W Magazine Did This Hilarious Celebrity Photoshoot And Now People Are Roasting Them

The fact that Teller's photos lack staging can contribute to the feeling seen in the images, in photographer Dominic's opinion. "Some people are just used to posing and the setting may not affect them. Others it may take completely off-guard and they in-turn let their guard down. I'd say it generally comes down to the subject and what's going on at that moment," the expert said.

Photographer Dominic added that people who are critics of Teller's work may not be comfortable with seeing celebrities in normalized situations. "People, in general, are quick to criticize anything and everything online. We're all guilty of making critiques and/or assumptions before we know any backstory. It's just a general method of operation for so many online. We're all guilty of being quick to judge. If we took a step back and tried to understand each other's motives, we'd be a lot happier, and less judgmental right off the bat."

Naomi Fry, from The New Yorker, rushed to Teller’s defense despite some journalists calling the photographer out. “These weren’t the kind of photos that you’d post on Instagram; they were the kind of pictures that a friend might take of you, upload to their story, and then tag you in. As I clicked through the images, I marveled at Teller’s coherent vision. For the past thirty years, he has taught us that being just a little bit ugly is cool,” Fry writes.

Meanwhile, Highsnobiety suggests that those who don’t get Teller’s photo shoots might have had their brains “rotted” by Instagram. “Teller’s aesthetic has hinged around breaking the fourth-wall between celebrity and non-celebrity by framing his subjects as candid ‘real people.’ They eschew the trappings of a glam squad, photoshop, and meticulously detailed creative direction informing every shot.”

In an interview with Tim Blanks from the Business of Fashion, Teller declared that “these Hollywood people are so careful of their image and looking right, but there’s a wildness when I come into the photographs… And I prevail.”

However, Twitter seems to be extra critical of Teller’s work. Some believe that there’s no place for his images in W Magazine (or anywhere) else. Others understand that it’s his signature style and believe that it isn’t worth featuring because the stars look unflattering in the photos.

Meanwhile, a minority of Twitter users appreciate Teller’s work for what it is: a comment on modern photography’s obsession with perfection, intertwined with capturing the raw emotions of the person in front of the camera. Rushed shots? Snaps of genuine emotion? You decide.

The composition and the posing all have something slightly off about them. They make us feel uncomfortable because we’re used to highly-curated shots, but we can’t vocalize what it is that weird us out.