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Alcoholic or Millionaire? 6 Photographers Shoot The Same Guy To Show The Power Of Perspective
This eye-opening experiment by Canon Australia shows what can happen when photographers approach a photo subject with an agenda. Six photographers were told six different stories about the man they were supposed to photograph, and these stories come across in their resulting shots.
The six different backgrounds given for the model, Michael – millionaire, ex-convict, psychic, alcoholic, lifesaver and fisherman – all led his photographers to produce radically different results. They even shot their photos in the same studio with the same props!
“A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than what is in front of it,” Canon Australia wrote in their video. Along with this valuable lesson, never forget how much creative license you have when photographing a subject, no matter how simple it might be!
More info: canon.com | facebook | instagram (h/t: petapixel, demilked)
RELATED:
Psychic
Self-made Millionaire
Ex-Convict
Life-Saver
Alcoholic
Fisherman
Check out their video below:
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What do you think ?
VickiStafford 10 years ago
I think you could put all those labels into a hat and apply them randomly to the photos, and you'd never know the difference. They all look like book cover portraits.
ChristianW 10 years ago
Conclusion: If the same guy is photographed in the same location by different photographers he still looks like the same guy.
MarthaDonaldson 10 years ago
I think he looks the same in each pic - the eyes are all telling the same story - not enough wear and tear on the face to be an alcoholic.
fredericeeckman 10 years ago
Because if he was, he would probably be already a famous politician :D
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LynneFindley 10 years ago
Skillful. People seem to be resistant to the idea judging from the comments below this, but this concept is a vital part of media literacy.
Missy Finley 9 years ago
I think the concept is valid. I'm just not seeing it here.
Load More Replies...
BaronesaSmith 10 years ago
Its really good.. How photos can changes your opinion about one person.. Bravo!
Baked_Potato 10 years ago
I think that the labels fit the portraits, but seeing them all together muddled it a little bit. Shows what the power of suggestion can do!
Jonas Rubi 4 years ago
The self-made millionaire and the ex-convict didn't work for me. The rest were spot-on.
Missy Finley 9 years ago
Sorry but I'm not seeing the difference. His character isn't really changing for me.
Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
Problem with this experiment is that it's not the pictures that changes the way we see the guy, it's the title of the picture. Make the same series of pictures but ask the viewer to put a label on them and you won't one unanimous answer. You'll get several depending on what people see in the pictures, how they want to interpret it, their personal experiences, their mood at the moment, and a lot of other factors. Only good thing about this series is that the portraits are really nice.
Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
Ohlala, sorry about the typind mistakes, should have read it before posting. Damn, so many missing words and mistakes. *smh*
Load More Replies...
LeoHartshorn 9 years ago
Why doesn't anyone question the perceptions created by the one filming the "experiment" and the false stories?
ScottSpiro 10 years ago
You lost me on this one... At least we didn't have to imagine "Bollywood dancer."
SimonLayfield 10 years ago
Yeahhh there's some distant validity to this but it's a bit muddled. It says more about labels than it does about clever photography, and even then it's not particularly well executed. Shame, because I think if something like this was done well it could potentially be quite powerful.
SallyDrury 10 years ago
The subject fulfills each title with just a grimace or smile or wrinkle or frown...each of us could be subjects for the same titles and do as well. It is interesting to see how little it takes to live up to a suggested personality.
SilviaYiyi 10 years ago
I think it's not the label that defines him, but the expression may insinuate a character, as Dr. Paul Ekman teaches.
EmmaStoneFan4ever 10 years ago
A major reason for WHY these picture all look different is that they were taken by different people with different styles of photography. Who the person they are photographing doesn't really play into why these photos are all different.
ClaireOliver 10 years ago
Wow that is brilliant. It is amazing that it is in the interpretation of the subject that alters the creative perspective.
VickiStafford 10 years ago
I think you could put all those labels into a hat and apply them randomly to the photos, and you'd never know the difference. They all look like book cover portraits.
ChristianW 10 years ago
Conclusion: If the same guy is photographed in the same location by different photographers he still looks like the same guy.
MarthaDonaldson 10 years ago
I think he looks the same in each pic - the eyes are all telling the same story - not enough wear and tear on the face to be an alcoholic.
fredericeeckman 10 years ago
Because if he was, he would probably be already a famous politician :D
Load More Replies... LynneFindley 10 years ago
Skillful. People seem to be resistant to the idea judging from the comments below this, but this concept is a vital part of media literacy.
Missy Finley 9 years ago
I think the concept is valid. I'm just not seeing it here.
Load More Replies... BaronesaSmith 10 years ago
Its really good.. How photos can changes your opinion about one person.. Bravo!
Baked_Potato 10 years ago
I think that the labels fit the portraits, but seeing them all together muddled it a little bit. Shows what the power of suggestion can do!
Jonas Rubi 4 years ago
The self-made millionaire and the ex-convict didn't work for me. The rest were spot-on.
Missy Finley 9 years ago
Sorry but I'm not seeing the difference. His character isn't really changing for me.
Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
Problem with this experiment is that it's not the pictures that changes the way we see the guy, it's the title of the picture. Make the same series of pictures but ask the viewer to put a label on them and you won't one unanimous answer. You'll get several depending on what people see in the pictures, how they want to interpret it, their personal experiences, their mood at the moment, and a lot of other factors. Only good thing about this series is that the portraits are really nice.
Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
Ohlala, sorry about the typind mistakes, should have read it before posting. Damn, so many missing words and mistakes. *smh*
Load More Replies... LeoHartshorn 9 years ago
Why doesn't anyone question the perceptions created by the one filming the "experiment" and the false stories?
ScottSpiro 10 years ago
You lost me on this one... At least we didn't have to imagine "Bollywood dancer."
SimonLayfield 10 years ago
Yeahhh there's some distant validity to this but it's a bit muddled. It says more about labels than it does about clever photography, and even then it's not particularly well executed. Shame, because I think if something like this was done well it could potentially be quite powerful.
SallyDrury 10 years ago
The subject fulfills each title with just a grimace or smile or wrinkle or frown...each of us could be subjects for the same titles and do as well. It is interesting to see how little it takes to live up to a suggested personality.
SilviaYiyi 10 years ago
I think it's not the label that defines him, but the expression may insinuate a character, as Dr. Paul Ekman teaches.
EmmaStoneFan4ever 10 years ago
A major reason for WHY these picture all look different is that they were taken by different people with different styles of photography. Who the person they are photographing doesn't really play into why these photos are all different.
ClaireOliver 10 years ago
Wow that is brilliant. It is amazing that it is in the interpretation of the subject that alters the creative perspective.
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