For the next two weeks you will have the opportunity to see how photographers create fantasy portraits, such as the Disney Dream Portraits by Annie Leibovitz. Leibovitz is considered one of the most important photographers of the last 30 years and regularly creates covers for Vogue, Rolling Stone and more.
Essential Questions:
If you were to plan a photograph that captures and creates your favorite hero (fact or fantasy), who would it be, and how would you do it?
Monday:
Leibovitz movies and reflection.
Please look at this website gallery that features a series of Disney Dream Portraits.
Search youtube for that dream portrait shoot and watch a short clip available on youtube that shows a little of the shoot. Answer the following questions in the comment area below:
- How does Leibovitz communicate with the model? Is she controlling the shoot, or is the model/actor?
- What kind of set do you see in the youtube clip? What do you think has to be done to combine the background with the photo of the model/hero/actor?
- What must be considered to do such work in terms of location, model, costume, lighting, camera angle, background and exposure?
- Which dream portrait is your favorite?
Working in groups of your choice, decide on a hero from history that you would like to recreate through creative photography, costuming and background. Determine your group today. Who is the hero your group would like to recreate?
1. Leibovitz communicates with the model as a photographer normally communicates with a model - by giving some directions while also letting the model do a little bit of her own stuff.
ReplyDelete2. There has to be lots of photoshop work in order for the photographer to be able to create a background like that for her subjects to be in.
3. The model needs to have ridiculously skinny proportions since all Disney princesses have ridiculously skinny proportions. The background needs to be in the woods somewhere since all Disney movies take place in the woods somewhere. Lighting needs to be good, camera angle needs to be cinematic, and exposure and that stuff needs to match the desired tone of the photo.
4. I like the King Arthur photo because they used a Swiss as the model. The Swiss are awesome.
1. She definitely is in control of the shoot itself, although the models/actors tend to put their own personal touch on the portrait. It sort of balances out to have a sort of equal contribution from both sides.
ReplyDelete2. Mostly a blank background/premade studio set is used, although in some cases they shoot on location to get another background. I think they're normally very heavily photoshopped such that the actor/foreground blends with the background that is inserted as part of the editing procedure.
3. The lighting/camera angle needs to match how the final photo will look, and need to be adjusted during the shoot accordingly. In terms of location, this can be fudged by using a set, although it tends to seem less surreal when shooting in an actual location; this may or may not be used for effect. The location's lighting is definitely important to the photo's exposure; natural lighting, like that used in Merida, seems like it would be hard to replicate in a studio. The model should match the idea of the portrait, although this doesn't always seem to be the case.
4. I like both the Rapunzel and the King Arthur portraits a lot, personally; however, Captain Hook/Sleeping Beauty/Little Mermaid all have amazing composition.
1) She sets up the shot and the positioning of the actor, but the actual facial expressions and the emotion is all portrayed by the model.
ReplyDelete2) The costume is worn by the model in the original shot, but all of the background is photo-edited in.
3) The finished, edited product must be considered when setting up the lighting for the raw shot. The exposure must be considered if the shoot is taking place indoors or outdoors.
4) I like the one with Johnny Depp nonchalantly leaning against the riggings on the ship looking out to sea.
1) Leibovitz controls the shoot, by telling them what to do or where to stand.
ReplyDelete2) the set for the princess and the frog was outdoor near a swamp type setting. The background is photoshopped into the photo to make the character stand out more.
3)the location has to be right, because if you want a ocean in the background you don't necessarily need to have an ocean in the back of the original photo, you can photoshop it in. if you want a wooded background, you can have that originally in the background of the photo. the costume has to be right, and everything else relating to the model because that would be harder to change. Annie has to visualize her picture before she shoots so she can get the right angles and setting.
4) My favorite is the cinderella one or the rapunzel one.
1-Leibovitz is controlling the shot, she has to composite the photos together so she has to guide the models to look the way they need to so the photos all come together nicely.
ReplyDelete2- The background is just plain, or very simple. They took some shots up against a white screen, some in a scene close to what they want. The photos have to be edited into their scenes to fit the movie they are portraying.
3- Camera Angle has to match for the model and for the scene, location and costume must match the movie being portrayed, and lighting and exposure must be the same in both the model photo and background photo.
4- My favorite dream photo is with Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean because he was the actor in the movie, it makes sense, it feels comfortable.
All the other photos were a little weird or uncomfortable to me because they were celebrities. It would've been better to me if it was just random people.
1. Leibovitz is controlling the set and telling the model how to pose, she is the one taking the picture and the model is usually not in control.
ReplyDelete2. The sets were mostly inside like for rapunzel they used a tower but the rest was dark background and was going to photoshop the rest of it in, but for princess in the frog it was at an outdoor swamp and they just changed the lighting in photoshop to make it more magical like disney.
3. for the location you should have some of the background for the model to stand on and then change it slightly in photoshop to make it look like the closet to the disney background in the movies. They make the model the costume look the closet to the movies and the camera angle is determined by the model and where they are standing.
4. My favorite portrait is the one of alice in wonderland with Beyonce because I like how it looks like the are spinning in the tea cups, and it creates a different view of the picture.
1. Leibovitz communicates with the model making her feel confortable and relating back all the time to the character that is being portrayed giving the model directions and advice.
ReplyDelete2. For each Disney movie the set varies depending on what it is about. Sometimes it can be exterior, interior and most times includes photoshop for all the background setting and the props used.
3. Everything that relates to the disney movie has to be worked out in terms of location, model, costume, lighting, camera angle, background and exposure to portray a human character based on a disney one.
4. My favorite dream portrait is the oneJessica Chastain as Merida since the video is completely different to my expected outcome of the picture, the photoshop is incredible and it is also a very challenging one since it includes a horse as well.
1. She definitely is in control of the shoot itself, although the models/actors tend to put their own personal touch on the portrait. It sort of balances out to have a sort of equal contribution from both sides.
ReplyDelete2- The background is just plain, or very simple. They took some shots up against a white screen, some in a scene close to what they want. The photos have to be edited into their scenes to fit the movie they are portraying.
3) The finished, edited product must be considered when setting up the lighting for the raw shot. The exposure must be considered if the shoot is taking place indoors or outdoors.
4. I like both the Rapunzel and the King Arthur portraits a lot, personally; however, Captain Hook has the best composition.
1.I think she is controlling the shot, she understands what the final concept is and she is in control of it so she has to take control of it to make sure all the pieces with work out properly.
ReplyDelete2. She seems to usually use a plain background and then photoshops in the appropriate background to create the idea of the scene. Sometimes they take pictures on both a plain background and one similar to what it will end up being. But most of the background seems to be using photoshop.
3.camera angle has to be chosen carefully so it will match with the rest of the scene. the model costume and and background need to be chosen to make the scene the most recognizable.
4.My favorite dream portrait is the one with Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean because he is the actor who actually portrays the character so it seems more natural and genuine. He doesn't just look like who he is portraying, like most of the others, but his facial expressions portray the character as well.
1. Leibovitz in the videos didn't really communicate as much with the models/actors as allowing them to act as the character they are modeling as from their childhood.
ReplyDelete2. There are lots of props in the set in the youtube clips. In the final outcomes, you can see there was a lot of photoshop done to create the animated feel along with the real models.
3. The location needs to correspond to which ever Disney story the photographer is shooting. The model needs to be someone who looks similar in some way the the Disney character along with the costume. The lighting should reflect the character. For example, if the character being shot is a princess and depending on what scene the lighting should be brighter for a brighter picture. The angle should be either eye level or below so it can cause the character to be viewed as greater than the viewer or of equal level.
4. My favorite was the sleeping beauty.
1. She pretty much does what a normal photographer does. She controls the shoot but the model has some input.
ReplyDelete2. the set was a mix of a real background and a greenscreen. The photos need to be taken into photoshop or something like that to be put together.
3. There needs to be a lot of planning to do this. the time of the shoot, and pretty much how everything is going to look in a photograph.
4. The cinderella one is the best because it looks really good and i think scarlett johansen is very attractive. she looks like cinderella too
1. Leibovitz seems to allow a lot of freedom for the model. She lets her models act out their own interpretations of their characters and then shows them their pictures and gives them suggestions. Even so, I think that she is ultimately the one in controlling the shoot since she chooses which expressions/actions to capture.
ReplyDelete2. The sets in the youtube clips already have props(eg a tower, crocodile, etc...) but photoshop is still required for a fairytale kind of look.
3. In regards to the location, model, and costume, it seems that Leibovitz tries to use as finished of a "product" as she can, meaning, she uses people who fit the characters, and with elaborate costumes and places. As the camera, Leibovitz usually shoots her subjects in full view and with bright lighting.
4. I like the Captain Hook photo the best because Russell Brand is pretty much how I imagine Captain Hook would be if he were real.
1. Leibovitz lets the model a certain freedom to pose as she gives directions for the picture to be as she expects it.
ReplyDelete2. They have to shoot in the appropriate environment, but then the picture requires photoshop to combine the background with the hero.
3. Everything must matches with the magic of Disney, the right costumes, a more or less dark lightening depending on the movie, the hero, and the location.
4. My favorite picture is the one of Pirates of Caribbean with Johnny Depp and Patti Smith, cause they both perfectly fit for this role, especially because Johnny Depp is the actor in this movie. I love the background too, I think the light coming out of the clouds is really nice.
1. Leibovitz is controlling the set and telling the model how to pose, she is the one taking the picture and the model is usually not in control.
ReplyDelete2.The costume is worn by the model in the original shot, but all of the background is photo-edited in.
3.the location has to be right, because if you want a ocean in the background you don't necessarily need to have an ocean in the back of the original photo, you can photoshop it in. if you want a wooded background, you can have that originally in the background of the photo. the costume has to be right, and everything else relating to the model because that would be harder to change. Annie has to visualize her picture before she shoots so she can get the right angles and setting.
4. I like the King Arthur photo because they used a Swiss as the model. The Swiss are awesome.
1 The way Leibovitz communicates with the model I think she is controlling the shoot not the actor. actor is just like a tool that can make Leibovitz make up a photo.
ReplyDelete2 &3 Use photoshop to combine the background with the model, and make the background and photo of the model looks like it was shoot at the same time and same place.
4 I like the Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gisele Bundchen, and Tina Fey as Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinker Bell one because the photo looks really real.
1. I feel Leibovitz communicates by suggesting poises for her models and showing them the photos she takes. she makes the models feel comfortable and relaxed. Makes them ready to portray the character they are set to be.
ReplyDelete2.The background that they take photos in is like a real set. There are props for nearly everything. I think what they do is make the the background photo more dreamy.
3. The costumes were handmade and starched to be just right. The set was also crafted to be just the scene Leibovitz wanted. The lighting obviously changed but it was professional lighting and hundreds of shots were taken. Everything was taken into account and thus some was changed around to fit the others.
4. I have to pick one???? That's impossible, I love them all. I guess I would say some of my favorites are Cinderella, Prince Phillip, the Fairies, Ursula, Snow White's Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Princess Tiana. But they are so amazing.
1) I feel like Leibovitz does not really control the shoot but rather lets the model develop on the idea that she has set in her mind.
ReplyDelete2)The background is a real set all they really do is tamper with the photograph to make it better and more developed to the theme.
3)The whole set and costumes was developed to fit her vision.
4)I really appreciate pirates of the Caribbean photographs, Ive always been a big fan of the movies.
1. Leibovitz controls the shoot by telling them where they should be standing or posing, but the models also have their own input on it too.
ReplyDelete2. For the set that I see in the youtube clip, the green screen is being used and also an actual set. To combine the background with the photo of the model they would have to use photoshop.
3. They must consider all of the things to match the theme of the photoshoot. The costumes are disney like, the lighting is bright and sunny, and the background is all nature like and a forest.
4. I liked Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens from Sleeping Beauty, because the picture looks so graceful and the flowers is mixed into the picture.