LA-based celebrity photographer Peggy Sirota, photographed a series of lifestyle portraits with the romantic leads from Lost (Evangeline Lily and Michael Fox), and Twilight (Robert Pattinson (swoon!) and Kristen Stewart). Lucky lady. For the record, I hope Kate chooses Sawyer, and it was bound to happen that I would dedicate a posting to my current obsessions with these series.
I came across the Lost photographs during my weekly Lost analysis reading session (I highly recommend The Washington Post’s Dueling Analysis, and EW’s Doc Jenson’s Analysis). As I clicked through the gallery, I quickly realized that these images looked a wee bit familiar, and very much like Vanity Fair's December 2008 spread on the Twilight cast.
These days, the photographer is as much a celebrity as the actor. Is Sirota capturing the relationship between the characters and/or the actors, or is this a statement about her own relationship with the subjects?
The similarities between both shoots are obvious: positioning within the frame, physical contact/interaction between the subjects, direct gazes into the camera, outdoor locations, wardrobe, and the emotional connection: tense, intimate, whimsical, etc. At the first wedding I assisted for, I was really nervous since it’s such an important day for the subjects and essentially I didn’t want to eff anything up for them. The photographer I was assisting noticed my jitters and explained that the easiest way to get through those sessions is to develop a formula, stick to the shots, and its basically an in and out thing from there. I was shocked, and I still personally ignore his advice. Photographers work a lifetime to develop and sustain personal style that allows them to stick out from the masses, but style is not synonymous with formula, and it’s evident that some still follow the formulaic route.
The differences are also clear. The location, obviously, but I find the weather conditions to be really interesting and potentially revealing – overcast and stormy versus bright and sun bleached – euphemisms for the subject’s on-screen relationship status, or just a cool idea for a shoot?
Finally, what is the message behind these images? I’m not sure that question is relevant since the images seem to follow a formula. If formula sells, then what does it say about us as consumers?
The conclusion I came to is that photographing the actors from Lost and Twilight has more to do with Sirota’s brand positioning than art. She’s a celebrity / lifestyle photographer, and Lost and Twilight both happen to be very popular series in current pop culture. These photographs have major exposure not just because of the popularity of the subjects, but because of the outlets in which they were released: Entertainment Weekly and Vanity Fair. It maintains her relevance in current celebrity portraiture. It’s a boost for the actors, their respective series, and Sirota herself.
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