Feature Shoot's Online Group Show #3: On the Road

This past Friday Feature Shoot posted their third online group shows called On The Road. After coming across Feature Shoot's second online group show back in March I decided to continue following them. I had never heard of an online art/photo site call a collection of any kind a "group show", maybe only 'projects' like on BOOOOOOOM(still not the same), so it's interesting to see if these will catch on and be something we see more of in the future on other sites as well.

Moving on, FS's 3rd online group show has of course great photos, hands down, but again Feature Shoot (as in their previous show: Window Seat) does not provide much detail or signage as to why they chose the photos in the collection or what the significance is about the collection On the Road. In the post for call for submissions the only guideline feature shoot gives is that the topic of the group show is road trips.

Again, of course, with this show the title of the collection brings the photos together. Having only the title be what relates the photos to each other makes the collections quite open ended and not significant in terms of what the purpose of the show is and why the photographers took the photos. I would like a group show to be more forward and clear on what the images are about and why. If the show is meant to be open ended, then I'd like for the show to address that in some clearer way, and maybe even why it is open ended. If this show was meant to have few restrictions and binding significance of collective photos  because it was to be produce quickly and over the internet with public submission then that is understandable, but if Feature Shoot is not thinking about these factors of photo significane in a group show then they need to reevaluate what they mean when they title collections group shows. It is clear they want to showcase the work of photographers, like they do with their other more descriptive postings, I just wish FS would keep the same level of communication on the works they show.

& like I said about Window Seat, it would even be great to at least caption where the photos were taken, since this show is about travel....

However, even though not much is said on why the specific photos were chosen to be presented for either of Feature Shoot's group shows, I do like that with On the Road there is more visual variety. Window Seat was a collection of closely similar images, and without much explanation or statement included I wish more diversity was given. Since there is more variety in On the Road I am much more intrigued and curious to see mother work from the participating photographers.

*Just wanted to add that when I initially wrote this post I tweet the link directed to Feature Shoot, and the next day FS tweeted back, saying "good points, thanks for this". So I don't think my criticism is too out of line or harsh - they're really just comments of my observations.

Select photos from On the Road -

By Arnaud Teicher

By Andrew Sullivan

By Dan Depew

By Ellen Jantzen

by Hizuan Zailani

By Magali Duzant

By Marcus Bastel

By Marisha Camp

Feature Shoot's Online Group Show #2: Window Seat

This past Friday Feature Shoot posted it's second online group show, Window Seat. They opened submissions on February 20th, detailing the topic about being photos taken from the windows of airplanes.
Although this isn't Feature Shoot's first online group show, having their first earlier in February, this is really the first time I've come across a collection of photos online being called in a group show. I've seen where sites ask for submissions of particular themes and guidelines, then posts selected works like A Dirty Job's themes of the month or like some of the fun projects Jeff Hamada posts on Booooooom.
I have two initial thoughts about Feature Shoot's online Group Shows.
1) How quick an online group show can be when it's open to submissions to anyone who saw it on FS before the deadline.
2) How little detail there was on Feature Shoot's call for submission, which to me extends to how impersonal these kinds of open submissions and group shows can be.

From the call for submission to the deadline, photographers had just two weeks to take, edit, and select photos to submit. As little time as that is and how unfair that can seem, I'm sure there were many submissions and the more significant point to me is how quick a group show was put together, because it was online, and nothing had to be printed or extensively organized as a real group show exhibit would come with.

With the short description in the call for submissions participants and readers don't sense any unity Feature Shoot's group show would have, not like a physical group show exhibit would. As a viewer I didn't see a personal connection between the photos and the photographers, neither did I have a collective impression from the photos, which are things I'd normally experience with a real physical group or solo show exhibit.
With such a short notice for a group show, without a more overall personal significant motif for the show besides particular images, photographers don't have more time to think about and create a more meaningful selection of works this results in a less cohesive union for a group show.

Photographer Elizabeth Weinberg tweeted it best Saturday, "A lotta photography out there that's beautiful but got no soul. I look for that magical union of the two."
When all a photographer is going for is a nice photo, it's not that special if it isn't important to them.

With a quick and short kind of online group show post like Feature Shoot's compiled of maybe meaningful work to their photographers, lacks a direct description of what the work is about like the way physical group show exhibits do, and a viewer does not get the same experience.

However I feel about online group shows, I would like to note I did enjoy some photos in Window Seat, especially from Adrian Studer, William Rugen, Rebecca Stumpf, and Meighan Ellis. (Would have be nice to know at least where the photos were taken.)