I always think its interesting to compare two significantly similar shoots with the same theme. These two shoots, the first photographed by Alexi Lubomirski for Vogue Russia March 2011, and the second, photographed by Micaela Rossato for Glass Magazine, play with the theme of a woman dealing with courtroom drama and the attention she receives for it. In an age where celebrities and their courtroom drama generates just as much attention as any real work they do, these photo shoots seemed to really pick up on themes in the media. I like how each shoot has a consistent color palate and embraces the concept of a narrative editorial. I would love to see more editorials come out based on a narrative concept ; this shoot for Vogue with Ewan McGregor and Natalia Vodianova and photographed by Peter Lindbergh is a great example.
I love how the Vogue Russia shoot incorporates images that appear to be photographed on a TV screen of the courtroom happenings like in the 2nd image down. It is a great way to mix up the images and provide variation by presenting the images from two points of view - from the viewpoint of someone watching it on TV and a little more removed, and the clear ones from the point of view who is up close to the drama and watching from the "privileged" position inside the courtroom. The second shoot featured in Glass Magazine doesn't achieve the same kind of narrative feel simply because it isn't as big of a spread. They have a quote by Moliere that reads, "It is the public scandal that offends; to sin in secret is no sin at all," and since they didn't have the space to achieve the effect of a full narrative editorial they chose to photograph the models in the flash of the paparazzi. The blaring and intrusive "flash" is what this smaller editorial is all about. Making every small detail of ones personal life public and available for scrutiny in order to entertain.
Glass Magazine:
Images taken from fashiongonerogue.com
