Official Obama family portrait by Annie Leibovitz

[AliB]

I think it could be window lit Stewart.

If you look at the daughter on the right, her face is lit more on the right than on the left so in that part of the image the dominant light source is to that side.

Over Mr President's head there is a highlight on the door frame that again suggests the one direction of light. And something on the mantlepiece with a similar highlight.

Michelle's face is quite evenly lit and yet again with her being at the angle she is, that suggests a good diffuse light source from one direction.

The light falloff across the green wall to the right would fit with natural window light.

There are no harsh shadows anywhere, no shadows of noses going on so without being able to see the catchlights in the eyes my guess would be a big window with diffusion.

 

[Rockshifter]

Don't kid yourselves.
If this shot didn't exactly fit the remit you wouldn't be seeing it.

 

[Steve Smith]

Dont you hate seeing photos which any1 could have taken

Almost as much as I hate seeing words spelled* with numbers!

* or spelt if you prefer!

Steve.

 

[Jayst84]

Its a young girl putting her arm around her dad, what's shockingly bad about it? Its something quite natural in my humble opinion.

I'm assuming Squizza was referring to the detached hand. Something you're always told to avoid in 'proper portraits.'

 

[Flash In The Pan]

We don't know if they were off days though.

I saw the Obama shot as Hoppy did. Very contrived to look like it does, I think it's selling her just a little short to say the detached hand, etc are mistakes. I bet she hit the brief right on the head.

I agree that the shot looks contrived. The more you look at it the more it becomes apparant that it has been carefully crafted to give the appearance of an almost casual family snapshot, however the detached hand looks plain wrong to me, in fact the first time I saw it it reminded me of Archibald McLauchlan's 1766 portrait of the Glassford family which hangs in Glasgow's People's palace - in that a negro "servant" has allegedly been painted out, leaving just a similarly detached hand.

 

[KayJay]

There is some speculation that it was deliberately made to look like a snap to make the first family appear more "normal", rather than a photo that looks like a painting.

That's what I'm thinking. I doubt Annie would have put forward a photograph that didn't meet her standards. This was obviously shot the way it was on purpose to meet the criteria.

 

[chivers67]

Almost as much as I hate seeing words spelled with numbers!


Steve.

*cough spelt cough* (though I guess it depends on what side of the pond you're from)

 

[Steve Smith]

*cough spelt cough* (though I guess it depends on what side of the pond you're from)

Either is fine. They are both in my 1926 dictionary!


Steve.

 

[neo2810]

Considering she shot at 400 ISO, I'd say no lights were used... I'd like to think Annie has enough money to be able to afford lights powerful enough to keep the ISO at 100

And I personally think the shot is set up as briefed. I hardly think the Obama's would allow it to be published if they were not 100% happy with it.

 

[ryank]

I must say, I think theres alot of sour grapes in this thread

 

[HoppyUK]

Can't wait to see the family photo of the new president of Europe, maybe a Litchfield masterpiece. One things for sure, we will all be paying for it.

Litchfield is dead

Is there anyone out there who's able to determine how this was lit?

Like Ali said, just the light from a beautiful big, plain window. Another aspect of the 'casual family snap' brief I think.

You don't have to blitz everthing with masses of equipment and cutting edge technique to create a great image. And I think it is - portrays the Obama presidential family 'brand' perfectly.

PS Ali, there is something we agree about after all

 

[PsiFox]

Well working on the basis you don't get witout asking I have emailed the Whitehouse and asked

1 How long she had for the shoot?
2 What lighting was used?
3 Was the shot strictly compsed by the photographer or was it natural?

Be interesting to see if I get a response.

 

[mastertrinity]

tbh its nothing interesting. the obama's are just like any other family around the world and thats how they act, i spend family time together and there not shrouded up in there jobs, they only want a small memento not an artist masterpiece. i think it shouldnt even be critised because at the end of the day its the customer that give the orders and so they must have wanted that.

we are photographers (most of us anyway) and we criticise the little things, but its the little things that make the big things happen.

 

[Arkady]

Absolutely Average...

 

[POAH]

she was not paid IIRC

Dont you hate seeing photos which any1 could have taken and then get annoyed because that photographer is getting paid sa hoooo much to take it when im pretty sure most people on this site could have done better

 

[DizMatt]

very photogenic family...the hand over her dads shoulder on a white shirt is very distracting

however, it looks like she really was given 2 mins to put it together and chuck some chairs into a room with no control over the background.
I'm surprised her camera kit doesn't have secret service finger prints all over the glass etc!

 

[nikonal]

Looks to me that way as well.

It could be the family next door...

Don't kid yourselves.
If this shot didn't exactly fit the remit you wouldn't be seeing it.

Agreed!

Maybe it was taken in the style of a 'point and shoot family pic'?

Who knows especially when there are all sorts of PR men hanging around behind the camera.
It may have been the request of the Obamas and the White House PR machine to 'normalise' the most powerful family.

 

[cowasaki]

I was busy that day. Leibovitz stood in at the last minute being my usual second shooter but after that effort I'm going back to using Bailey even though he can't make a good brew. You just can't get the staff anymore.

 

[edbarton]

If you really want that P&S home photo look, don't you just use a P&S??