On assignment for the New York Times Magazine, Paolo Pellegrin photographed eight of the contenders for Academy Awards. The intensity and honesty Pellegrin draws from his subjects is striking and gives you a sense of the raw strength they each possess away from the glitz and the glamour and without the makeup and costumes. The result is a stunning set of portraits of Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr., and Kat Dennings.
There's something odd about the 4th shot of Kate Winslet where she appears to be looking in a mirror with Paolo Pelegrin taking the shot over her left shoulder. Firstly he seems to be right on her left shoulder but he is not reflected in the mirror, the angle is difficult to tell so there may be a good explanation for that. secondly her hair is down on her left side whereas in the mirror it appears to reflect that her hair is down on her right side.
The shadowing to the left of "the mirror" is what I think makes it looks like a mirror but I could be wrong.
There's something odd about the 4th shot of Kate Winslet where she appears to be looking in a mirror with Paolo Pelegrin taking the shot over her left shoulder. Firstly he seems to be right on her left shoulder but he is not reflected in the mirror, the angle is difficult to tell so there may be a good explanation for that. secondly her hair is down on her left side whereas in the mirror it appears to reflect that her hair is down on her right side.
The shadowing to the left of "the mirror" is what I think makes it looks like a mirror but I could be wrong.
Funny... I thought she was standing next to a highly reflective window at night... or perhaps with some outside shutter closed. Anyway, he uses windows and mirrors beautifully. Great stuff... thanks for posting it.
Any chance of Paolo writing a bit on the blog about these shots and the shoots as they are superb and more like the older magnum film star shots in there closeness?
I'd love to hear how about how much access he received, how many days he had with each subject and any and all experiences Paolo would be willing to share.
loved it when i saw it run in the Times....still dig it...Paolo still a magician with glass-darkly....be it mirrors, windows, grain or shadows, but in work that made him his 'name' and this kind of assignment....the shape of shifting shadows....
Celebrity photography. Well executed, but hardly relevatory. Celebs give what they want to give, and it's always taken a hell of a photographer (and hell of an ego) to get beyond that. I honestly don't see anything "beyond" in these photos.
John, i think reporters nowadays, most of them, are above all interested in the fiction they can get from reality.
In this case also the subjects of the pictures, the actors, where not interested in showing any real life: instead they have to play their role both in and out of the movie.
So, one and the others pursued the fiction of their own art with great ability and in good accordance. A sort of gentlemen's agreement i guess.
All eight pairs of pictures show a common theme -- the tough side and the soft side of each celebrity. Mr. Pellegrin didn't miss a chance of showing this theme. Pic 1 -- a dangerous and smart man, putting his back against the bright sunlight. Pic 2 -- the same person, but a family man paying great attention to prepare a meal.
Pic 3 -- a lady almost covered up by soft materials, contrasting with the rough brick wall. she looks vulnerable. Pic 4 -- she comes out shinning and brave.
Pic 5, another dangerous man. smoking is ban in bed in hotels. he dared to go against the rules. But Pic 6. shows he is just a self-loving simple boy and as vulnerable as a yellow flower.
Pic 7 -- the two faces of Winslet. On the left hand side of the viewer, the brighter half of her is strong like steel, with sharp contour. The dimmer half of her is surprisingly more human, even a little bid sad. Pic 8 -- playing up her weaker side. a girl being taken care of by more than one assistant. Someone tried to cover her face against the sunlight. And she folded arms looked cold, needing protection.
Pic 9 -- again another dangerous and smart man. in a religious environment suggested by the wall picture, biting his own sunglass. something people seldom do in church. His make-up suggested he might be a criminal being "wanted", so he had to hide his real identity. He didn't look like Brad Pitt, at first glance. (Oh why, all sexy man must be dangerous.) Pic 10 -- he was not that dangerous, when he showed off his big, tearful eyes.
Pic 11 -- A drunk man after a show, vulnerable. Pic 12 -- hush.
Pic 13 -- a business man, with a fatherly smile. Pic 14 -- Again, the photographer used a glass to soft him a bit, became a great lover, tanned.
Pic 15 -- glass again brought softening effect. The red hat highlighted her soft red lips. Pic 16 -- cold face.
I learn a lot from these pictures. Thank you for posting them.
I think many of these photographs are staged, acted - like picture 11, and most of them seem to makeups on. i don't see what are so profound about them?
I found these photographs a refreshing departure from the usual approach to celebrity portraiture. Like others who have commented on this post, I would be interested to hear some information about the project that hasn't already been published. It would be great to know why Paolo was chosen specifically, for example.
I love the desaturated color. It used to be that color only meant the saturated look of transparency film or the more muted effects of some color negative films. Now, recent software programs allow for much more exploration!
Reader comments (23)
Very nice photography. Has a very modern look and the lighting draws the viewer into the frame.
Comment posted by Timothy Hughes on February 23, 2009
There's something odd about the 4th shot of Kate Winslet where she appears to be looking in a mirror with Paolo Pelegrin taking the shot over her left shoulder. Firstly he seems to be right on her left shoulder but he is not reflected in the mirror, the angle is difficult to tell so there may be a good explanation for that. secondly her hair is down on her left side whereas in the mirror it appears to reflect that her hair is down on her right side.
The shadowing to the left of "the mirror" is what I think makes it looks like a mirror but I could be wrong.
All probably explicable but none-the-less odd.
Comment posted by Hugh Gage on February 23, 2009
There's something odd about the 4th shot of Kate Winslet where she appears to be looking in a mirror with Paolo Pelegrin taking the shot over her left shoulder. Firstly he seems to be right on her left shoulder but he is not reflected in the mirror, the angle is difficult to tell so there may be a good explanation for that. secondly her hair is down on her left side whereas in the mirror it appears to reflect that her hair is down on her right side.
The shadowing to the left of "the mirror" is what I think makes it looks like a mirror but I could be wrong.
All probably explicable but none-the-less odd.
Comment posted by Hugh Gage on February 23, 2009
Hugh, I don't think that's a mirror shot. I think he was shooting over the shoulder of someone else.
Comment posted by Brian C. Frank on February 23, 2009
Funny... I thought she was standing next to a highly reflective window at night... or perhaps with some outside shutter closed. Anyway, he uses windows and mirrors beautifully. Great stuff... thanks for posting it.
Comment posted by Suzanne on February 23, 2009
Timeless.
Comment posted by Yogan on February 24, 2009
whoooah.. what a superb commission to receive..
impressed with the natural feel of the photographs.. not that easy at all with people who have been heavily photographed in the last..
david
Comment posted by david bowen on February 24, 2009
Dear Meagan,
Any chance of Paolo writing a bit on the blog about these shots and the shoots as they are superb and more like the older magnum film star shots in there closeness?
Many thanks,
Pete
Comment posted by Peter Cleghorn on February 24, 2009
Images with reverence, style, star dust and magic. I keep coming back to this happy to self critical appraisal and just like it.
Comment posted by sam bedford on February 24, 2009
I'd love to hear how about how much access he received, how many days he had with each subject and any and all experiences Paolo would be willing to share.
Comment posted by Steve Thurow on February 24, 2009
loved it when i saw it run in the Times....still dig it...Paolo still a magician with glass-darkly....be it mirrors, windows, grain or shadows, but in work that made him his 'name' and this kind of assignment....the shape of shifting shadows....
lovely stuff :)
b
Comment posted by bobblack on February 24, 2009
impressive photo
Comment posted by hkki on February 24, 2009
Celebrity photography. Well executed, but hardly relevatory. Celebs give what they want to give, and it's always taken a hell of a photographer (and hell of an ego) to get beyond that. I honestly don't see anything "beyond" in these photos.
Comment posted by John on February 24, 2009
John, i think reporters nowadays, most of them, are above all interested in the fiction they can get from reality.
In this case also the subjects of the pictures, the actors, where not interested in showing any real life: instead they have to play their role both in and out of the movie.
So, one and the others pursued the fiction of their own art with great ability and in good accordance. A sort of gentlemen's agreement i guess.
Comment posted by paolo on February 25, 2009
All eight pairs of pictures show a common theme -- the tough side and the soft side of each celebrity. Mr. Pellegrin didn't miss a chance of showing this theme. Pic 1 -- a dangerous and smart man, putting his back against the bright sunlight. Pic 2 -- the same person, but a family man paying great attention to prepare a meal.
Pic 3 -- a lady almost covered up by soft materials, contrasting with the rough brick wall. she looks vulnerable. Pic 4 -- she comes out shinning and brave.
Pic 5, another dangerous man. smoking is ban in bed in hotels. he dared to go against the rules. But Pic 6. shows he is just a self-loving simple boy and as vulnerable as a yellow flower.
Pic 7 -- the two faces of Winslet. On the left hand side of the viewer, the brighter half of her is strong like steel, with sharp contour. The dimmer half of her is surprisingly more human, even a little bid sad. Pic 8 -- playing up her weaker side. a girl being taken care of by more than one assistant. Someone tried to cover her face against the sunlight. And she folded arms looked cold, needing protection.
Pic 9 -- again another dangerous and smart man. in a religious environment suggested by the wall picture, biting his own sunglass. something people seldom do in church. His make-up suggested he might be a criminal being "wanted", so he had to hide his real identity. He didn't look like Brad Pitt, at first glance. (Oh why, all sexy man must be dangerous.) Pic 10 -- he was not that dangerous, when he showed off his big, tearful eyes.
Pic 11 -- A drunk man after a show, vulnerable. Pic 12 -- hush.
Pic 13 -- a business man, with a fatherly smile. Pic 14 -- Again, the photographer used a glass to soft him a bit, became a great lover, tanned.
Pic 15 -- glass again brought softening effect. The red hat highlighted her soft red lips. Pic 16 -- cold face.
I learn a lot from these pictures. Thank you for posting them.
Comment posted by t.f. on February 27, 2009
I am so glad to discover this website. Excellent image and I am amazed!
Comment posted by roentarre on February 27, 2009
I think many of these photographs are staged, acted - like picture 11, and most of them seem to makeups on. i don't see what are so profound about them?
Comment posted by A on February 27, 2009
So impressive photos. Impossible to imitate. Was Paolo invisible?
Could I have a telephone number of a Hollywood's star? I would like to try.
Great!
Comment posted by Fox on February 28, 2009
Paolo , you are a great photographer .
Comment posted by jesus on February 28, 2009
What about costs and organization of Magnum about this? My compliments to Magnum's P.R. agents.
Comment posted by Fox on February 28, 2009
I found these photographs a refreshing departure from the usual approach to celebrity portraiture. Like others who have commented on this post, I would be interested to hear some information about the project that hasn't already been published. It would be great to know why Paolo was chosen specifically, for example.
Comment posted by Andrew on March 1, 2009
I love the desaturated color. It used to be that color only meant the saturated look of transparency film or the more muted effects of some color negative films. Now, recent software programs allow for much more exploration!
Comment posted by Davin Ellicson on March 2, 2009
Great composition and color. Love the use of subdued lighting. Definitely emotionally evocative. Thanks for sharing Paolo!
Curtis
Comment posted by Curtis on March 6, 2009