What stories do these Photography 2021 pictures tell the viewer? The tales behind these shots are just as interesting as what the finished products say, and we’re happy to share them with you this week!
Tyler Stableford is an Emmy award-winning director and photographer who enjoys capturing the “boldness” of the human experience through the lens of his camera. Over the span of his career, he has worked on groundbreaking documentaries, commercials, and still campaigns. When Canon needed iconic action imagery to promote the launch of their new flagship 1DX Mark III camera, the company knew Stableford could execute the project. Using the company’s debut camera, Stableford shot a series of high-action images showcasing the camera’s speed, image quality, and tough weather resistance. One such dynamic image, entitled “Cowboys in The Snow” (above, left), won Platinum and is one of the top shots from the campaign, featuring a father-son cowboy duo on horseback and galloping through deep snow. In order to make it more authentic, Stableford and his team remained in the shooting location for a snowstorm and were rewarded with work that has a timeless fine art quality in addition to commercial appeal. The photo series proved to be a success, with Canon using the images both digitally and in social media campaigns to amplify the launch of the popular camera, engaging Canon’s customer base of professional and amateur photographers.
From Brazil, photographer Ricardo de Vicq de Cumptich paid homage to one of the greatest poems in history, “Paradise Lost” (above, right). Written by John Milton and published in 1677, the epic poem centers around religious themes as Milton narrates the story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God before explaining how and why it happens while also tracing the events back to Satan’s rebellion, which ultimately led to him and his followers being cast away from heaven. Cumpitc explores these themes in his series, showing models with dark wings and black masks illuminated by a bright misty light from above them. Each photo captures an angel in different poses, ranging from looking up wistfully at the light to cowering away, showing a mix of sorrow, homesickness, and fear of repercussions of being cast out of heaven. Cumptich’s use of light and staging in the photograph is reminiscent of religious oil paintings who often utilized similar lighting, scenes, and subject poses in their art.
