*ooof*: Every (Armitage) Shot’s a Hit

Excuse me while we leave the necessary appraisal of the Rayner shoot for this edition of *ooof*. It is a special day. Not only because I will be enjoying the exciting environs of London while you are reading this post (and incidentally meeting with a sista-in-RA while there), but first and foremost because we have a birthday to mark. Our very own Obscura of Ancient Armitage-fame is celebrating her birthday. “For she’s a jolly good fellow, for she’s a jolly good fellow, for she’s…” – go on, hop over to her blog and leave her a little message, while I dedicate this *ooof* to her. It comes with her choice of image – a shot by photographer George Pimentel, taken in December 2012 in the Roots Canada Store in Toronto on the occasion of the Canadian Hobbit premiere.

Rapt listener or ready to slay with a smile?
Richard Armitage in a Press Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage, Toronto 2012
Sourced via RAnet

What we have here is a typical press call photo. Something shot along the lines of the images by Tracey Nearmy which I discussed here,  here and here. The photographer has been called in to take pictures for circulation in the press. He has to work with the environment (and subject) he has been given. In this case it is Armitage, of course, and a large room with armchairs and some promo materials. Is this an unused shop floor? The illumination comes via large windows, as we can see when we look at the other images from the shoot. And the photographer does the right thing and decides to shoot without flash. This is discernible because of the little trace of shadow to the right of Armitage’s nose – the use of a camera-mounted flash (as a press photographer would use) would have drowned out any shadow and possibly added a warmer hue onto the image because of conflicting light intensities. It is interesting to me that the face is illuminated so well from a window that seems to be to the left of the sitter. Is there a reflector that throws light back? I doubt it because press photographers tend not have an assistant to hold the reflector but work on their own.

From the little imperfections in the styling of the sitter we can tell that no stylist has been present at the shoot (although it seems likely that Ilaria Urbinati had her say in the assembling of the oooomphy outfit *vavavoooom*): The sleeves of the cardigan have been pushed up asymmetrically, thankfully exposing the fuzzy forearms *drools*, there are unsightly folds visible, the waist band of the deliciously tight cardigan has ridden up, and the shirt under the cardi has bunched up by the collar. Another instance of the blissfully fashion-ignorant sitter?

The pose is relaxed and realistic. Armitage is balancing his pert arse on the edge of an armchair, leaning slightly forward. His long limbs are arranged openly, but are demurely shielded behind his arms and hands. Shooting from eye-level, the photographer must be kneeling in front of him… and who wouldn’t… In fact, the whole pose reminds me of a number of other shots of Armitage that have been taken by a variety of photographers (click, click, click).

The best thing about this whole shoot is that we have a lot of material to look at as a number of shots taken at the same occasion are available to view. And every single shot’s a winner. Well, we all can’t get enough of RA and therefore want to see as many pictures as possible. But most of you might prefer to be given individual shots taken in front of ever-changing backgrounds, with different styling and varying poses. I, on the other hand, love to see the progression of a photoshoot reflected in the images of identical background, styling, sitter, all taken in quick succession. They are almost like a film, and viewed together they result in a more dynamic look at the sitter, and give an insight in the subject’s own willingness to participate actively in a shoot. In this case we can discern three different set-ups – RA on the armchair, RA in front of the promo poster, and RA against the grey curtain.

As a purely personal reaction, I particularly like the images that were taken with the grey curtain as a background. My favourite shot is the half-length portrait where RA has his left hand in his pocket – for the open pose, the relaxed feel, the nice smile, the good lighting and the slender wrists. A close second are the three technically flawed close-ups in which Richard is quite obviously not posing but being photographed while speaking with the photographer. There is life and joy in the unposed, mid-movement RA who comes across as slightly bashful (“how cuuuute!!!” *fawns and coos*) but friendly and compliant (“yes, boy!” *smirks and yanks the chained collar*)

I am wondering why the photographer did not make more of the grey background. The pictures in the armchair – despite a sitter who is doing his best – are not ideal because of a distracting background: A variety of textures and wall coverings (panels? painted walls?) and flamboyant floral arrangements take away from what should be the sole centre of attention in the shots. The shots in front of the Hobbit poster are the customary promo shots that can’t be avoided – after all, this is a press call on the occasion of the Canadian Hobbit premiere, so that’s why RA is here and there’s the poster to give him context. The one and only full-length image is positively delish, however – slim, never-ending legs, tight fashionable clothes, broad shoulders, the angled pose jutting his hip right into our faces, all emphasised by the POV of the camera. Very sexy. But the poster shots are great only for up-to-date news photos, and not so good for longer-lasting portraits of the rising-star actor as they anchor him with a certain time. The grey curtain is much better for that, but has not been used to its full potential. While the dark grey curtain goes well together with the grey cardigan of the subject, the folds in the material make for some distracting vertical lines. And why did the photographer not just place RA differently in front of it, or rearrange the folds to make the image look better? And shoot more of those close-ups? Time constraints? – We’ll never know. So let’s amuse ourselves with some fiction instead.

He felt like a little school-boy. Some important background information. Should help him in piecing the story together. Expert knowledge. Opportunity to ask questions. He huffed inwards. Really, he *was* able to read and research for himself. God, he was known in this business for writing extensive character biographies, immersing himself in the role by creating a whole pre-plot background. It was what he was being cast for – the meticulous, method-acting professional approach to his work. And now his schedule was hijacked by the production secretary for a “chat” with an “advisor”. Three weeks into the shoot. He rolled his eyes to the heavens. He really could’ve spent the time better, working out in the gym on the stairmaster (his leg muscles really needed a bit of toning up – those skirts were pretty unforgiving, he thought with a shudder, remembering a short, previous cinematic excursion into antiquity from his early acting days). He really needn’t be lectured to. He threw himself resignedly back into the soft armchair and sighed. This “Prof O___” was most likely going to be some dried up history type, all pleated skirts and grey roots under her perm. Kind of my target group, though, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. Nah, she’s probably never even set foot into a cinema and only watches the History Channel on her ancient, wood-encased picture tube TV, straight from pre-history like herself.

A door opened behind his back. This would be her. He sighed again. Let the games begin. As she was approaching, he peeled his long limbs from the armchair to get up. At least keep up the good manners if you can’t muster up much interest, he thought. “Hello Mr Armitage, pleased to meet you”, a warm and polite voice intoned behind his back. Before he could turn around, the woman had circumnavigated him and stood before him, tall despite fashionable high heels, long waves of auburn hair, luscious curves packaged in an understated but nonetheless elegant burgundy coloured dress, hand outstretched. His eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment he seemed unable to speak. “History type, my arse!” “Pardon?”, she cocked her head in confusion. Did he say that out loud? “Eh, I mean… history delights my hours… eh, Latin quote?” he fumbled. She smiled indulgently – as if I am a silly schoolboy indeed, damn, she’s seen through that impro – and softly said “Historia magistra vitae – history, teacher of life. ”Eh, thank you for coming in, Prof O___”. “Oh, please, just call me O___”, she offered. “I am Richard”, he said. “I know”, she answered.

Five minutes in and Richard’s previous ungracious defiance had been replaced by open-mouthed admiration. Not only did he listen to her well-articulated instruction with rapt attention, but he was literally on the edge of his seat, his long legs folded in front of him. Roman gender relations were actually a fascinating subject. Plus, he was more and more taken with the glittering doe eyes above the dancing cherry-red lips. The word “domination” caught his attention. Was it getting hotter in here? He pushed up the sleeves of his grey cardigan and slightly loosened his tie. “It’s important to remember that males in Roman society largely followed a cult of virility – which has implications for the way Roman men dressed, their posture, their associations and their physical attitude towards women. Something you might want to remember when characterising your… eh… character”, she paused, licking her lips, looking up. Richard’s breath hitched. This was much more interesting than he had thought. “Please tell me more”, he whispered huskily, pursing his lips and leaning forward with a smile. 

Happy Birthday, Obscura!

PS: If you have been reading the comment section on the previous post attentively, you may have noticed a few hints regarding a little creative writing venture that has been garnering momentum behind the scenes. Judiang and myself have felt mutually inspired by our picture-prompt ficlets and have been wondering whether this could be a venture that others might like to participate in, too? We are currently working on the format of it, but are very keen to get this off the ground and would like to gauge your interest. Interested, creative writing ladies? And you, lovers of all things visual, would you like to prompt? Say “peep” in the comments, please, and spread the word, so we can see if a picture-prompt ficlet platform is the way to go forward with this!

All text © Guylty at me + richard armitage, 2013. Please credit when using excerpts and links. Images and video copyrights accrue to their owners.

~ by Guylty on September 16, 2013.