What I See: Brooklyn Beckham's debut photography book draws mixed reactions from critics

Many have defended him and told him to ignore the 'snide remarks' about his debut photography book

A set designer during the shooting of Guy Ritchie's movie King Arthur - which Brooklyn's father David Beckham appeared in. (Brooklyn Beckham)

Critics appear to be divided over Brooklyn Beckham's debut book of photography, but many have spoken out in his defence after the recent backlash on social media.

What I See drew early ridicule after the i Paper's arts editor Alice Jones shared images from the book on Twitter.

"Huge fan of Brooklyn Beckham's terrible photographs and even worse captions" she joked, garnering over 11,000 retweets and 28,000 likes.

However many critics have defended Brooklyn, saying critics are just being "snide".

"At just 18 Brooklyn Beckham is very young for a published photographer and he should be proud of this book,” Eleanor Davies wrote for GQ.

"Critics should give Brooklyn Beckham a break and encourage this budding photographer. After all, David Bailey didn't even get his first photography job as an assistant until he was 21."


 'Didn’t plan this photo - Romeo and I were waiting to see our little sister’s ballet recital and we bought her flowers. I took this when we were waiting outside and I love it.' 
 (Brooklyn Beckham)

​Writing in Dazed, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff noted that some of the images were "poorly planned" but added: "Not all of the pictures in the book are arguably as worthy of criticism."

"There's also something quite poignant about the idea that Brooklyn, who has spent his whole life being photographed by rabid paparazzi, turning the camera on the outside world," she said.


 Brooklyn's sister Harper 
 (Brooklyn Beckham)

Elle's Katie O'Malley described him as a "star on the rise", while Aimee Jakes for Heat World said the book was “bloody brilliant".

"It's definitely something you'll want on your coffee table bbz," she wrote.

In an open letter, the BBC's arts editor Will Gompertz told Brooklyn: "The snide remarks being made about your work are cheap and self-serving. Ignore them."

Marina Hyde said the fuss over the book was "a little out of focus" and wrote a piece for the Guardian that debated the pros and cons of celebrity children being given more opportunities over the less famous/fortunate.

She suggested that perhaps it was the publishers who were more at fault than Brooklyn's parents for offering him a book deal.

"Perhaps they have latterly realised that they might have a duty of care to their younger authors, and that giving someone without discernible talent a book deal because of who their parents are might not be the kindness they pretended it was," she said.

Publisher Penguin Random House defended the book, with managing director Francesca Dow commenting: “What I See is a book for teenagers, by a teenager, which gives Brooklyn's fans broader insight into his world seen through his unique and creative perspective.”