New Disney Dream Portraits from Annie Leibovitz!

[IamBelle]

I just saw two of the new Disney Dream Portraits, and they look great! One is Russell Brand as Captain Hook and the other has Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and Jason Segal as the Hitchhiking ghosts. I hope to see more of these, I always look forward to them!

[Melanie]

Still not a fan of these, but posting for all to see.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

The hitchiking one is kinda cool!

(and like Mel, I'm not usually a fan)

[MinnieMommie]

Thanks for posting the pics. I'm a fan of Annie Leibovitz but not sure about the photos. They certainly are creative though.

[Dopey's Girl]

I really strongly dislike Russell Brand, so I pass on that one. The other is ok, only because I adore Jason Segal.

[Buttercup]

As a photographer, I love Annie Leibovitz. She's awesome. I love that they did the Haunted Mansion ghosts -- because they're not traditional Disney "movie" characters. You've got to be fans of the parks to know who they are.

[TheVBs]

I kind of get a kick out of these.

[Altair]

Wow, she can really work that Photoshop.

[Dixie Springs]

Ditto on the Russel Brand and Photoshop posts. Her project was intriguing at first, but no longer. Plus, I really don't like the juxtaposition of some of these crud personalities in 'sacred' Disney lore. It's not cute anymore.

PS - no offense to the OP. Just Annie (I always hate when someone does that to my posts - sorry).

[TheVBs]

These are only used in ads right? It would be fun to be able to buy them on something. Even something small, like postcards.

[TheTexasKid]

These are only used in ads right? It would be fun to be able to buy them on something. Even something small, like postcards.

As far as I know that is correct, but I am hopeful that when enough of them have been done, that a coffeetable book be published, containing all of them up to that time, with some background as to where and when they were taken.

[Buttercup]

Wow, she can really work that Photoshop.

I totally respect your opinion... don't get me wrong. But I can tell you, working in that field, that 99.99999% of photos you see, from family portraits to magazine ads and billboards are ALL photoshopped. All of them. Seriously. Every photographer in today's industry uses photoshop, and needs to as part of their job. Granted, not all photos you see are meant to look "dreamlike" as these ones are intended, but you would be surprised at how much is actually done to even the photos you see every day. Heck, ALL of the photos Disney uses in ALL of their ads, on their website, etc. are all photoshopped like crazy. So I don't see why using photoshop, and being good at it, is terrible?

In these Dream photos, the only thing she's really added in or changed are the different backgrounds. Which I think is appropriate considering these are "Dream" photos and given the nature of the content, it seems to make sense that they would have a more fantasy-like background, don't you think?

If someone had made a painting of Captain Hook or the Hitchiking Ghosts, it would be considered art, right? What difference does it make if it's done with a camera and computer?

Anyway, that's just my view of it. I like watching the behind-the-scenes videos of them shooting these photos, mainly because I like to see her lighting set-ups and equipment (haha!) but it's very interesting how she gets them to pose and act like the characters.

[MaterializedHaunt]

I'm not seeing anything to like about these. I see actors faces in a Disney setting. I prefer to see a Capt Hook and 3HHG as themselves. These actors I am doubting know very very little about both characters, especially the 3HHG lore. So they just don't fit the part. If you want someone to fit the part then you need some of us Disney nuts to portray these characters!

[SurferStitch]

I think these images are fantastic. I love the Hook image. I think Brand looks great. The detail and richness of the images are beautiful.

And Buttercup, you are absolutely right. DH and I are in the biz, and Photoshop is a definite necessity. EVERYONE expects to be cleaned up in their final product.... EVERYONE. There is ALWAYS something that needs to be tweaked. There isn't a fashion photo (even just catalogs or online stores) where the model hasn't been nipped, tucked or thinned in the limbs. Even makeup is sometimes enhanced (or completely done) in post.

A dream look is obviously needed in this promotion, so Photoshop is needed as well. What's the big deal?

[Altair]

If someone had made a painting of Captain Hook or the Hitchiking Ghosts, it would be considered art, right? What difference does it make if it's done with a camera and computer?

Painting takes talent, real photography takes talent, using Photoshop doesn't. Anyone can do it. That is no longer photography, but graphic art. Photoshop can be used to make a photograph look like a painting, is that a painting? We have become far too reliant on computers.

[SurferStitch]

There is more to these images than you realize.

There is expert pro photography in the image. That's easy to see in the behind-the-scenes photos of these photo shoots (saw them online). Sure, the characters are shot on their own (and in pretty simple settings), but then someone has to develope the whole scene, from background, to foreground, to lighting, to mood, and so on.

Photoshop isn't as easy as plopping a person in front of another background. You have to mask your layers properly, make sure the lighting is correct in each layer to make it look genuine, blending, enhancements, etc. No, not just anybody can do it. Photoshop is so expansive, so intricate and so involved. Plus, Photoshop isn't always used... there's Adobe Illustrator, which is even more of a bear to use.

Ya know... people said the same things years ago about CG animated movies. How many times did we hear it being called "cheating". "Computers make it simple". "There's no "art" to animated movies anymore". Yeah, tell the artists at Pixar and Disney that they rely on computers too much to do their work. It's not painted by hand, so it's not art. Anyone can do it, right?

Computers are just another way to devlop somebody's vision. It still takes talent to make it happen.

[Buttercup]

Hoo boy, if EVERYONE can take photos and use photoshop so easily, then I guess I'm out of a job! And I guess Annie Leibovitz's world reknowned photography skill didn't come into play at all when she was lighting and photographing these shots. You know, because anybody could do it. Just the same way anybody can take an incredible portrait because they own a camera... or anyone can write a novel because they have Microsoft Word on their computer... or anybody can animate a cartoon because they have a pencil & paper...

If you don't like the actors portraying Disney characters, that's one thing... but believe me, making these photos is a heck of a lot harder than you think... so appreciate the time and effort at the very least.

[PopPhan]

Hoo boy, if EVERYONE can take photos and use photoshop so easily, then I guess I'm out of a job! And I guess Annie Leibovitz's world reknowned photography skill didn't come into play at all when she was lighting and photographing these shots. You know, because anybody could do it. Just the same way anybody can take an incredible portrait because they own a camera... or anyone can write a novel because they have Microsoft Word on their computer... or anybody can animate a cartoon because they have a pencil & paper...

If you don't like the actors portraying Disney characters, that's one thing... but believe me, making these photos is a heck of a lot harder than you think... so appreciate the time and effort at the very least.

Agree 100%

[yourmagicalguide]

Hoo boy, if EVERYONE can take photos and use photoshop so easily, then I guess I'm out of a job! And I guess Annie Leibovitz's world reknowned photography skill didn't come into play at all when she was lighting and photographing these shots. You know, because anybody could do it. Just the same way anybody can take an incredible portrait because they own a camera... or anyone can write a novel because they have Microsoft Word on their computer... or anybody can animate a cartoon because they have a pencil & paper...

If you don't like the actors portraying Disney characters, that's one thing... but believe me, making these photos is a heck of a lot harder than you think... so appreciate the time and effort at the very least.

Agree 100%

I also agree 100%

I haven't really cared for the actors she's used in these photos, but I am in awe of Annie's talent with her art. She is incredible

[Dixie Springs]

Alright, I'm afraid I'll have to close this thread. The topic of Photoshop, like politics and Stitch, has a tendency to become to emotional an issue for Intercot's TOS.