Why Iceland's search for a "really bad photographer" actually makes sense

Iceland Air raised eyebrows with an unusual job ad this week. The airline is seeking a photographer for a special assignment, but it doesn't want to see your portfolio. On the contrary, it's looking for a "really bad photographer" who must have "no photography skills".

Those who've been on photography courses in Iceland to perfect their fine art landscape game may have wept a tear. But, aside from the issue that the airline might struggle to find someone with no experience of taking photos these days, its strategy actually makes a lot of sense in 2026 (see our pick of the best camera phones if you're thinking of applying).

Iceland Air's aim is to show that its home country is so beautiful that even photos taken by someone "bad at framing, not familiar with composition" will look great. But the clever campaign also taps into a trend that's seen social media moving away from aesthetic 'perfection'.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri pointed it out himself at the start of the year when he suggested that creators should respond to AI slop by proving that they're real. For him, that means using a more "raw aesthetic" and even "explicitly unproduced and unflattering images".

That sounded a bit rich when Meta has been part of the expansion of generative AI, even introducing AI influencers on Instagram. But brands have been leaning into the trend, whether it's a reaction to AI or an attempt to capture the taste of Gen Z and the spontaneity of TikTok and Snapchat

Iceland's a popular destination for landscape photographers, and Instagram is full of sublime shots of the country's black-sand beaches, towering basalt columns and geothermal hot springs. Perfectly framed long exposures taken with ND and CPL filters, painstakingly edited in Photoshop to remove any litter, footprint or a branch that doesn't look quite neat enough.

Such photos could notch up thousands of likes, but algorithms began rewarding homogeneity. Tents under the Milky Way, feet dangling over cliffs or lone figures dressed in bright jackets staring into the distance have been replicated thousands of times. Iceland Air probably doesn't need more of them.

There was also a sense that landscapes were becoming a commodity. We saw scenes of people queuing up to take identical photo of an iconic landmark from the same angle rather than capturing a moment or an emotion. Maybe Iceland Air is on to something and it's time for even good photographers to try to become bad photographers again and to seek raw experience rather than polished perfection.