Annie Leibovitz Analysis.

Annie Leibovitz (b. 1949),she took her first pictures when moving around the world and changing homes during the Vietnam war because of her fathers occupation as a leiutenant colonel in the U.S air force. This obviously gave her an insight to many subjects and influenced her desire to start photography. She also studied painting in high school which would help to give her an insight to colour and allow her to use her imagination which is also important in photography. This photograph was part of her series of Disney portraits and focused on Peter Pan as part of Disney's 'Dream' Campaign. Mikhail Baryshnikov as Pan, Gisele Bundchen as Wendy and Tina fey as Tinkerbell who have all acted at some point in their lives, it being Fey's main occupation and partly doen by the others. This reminds me of a movie or something that would need actors rather than normal people, also the fact Bundchen was a fashion model links in with the culture of fashion photography which would most definitely use a model and present the photograph as attractive and choose her as the main female in the portrait. The work was created in 2008 and was a personal idea which included celebrities re-enacting scenes from famous Disney films. I can see the work working well as a cover for an advertisement of an exhibiton of it which would be successful to younger audiences and also families which Disney targets. I like the theme of fantasy and the magical element in this photograph has appealed to me and made me eager to analyse it. The photograph looks quite paint like with the contrast edited, the texture and colour enhanced and how flawless the celebrities look which is more fantastical to look at and gives it an older look t it becuase of the date the film were made was the 60's/70's not 2008 when the idea was taken forward. Her working with Disney to produce these also helps to advertise/promote their films.

Leibovitz doesn't have an official website but information I found was on this website here - http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/04/beautiful-disney-portraits-by-annie-leibovitz/ linking it to Disney and showing the series of other photographs.Quotes towards her often involve the fact that she has worked with a variery of celebrities and styles of photography which help to big up the series and its value,
also showing success in the past which should be expected from these photographs. Even though the catagory of the photograph comes uner/fashion/fairytale, I see it as more on the fairytale side but somebody could still link it or see as promoting an out of the ordinary fashion style. It's theme is Disney films and I see why the composition has been chosen because it is like a still from a film rather than a prepared photograph, it isn't meant to be still, its meant to provoke senses of touch and sound because it would be moving if seen on screen. It reminds me of the film and I suspect deeper meaning behind it such as bringing some originally started from cartoon drawings to life by presenting it with real people, showing that anything is possible and creating ahappy mood with its bright colours which have no limit, the light used to brighten up a happy night sky, flying to symbolise freedom and no limits, magic is shown by the mist and dust around Tinkerbell which has been edited into the picture using a professional programme such as photoshop. The titles meaning just informs us the film the scene is taken from which links that film is the main influence and drive to produce these series and that the film can still be the same with people involved. People are more likely to be interested if celebrities are used, especially a variety because it is more likely that somebody will appeal to them and make them more interested in the film or Leibovitzs' work. Also using adults rather than children could symbolise a desir eto never grow old or grow up away from magical childhood dreams and fantasies of what is real and what is realistically impossible.

Techniques used are definitely high quality editing, and colour enhancement on photoshop, also perhaps cut outs from a series of photographs, for example Mikhail flying being taken from another still and rotated at an angle that makes his flying more real in the photograph. Also Tinkerbell's original photographed scale being scaled down to her size in the film being added on, I can see smoothened faces and colour, bringing in the cartoon-like effect on real people and also the carefully prepared ancient looking props around the composition to make it look randon and real rather than a forced scene. Costume is very important and symbolises who the characters are, lighting is important to light them so they are contrasted with the night which has been represented with blue rather than black so I suspect a background board or screen was used to bring in more positive looking colours to the fantasy, also wind was needed to blow the curtains around as if the window really leads to outside. The colour choice of browns and reds keeps to quite a vintage look on the interior design, linking with the social culture of the time when the film was made, it creates the original effect and reaction to the film. The formal elements most important are colour becaus eit is the first thing we react to and has been enhanced for the positive and effect, shape and tone for the realism in the fantasy and pattern of the dust that flies around symbolic to Tinkerbell. The scale is very large and presented at Disney parks, this doesn't draw us to a particular part of the picture but lets the whole magic of it take up more time and feeling when we see it at the park, it wouldn't be noticed nearly as much if it was small so it works well.

My first reaction to the work is that it looks very dreamy and this links with the title of the work.It looks like a realism painting with modernised subject matter and I was amazed at the effects used and what a child-like impact they had on me mainly with the colour which was my favourite part of the whole composition/photograph.I can't see anything I dislike about the work, I like how it is a buisness project for Leibovitz in terms of partnering with Disney for it but also brings out her interest in the work and we can see a passion for these films in the pieces, I would have liked to see more photographs and different compositions of the same films rather than just one. The work has inspired me to perhaps take a film route on one of my photoshoots, focus on a theme relating to something fantastical that I like as well as promoting a garment or clothes unlike what has been done here. Her work reminds me of photographer Michelle Monique whos work I have looks at before because of the fantasy and misty looking colour effect they have both used, similar in terms of colour.