Icelandair chooses worst photographer out of over 125,000 applicants

Icelandair has selected the worst photographer in a global contest.

The airline launched the contest, offering a $50,000 freelance role to “the worst photographer they can find” earlier this year.

The idea being that Iceland is “so beautiful, even someone really bad at taking photography can’t take a bad photo,” the airline said.

Out of 127,642 applicants from across 178 countries, one bad photographer stood out.

The winning applicant is Blanche Mortemard from Paris, France.

The Icelandair team said they were impressed with her lack of skills and knowledge of basic photography.

“Blanche truly is the best of the worst, bravo,” Icelandair said.

During the interview process, Blanche demonstrated an unbelievable ability to take poor photos and shared many photos from her camera roll, confirming to the Icelandair team that her bad photography skills extend well beyond the application itself.

“I have been to a lot of beautiful places,” Blanche said in her video application. “And somehow I still can’t figure out how to capture them.”

What she also showed was an understanding of what really matters in photography: capturing genuine, unfiltered moments – no matter what they look like, Icelandair said.

“For years, friends and family have asked why my photos always look disappointing. I’m thrilled to finally have an answer: I was training for this role,” Mortemard said. “This project celebrates imperfection – probably the only photography competition I ever stood a chance of winning.”

Mortemard said she will be documenting Iceland with the confidence of a professional photographer, but with the skills of someone who definitely isn’t one.

“If Iceland can survive being photographed by me, it can survive anything!”

Mortemard will now receive a contractor agreement with Icelandair for a comprehensive Iceland photography expedition – where she will have 10 days to prove that Iceland’s natural beauty is indeed foolproof, even in her hands.

As Icelandair’s bad photographer, she will receive a $50,000 fixed fee for her time, photos and expenses. The job includes flights, accommodation and transportation in Iceland.

 

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