GQ Paul Mitchell Ad

[Teikoku_Taiyou]

Hello Everyone!

I was thumbing through the latest issue of GQ when I came upon one of the most astounding portraits I have ever seen. I thought I would post the image here just to see if my thoughts/feelings were shared with all of you.

I am in awe with every aspect of this photo.....I cant stop staring at it.

[Teikoku_Taiyou]

Anyone?

[Teikoku_Taiyou]

Hellloooo? does anyone ever even use these forums?

[habakuk]

Yes I do. But did it ever occure to you that others have posted pictures and you didn't ever show up to spend some time commenting their shots. It's a give and take think...

I must say I am not that touched by the picture. I do like it for quite a few aspects like the sepia toning, her look and the lighting. But it simply doesn't do very much for me. If you tell me something about your feelings and thoughts, I might add some thoughts where we share or differ feelings about this shot.

thanks & cheers
®

[eob]

I do, too. But I just returned back from vacations yesterday. I think, a lot of people are also enjoying a time away from their homes and their computers at this time of the year.

Well, both a woman and a boy are certainly beautiful people. This portrait is very nicely lit and is shot to high professional standards. Advertising standards. Not necessarily portrait standards. What I do not like here is quite an awkward and artificial pose (especially the boy) and insufficient separation between subjects and the background. Also, I just can't see how this portrait relates to the slogan in the ad: "PAUL MITCHELL. Protecting our planet for generations to come."

I'm sure you can tell us more about this image, since it made such an impact on you? And, of course, I hope you won't get discouraged by the sometimes slow pace of this forum. We really aren't very concerned with quantities, quotas, traffic, etc...

[Teikoku_Taiyou]

They you for your thoughts and opinions!

Firstly Habakuk, I indeed have spent time commenting on other photos taken/posted by other members. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I have ever posted a photo for others to comment on. Give me a break, if you were as eager as I was to get a response and it took two days on a forum as established as this one is, I hardly think you would take very kindly to others chastising you about your eagerness...or impatience, however you see it. 

Its a bit difficult to fully explain what it is exactly that I like so much about this picture, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the closeness between mother and son just explodes from the photo. I am really attracted to the overall innocence of the boy, and the shelter that his mother seems to be providing him. To me, the pose is as comfortable and sincere as it could possibly be! In addition, the intimacy in this photograph is unique in that in todays world of commercial advertising (and correct me if I'm wrong) it is rare to see such a pure and innocent style of advertising, especially in a magazine such as GQ (which is where this came from). From a more technical standpoint, the lines of this photo just flow beautifully. The two bodies lean inward at a very slight degree, creating what I believe to be an added level of intimacy, while at the same time enhancing the focus on their faces. As for the separation between the subjects and the background, I would have to agree, the spacing does seem a bit insufficient. I think the photographer probably tried to address this by opening up the aperture to blur the background.

Well, Paul Mitchell is a hair company, and they both have really nice hair. Also, as far as the whole "for generations to come" slogan goes,  they were probably trying to convey that message by having the child in the picture. 

[ilchkai]

i cannot really comment on that image - if that was my picture, taken candidly, i'd be very proud, but since this a professional, and set-up shot i don't think it is very impressive - simply too staged. however nice the sepia toning, the lines, the lean, level of intimacy, and so on and so forth, but it just doesn't do it for me...

as to the chastising, impatience, and break giving... hmmm, not sure either... i have in the past brought up the point of this forum being slow in response, but it is about quality of responses. i think that you would equally be unhappy if you got ten replies saying "yeah, i like that too", or, "great image".

further, on a personal note, images found in magazines, photography books, &c., would at best inspire me to re-create an image, make me take a new, fresh perspective on photography, or try something new. then, publishing these so-inspired-images here, or on other fora, to get feedback in order to build on that inspiration, or new line of inquiry, is useful. conversely, posting images without authorship seems to defy the point as the photographer does not gain anything.

following the line of argument, i.e. inspiration from other people's work, have you tried to find out who the photographer is and researched his porfolio? that might yield some fertile insights.

as for me, the image above is not my cup ot tea.

on the other hand good to see that you are quite so passionate about it, let us see some of your images...

best,

and in hope that i did not patronise, nor dissuade future contributions

kai

 

[eob]

on the other hand good to see that you are quite so passionate about it, let us see some of your images...

Just to make sure: nobody has to post their own images here, as long as that person takes active participation seriously, but we certainly appreciate it. We understand that some people are just starting in photography and they are in the process of learning, so they are apprehensive about making their early efforts known to the world. On the other hand, posting those early pictures that are far from being spectacular and learning from various responses is what makes membership in this kind of community worthwhile.