Professional Inspiration

This week, were were not to take photographs ourselves, but choose photographs or print ads that inspire us professionally, and why. These pieces should be what inspires and drives us as creative professionals, and we explained in class why these inspire use.

Annie Leibovitz for Disney Parks

As a marketing professional who has worked at Disney parks, I have admired this specific campaign for a while as one of my favorites. Disney as a company produces wonderfully beautiful campaigns consistently, and I think this one tops most of them.  I may be of this opinion because these photographs were taken by Annie Leibovitz, who is also one of my favorite photographers.  They are combinations of portraits and landscapes (I am guessing the photo of the subject was taken separately of the landscape), but then made hyper-realistic by adding familiar, household Disney characters (the fantastical aspect increased by the fact that they are played by celebrities) and computer generated fantasy elements. The melding of media is impressive; it's grandiosity is juxtaposed  by the addition of small familiar font in the whitespace, reminding you of where these dreams come true. Just speaking of the photography, no detail was overlooked; the lighting is consistent and dramatic, theoretically taken in the "golden hour", most of the light peaking over the mountain to the right.  The fire, which I'm guessing was computer generated, also contributes to the lighting on the horse. Lastly, a vignette was added to the whole picture to add to the dramatic "fairy tale" look.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Game Series)

I picked this one, in part, because it was the exact opposite of the photograph above, as it is extremely understated overall.  I also picked it because it is almost subversive in nature. If you are not familiar with the Hunger Games series, you have to look very hard to know what is being advertised.  Being based on historical propaganda, they picked an appropriate, almost USSR inspired font. The red, nicely repeated in the apple and the District 12 sign, is a color used by many communist states. This type of advertisement, while it can be a gamble, depending on if people understand what it is being advertised or not, can pay off greatly, as it invites more thought, and therefore, is more likely to be shared through social media.