What gives an editorial the "wow" factor?

[fraiseap]

Mods - I couldn't find this subject when I did a search. If it has already been discussed please merge with a previous thread.

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As a photographer there are certain things that make me look in awe at an editorial. The lighting, the poses the model and the processing are all important to me. I guess there are many out there who are interested in the clothes above all else. I also know that many don't care for post processing at all - for example I liked Testino's Keira Knightley editorial in Jan Vogue UK but lots of people think it was horrible.

So - what makes your jaw drop when you look at an editorial? Which ones do you go back to time and time again?

 

[Luxx]

Ooh great thread idea.

For me I think what makes the story work is when I see each and every element combining perfectly. There are some stories that are especially enjoyable because each time you look at them you find something new to experience. Together the parts form a cohesive and beautiful image, but apart their are things to take in and enjoy as well. The styling, the photography, the makeup, the models, when each piece of the puzzle combines it is magical.

I also think that the wow factor can come from seeing something new. There are stories that impress me because they came out of left field and surprised me. I think nowadays we are bombarded with images, so many of them aren't memorable, at least not in the long run. How many times have you looked at an editorial and gone "Oh this is pretty but it reminds me of a Vogue Italia from five years ago..." "This is nice but so and so did the same theme better..." "Pretty, but I wish this photographer would stop shooting in that same old style" When a story presents something innovative or fresh, that is automatically impressive to me.

 

[e-v-elina]

anything that hasn't been done before, really. something really unexpected that makes you go

 

[iluvjeisa]

Images that show idiosyncratic perfection, or even weird perfection. Usually, if you dissect images, it turns out that it's latent symmetries that are the reason one is first drawn to an image and it is pretty important that those symmetries are not obvious at a cursory glance. In fact, it's quite a turn off to see obvious work done to achieve "perfection".

So an editorial that has the wow factor is composed of images that all fullfil that criteria at the same time as each image has the same general aesthetic.

And, yes, though images can be quite fantastic without a model who is more than a hanger, a really good model can add something fantastic to a fashion editorial. You really can't replace the soul can you?

 

[softgrey]

this is a very personal opinion...
but i like very bold, graphic images...
and high contrast...whether it be colour or black and white...

those are the strongest images for me ...
the ones that stop me from turning the page and burn themselves into my mind forever...

 

[TheChosen1]

i usually like editorials that take us out of this boring and dull world, editorials that give life to images/scenery that we can only see in our dreams. It would take a lot of imagination to capture fantasy. That's why i really like Tim Walker and the likes. It one of the way to escape reality. And I think this gives edits the WOW factor.

other times, however, capturing real life stories or situations is also beautiful... it depends on the manner of delivery.

 

[Mchunu]

Images that show idiosyncratic perfection, or even weird perfection. Usually, if you dissect images, it turns out that it's latent symmetries that are the reason one is first drawn to an image and it is pretty important that those symmetries are not obvious at a cursory glance. In fact, it's quite a turn off to see obvious work done to achieve "perfection".

I totally agree with you on every point you've brought forward. Often I think it's overlooked that an editorial is the product of a team (stylists, photographers, creative directors, stylists/fashion editors, models, hair & make-up artists etc.). The stories that really blow me away often come from unlikely and unsuspected collaborations resulting in, as Luxx stated, something either new and innovative-or, something that works so perfectly without all the typical, expected elements, or elements that could have been a total disaster.

Sometimes it's just that one factor that takes an editorial miles-from good, to great, making the vision come full circle; it could be the photographer, the stylist, or model that really ups the ante. The photographer is usually the strongest variable, as he is the auteur and his solitary perspective brings all the other facets to life because he makes the images and is in control of practically everything.

It really is a turn off to see the obvious done to perfection. We know what works and why it does. A pin up Kate Moss or Claudia Schiffer by Ellen von Unwerth can done oh-so well and seductively, but it's so expected that it's even lazy.

I also like what Luxx said about being able to find something new when you look at these stories over and over again, sometimes months or even years later. You can look at certain editorials and see outside influences and understand why it was so major when it was published and why some of them still hold relevance today. What impresses me most are stories with a social tinge, like Meisel's work from the early-mid 2000s. Seeing fashion in a different context never ceases to impress me, no matter how kitsch it may be...

Sometimes it doesn't have to be "good" or attractive at the least, if that makes any sense. To see a product that was driven by pure passion (passion that almost reaches the point of insanity) is a pleasure. As daring as it may have been, I think one day everyone will look back at the July 2010 edition of Vogue Italia, even those who scowled in its release, happy that it happened...and that it made everyone feel the way it did...

 

[runa]

The unusual combinations, the things that inspire you to try something new that you did not thought possible before.

 

[adorevintage]

I prefer editorials that feel effortless and lovely all at the same time. And editorials that tell a story. It's such a culmination of so many different elements coming together though, I've never really sat down to think about why I am so attached to a particular editorial so much other than I know I like it.

I'm interested to see what others think.

 

[Underage]

I think it's a combination of beauty and uniqueness. Editorials that stand out most for me are those that are not only pretty but also unlike what I usually see. And A LOT goes into making impact. Ideally there would be beautiful and talented models, talented photographers, beautiful fashion, the best of everything. It also helps when you're flipping through a magazine, everything looks the same, and then boom-images completely unlike all the others you just looked at. I also agree that the fantasy element is important. That's a huge reason a lot of us look at fashion magazines.

 

[Deleted member 1957]

IMO its always the model, if you cast the right model for the shoot theres no way it can go wrong

 

[gossiping]

I really like it when the look isn't just straight off the runway, when designers are mixed well also for the photographer when you can recognise their style immediately I like that

 

[BetteT]

I agree ... the styling is very important and so is the model and the photographer.

However, it's the whole package that makes an editorial sing ... the story (whoever created the concept), the photography (including lighting, angles, exposures, post work and so on), the model (how well she created the feeling under the direction of the photog), the styling (wardrobe, hair, makeup, props, sets, etc.). It takes an enitre team to create an editorial and if everyone on that team is on fire, the editorial will be HOT! One mistep by any one person on that team and it will turn out mediocre .... or less.

 

[fraiseap]

^^ I agree as well,

you can't create a good editorial (never mind one with the Wow factor) with a great model alone. A poorly styled and badly shot editorial with a fantastic model will be mediocre at best.

Any chain is as strong as its weakest link.

However there are some things that elevate a good shoot (good model, good lighting, good styling etc) to something that knocks your hand knitted designer socks off. I think a brilliant and talented stylist is one important aspect that really makes a difference.

 

[thedanae]

Front page on tFS today: What Gives an Editorial the "Wow" Factor? (Forum Buzz)

 

[fraiseap]

Front page on tFS today: What Gives an Editorial the "Wow" Factor? (Forum Buzz)

Cool! I am pleased, as a newbie to the forum, to have started a thread that has generated so much interest.