hey all,

hope these 'how to: somephotographer-look' posts aren't getting old. I think they have proven incredibly useful for both me and others so I thought I'd start one meself.

The photos in question that I'm interested in are the shots that Annie Leibovitz took of Queen Elizabeth last year. They can be found here:

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/articles_show_nt1.asp?d=5&i=70003&L1=41004&L2=70003&a=46309

I'm especially curious how to obtain that greenish/brown/golden look. (The lighting that you see is due to a very elaborate lighting setup and should probably not be analysed from a photoshop perspective). Also the images look remarkebly clean to me. They have been shot with a Canon 1ds mII and a Canon 24-70mm lens

Anyway hoping to get some responses.

Greetz,
Emile

I like pic number 2

Sometimes - more often, probably, than a lot of people here would like to think - the answer to "how to do (some photographer's) look" is simply, or not so simply, "have as much talent, as many years of experience and maybe as much spendy equipment as (some photographer)."

If you have not seen this, take a look and take note of the number of assistants and the amount of time spent setting up. The Photoshop work is most likely quite minor (although quite well done) in comparison to the photography.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcnPicsZ6-A

we used to scan Annies trans' back in the early nineties and for the most part there wasn't a lot of retouching done back then but it might be different these days considering the digital workflow...

Not much going on there in my mind..
I saw the video on another website and the picture in the black cape is not the original background. it has been superimposed..:+}
Snook

I think Box studios do the retouching for Annie.

These were very likely done by Box and as such I believe that they did not come out of the camera like this. Aside from the lighting ofcourse.

Note that the second picture is indeed superimposed; however the background stuns me and I find it hard to replicate that dark brownish/golden look.

Greetz,
Emile

One of the photographers I do a lot of work for does assisting for Annie when she is here in the UK. I can pose the question to see if he knows.

If you have not seen this, take a look and take note of the number of assistants and the amount of time spent setting up. The Photoshop work is most likely quite minor (although quite well done) in comparison to the photography.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcnPicsZ6-A

Not really. She just has a lot of people who will work for free. Of course you spend a lot of time "setting up", like you would for any VIP who's only going to give you 15. And I guess a few of the people are Annie's nannies for the little kid running around. She also brought her bad American manners, too, with that one.
The lighting is fairly simple. The many hours of photoshop work saves the shots.

Yeah can we try one with the damn Crown off! Photographers eh

I could not believe she did it with a 1DsMII...
Disappointing..
The Queen should get atleast the Hassie..:+}
Snook

Hello All,
I joined up to see if I could get the instructions regarding the retouch/treatment of Annie L's portrait of the Queen. Is that actually posted somewhere?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Remember47

I had assumed that the second photo with the landscape background was taken in front of a very large oil painting at the salubrious location. Seems a bit 'tacky' superimposing Her Majesty on anything.

Leah M

Well it is super imposed... She even talks about it in her interview ( Annie that is)
Now a days anything goes as far as Post...:+}
Snook

personally I think that the pictures are meant to look like old paintings if you see these small pictures...the effect is nice...

if you watch the youtube video and even look at the hires versions of those photos there is some serious post work going on. Annie's early work had virtually no post but now with the way commercial and editorial photography is going.... post is a huge part of creating her "look". there is a TON of painting with light and exposure painting.

One of the photogs i look up to. Great PP.

it seems strange she has this whole crew of people with this elaborate set and she is shooting without a tripod...

Pixel

She takes a lot of pictures for just one shot. When I used to do stuff for her, there could be a blending of at least 8 shots to get one. He has a real hot spot for getting perspective correctly.
Chris

He? or She? :)

Pixel

She takes a lot of pictures for just one shot. When I used to do stuff for her, there could be a blending of at least 8 shots to get one. she has a real hot spot for getting perspective correctly.
Chris

now that sounds like it would be fun to work on...

No it doiesn't

No it doiesn't

Haha, beat me to it!

if i am not mistaken, after the shoot, annie went and shot some landscapes (you can see it the end of the video) which later used in the second shot.

IMO the lighting looks simple, and its just soft big source. I do like the color, but it is not realistic, looks like heavy dodge and burn, selective color balance, and prob a lot of filter or color overlays. And if you have a few minutes with the quenn, why would you want to shoot with the hasselblad? that camera shoots at 2 frames per hour, where the files from the mk2, or mk3 for that matter will be just as good....obviously. besides, not everyone can afford 40k for a mf digital camera...esp someone like Annie Liebowitz hahahhaha:)

Millions of people paint their appartments when they move houses.

Thousands of people make a living as a house painter.

But there was only one Michelangelo...



I wonder how many people who just finished painting their apartment look at the paint-bucket, see there is some color left and then go to the internet and ask "Hey, how do I make a Leonardo da Vinci painting?"

that really didnt make any sense. But, if you are seriously comparing AL to Michaelangelo, then your on crack. lets do apples to apples here, im sure michaelangelo didnt roll in with a Dewalt air compressor and a wagner spray gun, and a bunch of $5/hr assistants, shoot the ceiling, with a base coat and then hand the rest of the job off to a retoucher to finish it off. That guy gets props becasue he did it all himself. Word around the campfire is that he made the red color in the paint with his own blood, and the browns were made from his....well you get the point. None the less, those two clowns arent even in the same league, sport, or arena for that matter.

But to get back on track, nobody still has answered the original question anyway.

Millions of people paint their appartments when they move houses.

Thousands of people make a living as a house painter.

But there was only one Michelangelo...



I wonder how many people who just finished painting their apartment look at the paint-bucket, see there is some color left and then go to the internet and ask "Hey, how do I make a Leonardo da Vinci painting?"



.............qué?!?

that really didnt make any sense. But, if you are seriously comparing AL to Michaelangelo, then your on crack. lets do apples to apples here, im sure michaelangelo didnt roll in with a Dewalt air compressor and a wagner spray gun, and a bunch of $5/hr assistants, shoot the ceiling, with a base coat and then hand the rest of the job off to a retoucher to finish it off. That guy gets props becasue he did it all himself. Word around the campfire is that he made the red color in the paint with his own blood, and the browns were made from his....well you get the point. None the less, those two clowns arent even in the same league, sport, or arena for that matter.

But to get back on track, nobody still has answered the original question anyway.

whoa dude, if your implying that the shot(s) is what it is, because of post production, that's just uncool. i'm not saying retouching doesn't play its part, but she is far from someone who presses a button and leaves the rest up to someone else to fix.

whoa dude, if your implying that the shot(s) is what it is, because of post production, that's just uncool. i'm not saying retouching doesn't play its part, but she is far from someone who presses a button and leaves the rest up to someone else to fix.

I think youre missing the point, the question originallly posted was about how to achieve the look in that photo, not the photo itself as far as composition. So yes, in this case it deals with the retouching and colors, and that is a part that Im sure is handed off to another person (what does everyone say she uses, Box studios?) Up to that point, her Canon 1DS spits out the same RAW file mine does. So in essence, I could have plopped the queen down next to the window, set my strobes up with an octabank and kickers, handheld it and fired away for 20 minutes. Only.... I would have had the queen look a little less bored, and I probably would have told her to leave the crown on, but to try it topless for a few shots just to see what we came up with....ahahhahahaha

Garibaldi,

I see by your writing, you do not want to see the point in my posting.

I do not care about the name of the artist or whether it's a photographer or retoucher, so there is no use in critism at all. But what I did say is, there is no use in asking about what kind of tool to use, nor how to use it, if you don't know the color you want to paint with!

There just is no magic, no secret gizmo and no filter to get the effects those people are famous for.

But I guess it's useless to explain, unless people realize the special style and touch of a persons artwork cannot be copied by applying filters.

Are you freaking kidding me!!!! I can buy an exact copy of the last supper painting, done on velvet, with a gold frame for less than $20 in any flea market across the country.. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference from the orginal. Last year for Christmas I got an EXACT replica of the "David" statue....guess what, it was a handsoap! Now its worn down do a small sliver sitting in my soapdish. So you wanna start talking about copying work we can do that.

Ok, the straight way then:

To create a photo like the ones you posted, skills are only 10% of the show. The rest is a gifted artist. You are no gifted artist, so your photos will never reach the class and level of Annie Leibovitz' pictures.

Was that freaking clear enough?

Ok, the straight way then:

To create a photo like the ones you posted, skills are only 10% of the show. The rest is a gifted artist. You are no gifted artist, so your photos will never reach the class and level of Annie Leibovitz' pictures.

Was that freaking clear enough?

wow, i hope there's a secret magic trick for removing the stick out of your ass.

Take it to PM's or anywhere else.

whoa dude, if your implying that the shot(s) is what it is, because of post production, that's just uncool. i'm not saying retouching doesn't play its part, but she is far from someone who presses a button and leaves the rest up to someone else to fix.


Well, she's directing the process. But Annie don't retouch. And her pics are retouched a lot.


I remember her being proud way back when she was a Rolling Stone photog about not using a light meter. So she has a long history of techs saving her butt.

Well, she's directing the process. But Annie don't retouch. And her pics are retouched a lot.


I remember her being proud way back when she was a Rolling Stone photog about not using a light meter. So she has a long history of techs saving her butt.

I'm not trying to take credit away from retouching, in fact I have a lot a pride in my work. I know that post can make the shot... But there is a clear difference in the photographer making the shot, and the photographer's retoucher making it. You don't get a reputation like that from someone else's work.

kris, you may know my friend/past co-worker Trevor B?

Think of her as more like a film director rather than a pure photographer. That would make it easier.

Think of her as more like a film director rather than a pure photographer. That would make it easier.

Gotta disagree here. You ever check out her book A photographer's life 1990-2005? That's only just 15 years and she has been shooting for much longer than that. She's most likely made more exposures than half the other 'legends'. True artists need not be techno nerds, especially in this day and age. There is more to photography than perfect exposure, etc. Sure, we all know she has teams of crew and that often she may only just come into the set and press the shutter, but it's more than that. You may work on selects that she shot that are less than perfect technically, but they were chosen for other than that. Plus, what artist isn't striving for perfection, whether it's capturing the moment or finalizing the ultimate vision be it the art directors', photo editors' or hers. "I want to because we can and it's expected of me." je refuse! non. no one else is. I'm rambling and incoherent. oh well.

Hey, I love her stuff. The Sopranos portraits in Vanity fair last year were fantastic. I've enjoyed her stuff since '69 or so, when she covered the Rolling Stones tour for RS. And I guess I'm talking out of the wrong end since I've never seen her work, so, I'm outta heya. Good night.

that really didnt make any sense. But, if you are seriously comparing AL to Michaelangelo, then your on crack. lets do apples to apples here, im sure michaelangelo didnt roll in with a Dewalt air compressor and a wagner spray gun, and a bunch of $5/hr assistants, shoot the ceiling, with a base coat and then hand the rest of the job off to a retoucher to finish it off. That guy gets props becasue he did it all himself. Word around the campfire is that he made the red color in the paint with his own blood, and the browns were made from his....well you get the point. None the less, those two clowns arent even in the same league, sport, or arena for that matter.

But to get back on track, nobody still has answered the original question anyway.

Do you really believe Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel himself? That man used a bigger team than AL ;)
http://www.newstatesman.com/200211250029

kris, you may know my friend/past co-worker Trevor B?

not sure ant... why would kris know me?

Here are some new shots and behind the scenes of Annie's Leibovitz work...Enjoy.

http://journeys.louisvuitton.com/