRUNCH noise every time I pressed the shutter, I would be very worried.

Not only to notify the user, but also the women nearby who are wearing skirts.

[psychdoc]

Here is an interesting article on basically the same question:

Is this art...and why that's the wrong question
Once it became de rigeur for artists to try to subvert museumgoers' expectations, by exhibiting everything from blank canvases to dead sharks, the world started seeing a lot of heated arguments of the "This-is-art"/ "No-it's-not" variety. You've probably had, or heard, these arguments before. They tend to go something like this:

Person A: That's not art! The artist didn't do anything, he just found that urinal and wrote his name on it.
Person B: No, it is art, because it's making a statement.

or, alternatively:

Person C: That's not art. It's just an advertisement -- its sole purpose is to sell things to people.
Person D: No, it's art; it's visually striking and it evokes an emotion.

I think the first thing to recognize here is that when people disagree about whether a particular object "is art," they're almost never disagreeing over what properties that object possesses. In the first example I gave, Person A and B agree that the artist found a urinal and wrote his name on it, and they agree that it is the artist's way of making a statement. They just disagree over whether those facts are sufficient to call the object "art." In the second example, Person C and D agree that the object is visually striking, has the potential to evoke an emotion, and was created with the sole purpose of selling something. They just disagree over whether those qualities are sufficient to call the object "art."

So what they're really disagreeing about, whether they explicitly realize it or not, is the definition of the word "art."

For the rest of the/full article: go to the link below. However it wont give you a real answer:
Rationally Speaking: Is this art? ...and why that's the wrong question.

[Alliecat]

I guess I'd never seen these either, or at least, never noticed if I did. I have to agree that some of the "Softer World" ones were interesting, a few of the comments were witty, & a couple made me LOL.
A Softer World: 6
A Softer World: 9
The whole facebook/flickr/whatever-website-you-post-every-snapshot-you-ever-took phenomenon has led to a glut of poor-quality snapshots everywhere that everyone "oohs" over, thus fueling more people to get involved. I guess. Whether it's art, is, as always, debatable. As long as people are having good fun with whatever silly photos they're making, ok. As long as they're not taking themselves too seriously?

All non-DSLR cameras make the artificial noise. It just serves to notify the user that a picture has, in fact, been taken, since they don't make much of a noise naturally (in the case of cellphones, none at all).

I LOL'd again, upon discovering that the little Optio RS1500 I bought for work can be set to MEOW when you turn it on or take a photo. I kid you not. (no, I did not set it to do that. But under certain circumstances like a silly get-together, I might be tempted).