Photography

I absolutely adore this photograph of Arnold and his partner shot by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine. There is so much emotion conveyed in this photograph between both subjects that it shines through to the audience and allows us to feel the same and happy when looking at this shot. It's clear that this emotion is raw and true as we can see them both looking relaxed and content with each other. The colour contrast and lighting works really well in this as they both stand out from the background and allows them to remain centre of attention. 

Composition additionally works really well as even though they're not placed directly in the middle of the frame, they still remain the main subjects of the photograph due to the rule of the thirds. It's also clear that the background is of a beach, adding to the calm and loving environment we see.

This is personally one of my favourite shots from Annie Leibovitz of Meryl Streep for Rolling Stone magazine. The colour palette incorporated into this photograph is very simple: white and nude colours with an element of pink for the lips. The fact that Leibovitz placed Meryl in white clothing as well as white face paint suggests elements of angelic personality, innocence and purity; as these are common representations of the colour white. It seems like there is a strong and meaningful message behind this photograph as it can be interpreted in many different ways. Firstly, it can be taken that this photo is a metaphor for Meryl's acting career and can symbolise the different personalities she has to portray in the films she makes and also shows how versatile she can be as an actress. She is 'peeling off' her face as if she's ready for a new one - a new role. On the other hand, it could mean that she is trying to break free from her image and show that she is a normal human being. The white symbolises how the public view her; but she wants to take that identity off and show the world what's underneath. 

Interestingly, her eyes and lips are left uncovered from the white face paint suggesting that, even though she plays different characters and people may misinterpret her as a person, she still sees things the same as everyone else and has the ability to voice her own opinions. The lighting here is very clean and crisp and the dark background contrasts against her - making sure she is the sole subject of the photograph. 

The first photograph I have chosen to analyse is this shot by Annie Leibovitz for the 1997 edition of Vanity Fair. The element that stood out to me and that I noticed upon first looking at this photo, was the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio is holding a swan. Swans can be seen as romantic birds; and in this situation could mean that he has a strong love for the environment and wildlife. The colour contrast between Leo and the swan is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye as Leo's black top makes the white swan stand out more than it would on its own, both complimenting each other. Also the fact that the background is quite simple; leaving all attention to Leo and the swan rather than the gradients of the grass surrounding him. 

Rule of thirds has been cleverly used in this photograph, drawing attention immediately to Leo's face. There also seems to be a light shining on his face, coming in from the right hand side of the frame. This could be to illuminate his features, as well as also making sure the swan doesn't stand out too much in contrast to his black attire. 

Annie Leibovitz created these series of Disney-themed photographs in order to promote Disney's "Year Of A Million Dreams" promotion. These photographs, which serve as advertisements for Disney Parks, The Walt Disney Company and the celebrities themselves, were placed online (DisneyParks.com) and presumably around the DisneyWorld parks. 

This first photograph is a re-enact of a scene from Peter Pan, with Russell Brand acting as the role of Captain Hook with Tik-Tok the Crocodile. This photograph definitely has magical elements to it, as it is Disney, and I also get the sense of a fantasy theme. The composition has been executed really well as we can tell he is the main focus for the image; he frames the photograph and the fact that his sword is pointing to the slogan "Where every moment leaves you hungry for me" informs us to read it and take the information in. The colour palette used in this photograph all blend really well together, with the majority of the background being dark tones that relate most with nature and then the subject wearing a bright red pirate costume. It definitely draws our attention, as well as the fact that his character beams personality through his body language and facial expressions. Brand manages to portray the well-known character in a humorous way whilst being serious at the same time. It's quite obvious that Leibovitz has strongly used colour enhancement to make the colours as bright and vivid as they appear. 

The next photograph in the series was inspired by the film 'The Princess and the Frog' with Jennifer Hudson chosen to portray the role of Princess Tiana. At first glance, this photograph looks like a still image straight from the movie rather than a planned photograph and I think that's what makes her work so magical and inspiring to her audience as well as big companies like Walt Disney. Costume in this photograph is absolutely astounding, with her dress looking exactly like the one in the movie. It's clear that there has been a lot of high quality editing added to this image to make it look as fantasy like and fairytale themes as it needs to be. From my assumption, I'd assume they used a plain/solid background and then edited her physique onto this magical backdrop which has been designed and created specifically for this. Lighting is used quite heavily in this photograph, which is quite important as it is used to highlight her character as well as to contrast her slightly against the background and surroundings. Although light is everywhere, it's obvious that she has been focused on more than the rest so that she appears to be the main subject. 

Additional to the light, colour is also used heavily in this image. The tone we see straight away upon looking at this is yellow and I believe that makes it more fantasy appropriate yet also adds a vintage vibe to the photograph. The yellow hues could be used to create the illusion of fireflies, which are used in the movie. Composition is again executed really well in this photograph, with both subjects (Tiana and the frog) being centre of attention to the audience. Although he is at a different level to her, it's clear they are both just as important as each other. Also what I thought was rather clever was the fact that they placed the slogan "Where you always follow your heart" next to her head, almost as if that's what she's thinking and is about to do as she's looking at the frog. 

This photograph, which is a famous scene from 'Tangled' and is portrayed by Taylor Swift, radiates a majestic fairytale theme as soon as you look at it. High quality editing and colour enhancement was most definitely used to create this image for the series and with Taylor Swift being the chosen celebrity, it really adds to the whole advertisement aspect and was sure to have received a lot of attention from her fans when it was first released back in 2008. The characteristic I notice when I first look at this image is the hair, and that's one of Rapunzel's most well-known features so it's really good that that is what comes to your attention at first glance. It's obvious that the hair was created in the editing process, yet still has a realistic element (due to the texture) as it dramatically wraps around the tower. Her costume, which looks fairly vintage-like, was created skilfully with the textures of the dress and the fact that the colours used are slightly metallic/shiny and washed out. Notably, the reason we see Rapunzel's dress looking vintage-like compared to what we see today is because the modern version (titled Tangled) wasn't released until 2010 and this photograph was taken in 2008, so it's interesting to compare the two. 

Composition in this photograph was well-thought out as the subject isn't placed directly in the middle, she places to the far right with her gaze looking out into the open. The slogan for this image reads "Where a world of adventure awaits" and it really ties in well with her facial expression, as well as the fact she is sat atop a tower. 

This is a well-known scene from the movie 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', with Olivia Wilde as the Evil Queen and Alec Baldwin as Magic Mirror. I can comment straight away that the colour scheme and colour palette used was executed ideally and with the colours you'd expect to see associated with the Evil Queen and the Magic Mirror. They have most definitely been enhanced during the editing stage for a more definitive effect, as with all of her photographs in this series. Red and gold are the two main colours I notice upon first glance, with each colour representing each character (red for the Queen and gold for the mirror). This shows us a lot about representation and the roles of the characters; red is associated with strength and power whilst gold is associated with love and compassion. These symbolise the fact that the mirror has to be compassionate towards to the Evil Queen's feelings and has to love her and tell her that she is the "fairest of them all." 

The slogan for this photograph reads "Where magic speaks, even when you're not the fairest of them all" and is located to the side of the Evil Queen. There is no central focal point to this photograph as there are a lot of elements going on, with the fire almost framing the image.