LONDON: Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Monday apologised and admitted to editing an official portrait of her released by the palace that prompted AFP and other agencies to withdraw the image.

Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service, and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fuelling speculation about her health.

Her Kensington Palace office on Sunday sought to dispel rumours by distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband Prince William of his wife with their three children.

But questions quickly emerged about the Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Kate, casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

They included several inconsistencies such as the zip of Kate’s jacket being misaligned in one place, while part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve is missing.

The eight-year-old princess’s hair also ends abruptly on her shoulder.

Responding to the growing controversy on Monday, the palace issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), signed by “C” for Catherine.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,“ it stated.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Royal sources told several British media outlets that Kate had made “minor adjustments” to the picture. Kensington Palace, however, said it would not republish the original, unedited photo.

– ‘Damaging’ –

AFP, Getty, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters all have policies about distributing manipulated images. They initially published the photo but pulled it late Sunday.

They decided after consultation that the modifications were “in violation of the ethical standards of the profession”, said AFP’s deputy news director in charge of photo, Eric Baradat.

“AFP felt compelled to remove the photo to preserve the trust of its subscribers and maintain transparency to the public, especially in a society where manipulated images are prevalent,“ he added.

By late morning Monday, the Press Association — a central UK media industry agency with close links to the palace — had also withdrawn the image.

Many commentators suggested the furore cast fresh doubt on royal reassurances about Kate’s health and recuperation.

Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, said the situation was “damaging” for the family. “They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate,“ he said.

“Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”

Graham Smith, who heads the Republic pressure group calling for an elected head of state, added: “It’s quite simple. Don’t use their own photos. It’s PR, not news.”

– ‘Support’ –

William, 41, and other senior royals are expected to attend annual Commonwealth Day celebrations in central London later on Monday.

King Charles III’s elder son, he is heir to the throne, intensifying public interest in Kate who would be queen.

According to Kensington Palace, she was admitted to hospital on January 16 for planned surgery, then left on January 29, to recuperate at home until at least Easter on March 31.

Royal officials have not specified the nature of her operation but have said it was not cancer-related.

The contentious photograph, published on all royal social media channels and widely picked up in Britain and across the world, was accompanied by a message signed by Kate.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,“ it read.

Earlier this month, a snatched photograph said to have been of Kate wearing sunglasses while being driven by her mother were published on the celebrity news site TMZ.

The sighting, said to have been near William and Kate’s Windsor home west of London, also failed to dampen conspiracy theories on social media about her absence from the spotlight.

The announcement about her hospital admission came just before Buckingham Palace revealed her father-in-law’s treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.

It then announced he had been diagnosed with an unrelated — but so far unspecified — cancer, which has forced him to cancel public engagements, barring some official meetings.

Charles, 75, has only been king and British head of state since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

His wife, Queen Camilla, 76, has since stepped up to take the lead as the royals’ most senior figure at public events. –AFP

The image of a smiling Catherine, Princess of Wales, flanked by her three children, should have put a stop to the explosion of speculation over her health and whereabouts. Instead, it triggered a whole new controversy for Britain’s royal family after multiple global news agencies recalled the image from circulation hours later, citing manipulation concerns.

The photograph was released by Kensington Palace early Sunday on the couple’s official social media accounts, to mark Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. As is standard practice for official UK royal photographs, it was also released concurrently to news and photo agencies for distribution.

It showed Kate surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis relaxed and laughing – perhaps sparked by something from Prince William, who was credited with taking the photo.

On Monday morning, after the storm broke, Kate issued a personal apology, taking responsibility for the confusion she said she had inadvertently caused.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote before ending her post with a “C” for Catherine.

The family mark the celebration each year, but the touching photograph was also seen as a message to the nation and ought to have eased growing public concern following Kate’s surgery in January for a noncancerous abdominal issue.

Despite the palace having said that it would take two to three months for the princess to recover, her temporary hiatus from engagements and the lack of clarity on her medical condition created a vacuum that was filled on social media by conspiracy theories ranging from the insensitive to the outlandish.

This year’s Mother’s Day photograph was also the first proper sighting of the princess since Christmas Day. Last week, a grainy paparazzi photo emerged of Kate in the front seat of a car driven by her mother. CNN was among many media outlets that made the independent decision not to run that unauthorized photograph. Many reputable news organizations typically avoid using paparazzi photographs without a strong editorial reason or a public interest argument.

Questions about the Mother’s Day image first emerged on social media. Given the princess’ popularity, every inch of it was meticulously scrutinized and eagle-eyed royal-watchers quickly questioned the absence of either her wedding or engagement ring and the lush greenery in the background despite the currently bitter March temperatures.

The conversation escalated when The Associated Press issued a retraction to its clients and suggested “the source has manipulated the image.” Other international news agencies soon followed with similar guidance.

An initial CNN review of the image identified at least two areas that appear to show some evidence of potential manipulation, including Princess Charlotte’s sleeve cuff, and a zipper on the lefthand side on the jacket of the Princess of Wales, which does not appear to be aligned.

CNN has continued to use the original photo, appropriately captioned, in the context of the debate around its alleged manipulation.

British newspapers featured the family snap prominently on Monday, with some highlighting the withdrawal of the photo and the mounting questions facing the palace.

The Daily Telegraph headline read: “Photo from palace was doctored, says agencies” while the Daily Mail ran the headline: “This joyous Mother’s Day snap was meant to be the reassurance we all needed – but has it backfired?”

It’s not uncommon for the snaps to have been personally taken by the royals. Kate is known to be a keen photographer and has captured many family moments and milestones of her children released over the years. They’ve also brought in photographers to take official portraits on occasion.

Palace aides are well aware of the wild social conversation around the princess and have in recent weeks made rare moves to quash rumors. But they’ve also been trying to protect the medical privacy of one of the most senior members of the Windsor clan.

Kate has been recuperating at the family’s Adelaide Cottage property in Windsor and given her lengthy recovery until at least Easter, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for William to have taken this year’s Mother’s Day rather than open their home to a professional photographer.

In this instance, the explanation from Kate may have been down to the challenge of getting three young children to look at the camera at the same time.

But the photograph was disseminated for editorial purposes and media organizations expect those images to be accurate.

CNN is now reviewing all handout photos previously provided by Kensington Palace.

In editorial photography, photojournalists and editors commonly adjust a photograph’s exposure or color balance in order to more accurately reflect the scene. Most news organizations, including CNN, regard it as unacceptable to move, change or manipulate the pixels of an image. To do so would alter the reality of the situation the image is intended to document.

In the past, the family’s amateur photographs have been well received when posted on social media. But on this occasion, this photo was also released to media organizations as a handout and the palace wasn’t transparent about the fact it had been adjusted.

That will have damaged the trust between the palace and media organizations – many of which, like CNN, will likely be assessing all royal handouts. The editing storm has undermined the existing relationship and when public interest over any possible cover up escalates, as it has done recently, many news outlets will now have take that speculation more seriously.

The situation has also cast an uneasy shadow over the annual Commonwealth Day celebration, which Prince William and other senior royals were due to attend at Westminster Abbey later Monday.

While the princess’ apology and claim of an honest mistake should go some way to halting further social media conversation, others will find the altered image and subsequent explanation hard to accept.

If you’re not familiar with WhiteWall already, you’ll quickly realize the intense level of self-care you’re missing out on as a photographer. The company makes some of the best prints we’ve seen and uses innovative ways to display them in your home or in your clients’ homes. And if you already have a website like those that Format or Squarespace offer, you might have a print shop integrated. But PhotoDeck — a website maker for photographers that isn’t as well known — just teamed up with WhiteWall to offer prints. But here’s the best part, they’re not taking a commission on the sale.

Photographers making their websites via PhotoDeck can now make a print shop using WhiteWall tech. From there, clients can order high-quality prints, laminations, and framed pictures made by WhiteWall. If you’re a photographer that makes most of your money from print sales, then this is pretty important.

First off, yes, many photographers make most of their money from prints instead of regular commissions. Many of them have been featured in our magazine over the years. They’ve got good relationships with certain printing houses. However, working with WhiteWall is a natural thing that most photographers might want. In fact, within a decade, the photo print market is supposed to be worth more than the digital camera market.

Moreover, PhotoDeck theoretically makes searching for photos simple as they include generative AI metadata.

“We don’t take any commission, unlike most other platforms,” says verified source J-F Maion, founder of PhotoDeck, to the Phoblographer in an email. “We also don’t act as a middleman, customer payments go directly to the photographers’ Stripe or Paypal account. More generally, we put a big emphasis on keeping the photographer in the driver seat and on empowering them with control.” Photographers can also still choose to make the prints themselves or use another lab.

If you’ve never printed from WhiteWall before, we strongly recommend it. We’ve reviewed several of their services in the past. But most impressively is my own story around them. Several years ago, I ordered a bunch of their mini acrylic prints for a review. They lived in my old apartment for years. And during the pandemic, I never took them out of the bag I put them in. But recently, I rediscovered them and tried to figure out how to mount them in my apartment. I forgot that WhiteWall’s hangers are magnetic, so you can put them on your fridge or any metal surface. They’re not strong enough to penetrate through sheetrock into metal beams, however. Otherwise, I would’ve put them strategically in my hallway.

So now, the collage I printed with WhiteWall lives on my fridge six years later instead of being stuck on a wall. This versatility means people can hang your prints anywhere they want.

As a photographer selling prints, that’s very valuable. Printed photographs often need to be experienced in person to convince someone that they want it. But once they do, customers sometimes don’t know what to do with the prints. So they can stay in a closet. These, however, are incredible because they can go anywhere pretty much.

Princess Kate revealed she “occasionally” experiments with photo editing this week after questions were raised about her Mother’s Day photo.

The royal described herself as an “amateur photographer” in her message, as she confirmed claims that alterations had been made to the family image.

It’s no secret that Kate is an enthusiastic photographer – and a talented one at that. For many years, she has documented some major milestones, and it’s clear that her favourite subjects are her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The mother-of-three’s passion for photography was ignited long before she became a royal. She was inspired to pick up a camera as a child by a much-loved family member – her paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton.

“Her grandfather was a very good photographer,” said Claudia Acott Williams, Collections Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, according to the Sunday Express. “When she was a child, he would show her his slides. It was him who taught her how to take photographs.”

Kate’s love of the camera continued long past childhood. When she worked at her parents’ company Party Pieces, she was in charge of photographing stock for the catalogue and website.

And later on, at University, the topic of her dissertation was photography. The Princess’ undergraduate thesis – which helped her earn a 2:1 Hons MA art history degree from the University of St. Andrews – was on the photographic representations of childhood created by Lewis Carroll, author of the famous Alice in Wonderland books, HELLO! reports.

Since then, Kate’s photographs have been featured on front covers of magazines and newspapers all around the world. She is usually behind birthday portraits of her three children, as well as documenting their first days at school. And she’s even impressed professional photographers with her work.

Arthur Edwards, who has photographed the royal family since the 1970s, previously shared that he’s a “great admirer” of Kate’s snapshots.

“The picture that I love most that she’s done is William and the three children on the swing,” he said, of the photo shared in June 2020 to celebrate Prince William‘s 38th birthday. “I would have killed to have taken that picture.”

He continued, “Everybody’s laughing at their mum, and you know that only a mother or a father could get that picture, and it’s an absolute winner. Charlotte with her arm around daddy, you know, ‘daddy’s girl.’ It’s a lovely picture, I was so full of praise for her on that.”

Testament to her skills, Queen Camilla even chose the Princess to shoot her for the cover of Country Life to celebrate her 75th birthday, which King Charles’ wife also guest-edited.

Of her experience sitting for Kate, Queen Camilla was full of praise, saying: “She did very good pictures and she does it sort of naturally. We had a lot of fun doing it. It was very relaxed and, of course, very kind of the [ Princess of Wales ]. She came with her camera and she’s an extremely good photographer.”

Mark Hedges, editor-in-chief of Country Life magazine, later said: “We are thrilled to have our guest editor captured so magnificently by royal photographer the Duchess of Cambridge,” as Kate was known at the time.

“We understand this is the first time a formal portrait of the Duchess of Cornwall has been taken by the Duchess of Cambridge for a magazine and we are honoured to have been chosen to be the first to publish this beautiful photograph.”

He further joked that Princess Kate would be welcome to a job at the magazine, commenting: “The photographs are superb, and we would be delighted to offer the Duchess of Cambridge another commission!”

Chuck Liddy, who took one of the most iconic photographs in NCAA basketball history, died Sunday.

While he handled many different photo assignments for the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, Liddy became one of the best-known college basketball photographers, handling assignments for ACC games at North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State and elsewhere.

He was on the floor at the 1992 NCAA Tournament game for Duke star Christian Laettner’s famous buzzer-beating shot that knocked off Kentucky. He produced this iconic shot of the moment.

I’d be remiss not to post the photo. His magnum opus. You know the one. pic.twitter.com/s80nZ00eE9

— Luke DeCock (@LukeDeCock) March 11, 2024

Liddy told WUNC he got into photography because he learned he could get into sporting events for free if he had a camera around his neck. He spent 40 years in the media business, including 27 at the News & Observer, before retiring in 2019. He was a longtime regular at ACC basketball games and earned frequent praise for his work.

Love the crowd reax in this shot by Chuck Liddy.

Chuck has always done incredible work but what he’s doing now, while going through cancer treatments, is nothing short of amazing.

A salute to you, Charles, and may the road rise to meet you in retirement pic.twitter.com/MnI2OCdAim

— Joe Giglio (@giglio_OG) February 17, 2019

In addition to sports events, Liddy also covered international news, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, earthquakes and more.

Liddy’s family and friends paid tribute to him after news of his passing.

“Chuck could be snarky, didn’t take BS, but be compassionate at the same time. He was also a heck of a photographer that I respected,” said fellow photographer Peyton Williams.

To me, my dad @chuckliddy was the Steve Jobs of photography. I grew up in a darkroom and still hear his voice in my head when I’m trying to do something without looking… breathe, concentrate, orient, and execute. The world is gonna suck without you Daddy. I love you. Rest easy! pic.twitter.com/KqAhTqjSKO

— Benjamin Costanza (@bl4nk_io) March 11, 2024

I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of former Duke athletics beat photographer Chuck Liddy, who shot the Blue Devils for the News and Observer. Chuck could be snarky, didn’t take BS, but be compassionate at the same time. He was also a heck of a photographer that I respected pic.twitter.com/u4uXW9ftu5

— Peyton Williams (@peyton_williams) March 11, 2024

Chuck Liddy was a profound photojournalist, a fierce defender of his friends and a HELLUVA fun hang. Any camera scrum with him in it shoulda come with a warning label, for it’s hard to focus on the shot with tears of laughter in your eyes.

Rest in Peace, Chuck Liddy. pic.twitter.com/mLT5SrXioE

— Lenslinger (@Lenslinger) March 11, 2024

When we needed a family portrait taken, any of the N&O photogs would have done it, but Chuck lived only a few minutes away and I knew for a case of Corona Light he’d take it as seriously as he would the portrait of any politician. And he did.

I miss his emails already.

— Luke DeCock (@LukeDeCock) March 11, 2024

Have heard that former N&O photog Chuck Liddy has died.
Talk about one of a kind.
He not only got THE shot of the Laettner shot against Kentucky, he would always duck into the media room and say, “What’s up,
scribblers?”

What a guy.

— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) March 11, 2024

• Katie, founder of Tripp Photography, opened up about her rates on TikTok
• The North Carolina-based photographer received backlash for charging $8,500
• TikTok user @haussdrama added to the debate by criticizing her work 

By Erica Nardozzi For Dailymail.Com

Published: 11:11 EDT, 11 March 2024 | Updated: 11:14 EDT, 11 March 2024

A wedding photographer known for her ‘purposefully blurry’ images has sparked a debate about the quality of her work after revealing her prices start at $8,500.

Katie, founder of Tripp Photography, is facing backlash on TikTok after opening up about how much she charges for her fine art photography, serving as a reminder that art is in the eye of the beholder. 

The North Carolina-based content creator, who uses the handle @tripp.photo, explained that someone with a $2,000 budget had inquired about her services. In response, she sent back her rates, which start at $8,500.  

The five-second clip shows her lip-syncing the lyrics ‘you think I’m psycho, don’t you, mama?’ from Jack Kittel’s country song ‘Psycho.’

‘I even have my starting prices on my website,’ she added in the caption. 

Katie’s post has been viewed 4.3 million times and has received more than 7,300 comments — many of which were criticisms of her work. 

‘If I wanted blurry wedding photos, I’d just have my family take them off a cell phone,’ one person responded. 

‘For $10k she’ll give you pictures that are in focus!’ someone else joked. 

‘Hearing your price and then seeing your website… I literally gasped,’ another added.

TikTok user @haussdrama stitched Katie’s video and proceeded to analyze her portfolio, deducing she is a ‘tiny little bit’ psycho for charging that much money. 

‘Now with this picture, I can see the intent, right?’ she said after pulling up a slightly out-of-focus image of a man’s brown brogues. 

‘Going for that old-timey, rustic [look]. I dare say you didn’t capture what you thought you did.’

The content creator noted that Katie is a ‘very big fan of blurry photos’ before tearing apart an image she had taken of a wedding dress hanging on a wall. 

‘Possibly one of the most unflattering photos that you could take of a wedding dress is just on a blank wall on a wooden hanger. It’s giving nothing,’ she said. 

Haussdrama also included a few portraits of a bride posing outside and getting ready before her wedding.  

‘Now this woman is stunning, but this picture looks like it was taken in somebody’s backyard,’ she said of the first image. ‘Again, she’s stunning, she’s beautiful, she is giving, but the photographer… 

‘It just looks like this is somebody’s bathroom,’ she added of the second picture. ‘There is nothing special to the photo that’s like that “wow” factor.’

She ended her video by saying ‘everybody should charge what they think they’re worth,’ but that didn’t stop her from sharing one last dig about Katie’s work. 

‘If I got my wedding photos back, and they looked anything like those, I would request a refund,’ she said. ‘Actually, I would dispute it with my card company.’ 

Haussdrama’s post has been viewed 2.9 million times and has also received thousands of comments.  

Critics were quick to agree with her assessment and add their own critiques of Katie’s photos, while others accused her of being a bully and not understanding trends in the wedding industry. 

‘The people hating on this are clearly not current wedding photographers or in the wedding industry,’ one person responded. 

‘As a photographer (or any creative in general) my biggest fear is someone picking my work apart like this,’ someone else admitted. 

‘As a wedding photographer, don’t bash unless you know the market yourself. People WANT the blurry images. It’s requested in every shoot I have,’ another added. 

In a follow-up clip, Haussdrama clapped back at the photographers who were ‘coming forward and doing a lot of yapping in the comments.’

She referenced Brides’ Complete Guide to Wedding Photography Prices, which featured interviews with photographers who shared how much they charge and the services they include. 

‘All of these photographers agreed that having an open conversation about your client’s budget is an important part of the initial consultation,’ she noted. 

‘If you need to scale back on coverage or additional costs to fit your price point, some of the photographers [will] adjust deliverables to make that possible.’

Katie has her starting rates listed on her website, but Haussdrama accused her of mocking potential clients instead of being forthcoming about her prices. 

‘Making a video of one of your clients asking what the best price you can give them leads me to believe that you didn’t send them any packages that you offer,’ she said. 

‘Instead, you’re making a TikTok making fun of them and how they can’t afford you and you’re not going to work with them. Let’s normalize photographers being open about their pricing and packages.’

Haussdrama’s second video led to commenters slamming her for targeting the photographer over her prices. 

‘So is Katie supposed to lower her prices for people whose budgets are below her starting price?’ one person asked. 

‘S**t like this is what made me stop making content. The internet is full of bullies. She’s a mom. This is her livelihood. Imagine trying to ruin that just because you can’t afford her/she’s not your specific style. Just don’t book with her, duh,’ someone else argued.

‘If a client inquired with me and said their budget is 2k and I charge 6.5k (minimum) nothing I offer will fit their needs,’ another added. ‘It’s literally fine if you can’t afford my services and I won’t shame them for it, but bashing someone (regardless of their work) based on what they charge is wild. Just don’t book them. Simple. Easy. Next.’

Katie also responded to the backlash over her work in a follow-up post, saying she received death threats after her video went viral. 

‘Imagine sending me death threats because you don’t like my photos, but I’m just over here busy working with my favorite little assistants,’ she wrote in the on-screen text. 

‘At the end of the day, saying you don’t like my photos or you won’t pay my price isn’t inherently offensive. We all have different styles preferences, values, and priorities.’

However, she noted that people have been crossing the line by harassing her on her social media pages, sending her death threats, writing fake reviews, and tearing apart her looks and children. 

‘Doing those things say more about you than me,’ she concluded. ‘Hurt people try to hurt people.’

Katie added all the positive comments she received in another clip, saying she has ‘never felt so much love and sport.’