Formal Royal Portrait
This is the official Diamond Jubilee portrait of the Queen, taken by photographer, John Swannell. When I first looked at this portrait, the first thing I noticed was her jewel encrusted dress and blue sash. Her red lipstick also caught my eye, which then led my eye to the red tones in the background.
The portrait is front on and very formal, with the Queen not smiling and having eye contact with the camera. It is in celebration of her 60th anniversary as Queen. She is standing with her right side touching a giant mirror, with her face pointing towards the camera with eye contact; there is a clear reflection shown of her side profile, down to her hips. Queen Elizabeth II is wearing a white and silver embroidered state dress and the State Diadem crown of jewels and pearls, which she worn on her Coronation Day in 1953, showing just how important and iconic this photo will be. Her hair looks permed and is then tucked up her crown. Her makeup is natural looking, but flawless and with a red lip. She looks very formal and put together. She is a picture of wealth with her expensive jewels and pearls and her crown. She is also wearing her great-great grandmother's, Queen Victoria's, Collet Necklace, which is the same one as she wore for her 1897 Diamond Jubilee photograph to keep the tradition going. The silver tones of her beautifully embroidered dress and the rich red and gold tones of the background suggest royalty and luxury.
The setting of the portrait, Buckingham Palace's Centre Room, oozes wealth, luxury and royalty, with the exquisite furniture with gold decoration, expensive looking painting, giant mirror and decorative pottery. The rich wooden floor matches perfectly with the table. There is a proud, detailed fire place under the mirror with gold accents.
This photo reminds me of my grandma and when she used to dress up in her best dress and shoes and jewels. I remember her letting me try on her sparkling necklaces and bracelets and feeling like a million dollars! The photo looks real because of the Queen's wrinkles and old skin showing through. The photo looks unreal because of the grand backdrop; it is so perfect looking that it looks like a painting. As a diamond jubilee portrait, it makes me think of how this now elderly lady in her 80's has devoted nearly all of her life to serving her country, especially the fact that she is wearing the crown she wore for her coronation at the young age of 25, and how sad it was for her to be thrown into that position when her father died unexpectedly when she was so young and has had to live her life under constant scrutiny from the press and the public ever since.
The portrait shows her royal status, with her expensive clothing and background, but it also shows her more human side, as a great grandmother, with the hint of a smile on her face. This portrait celebrates her achievement of being queen for 60 years, but it also shows us that she is just a fellow human and really just one of us. This more relaxed side to the image, wish her soft facial expression, makes the public feel like they can relate to the queen more, instead of her being completely out of reach.
Personally, I celebrated the queen's Diamond Jubilee at a street party and this reminds me of how 10 years ago we also celebrated her Golden Jubilee in our local village with all our friends from the local school at my first ever street party. I think this portrait makes me feel proud of our royal family and what it stands for in this country, but I also feel I can appreciate the Queen as a great grandmother and family woman, as well as a great symbol and ambassador for her country.
I think the photographer, John Swannell, would have felt a huge sense of responsibility to produce a photograph which was going to be circulated throughout the world to mark such an important and historic occasion. He had to achieve the right tone with the image, work with the Queen, showing her suitable respect, but being able to capture her and work with her to achieve a picture which was what both of them wanted. I think he wanted to capture this historic moment of her 60 year reign, but also to capture the human side of the Queen. I think the photographer achieved the look of the portrait he was going for.
I think this portrait emphasises to me how an initial glance at a photo can give an immediate first impression, but it is often worth looking further into it to understand the full story. My first impression would be of a Queen in her splendour for a royal portrait to mark an official occasion. The Queen is clothed in expensive clothing and wearing the same beautiful crown she wore for her coronation, as well as amazingly expensive jewellery, including a necklace worn by Queen Victoria. The image is very expensive and royal. However, looking further into the photo, I can see the more human side of the Queen, by the way she is hinting at a slight smile and almost allowing you to see a little into her world, as your eye moves from the Queen across the photo to the image of the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace, her home.
Casual Royal Portrait
I have chosen to look at the portrait, taken by photographer Jason Bell, of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and their family dog, Lupo, in the Mother's Day photograph from the DailyMail.
The portrait is front on and very formal, with the Queen not smiling and having eye contact with the camera. It is in celebration of her 60th anniversary as Queen. She is standing with her right side touching a giant mirror, with her face pointing towards the camera with eye contact; there is a clear reflection shown of her side profile, down to her hips. Queen Elizabeth II is wearing a white and silver embroidered state dress and the State Diadem crown of jewels and pearls, which she worn on her Coronation Day in 1953, showing just how important and iconic this photo will be. Her hair looks permed and is then tucked up her crown. Her makeup is natural looking, but flawless and with a red lip. She looks very formal and put together. She is a picture of wealth with her expensive jewels and pearls and her crown. She is also wearing her great-great grandmother's, Queen Victoria's, Collet Necklace, which is the same one as she wore for her 1897 Diamond Jubilee photograph to keep the tradition going. The silver tones of her beautifully embroidered dress and the rich red and gold tones of the background suggest royalty and luxury.
The setting of the portrait, Buckingham Palace's Centre Room, oozes wealth, luxury and royalty, with the exquisite furniture with gold decoration, expensive looking painting, giant mirror and decorative pottery. The rich wooden floor matches perfectly with the table. There is a proud, detailed fire place under the mirror with gold accents.
This photo reminds me of my grandma and when she used to dress up in her best dress and shoes and jewels. I remember her letting me try on her sparkling necklaces and bracelets and feeling like a million dollars! The photo looks real because of the Queen's wrinkles and old skin showing through. The photo looks unreal because of the grand backdrop; it is so perfect looking that it looks like a painting. As a diamond jubilee portrait, it makes me think of how this now elderly lady in her 80's has devoted nearly all of her life to serving her country, especially the fact that she is wearing the crown she wore for her coronation at the young age of 25, and how sad it was for her to be thrown into that position when her father died unexpectedly when she was so young and has had to live her life under constant scrutiny from the press and the public ever since.
The portrait shows her royal status, with her expensive clothing and background, but it also shows her more human side, as a great grandmother, with the hint of a smile on her face. This portrait celebrates her achievement of being queen for 60 years, but it also shows us that she is just a fellow human and really just one of us. This more relaxed side to the image, wish her soft facial expression, makes the public feel like they can relate to the queen more, instead of her being completely out of reach.
Personally, I celebrated the queen's Diamond Jubilee at a street party and this reminds me of how 10 years ago we also celebrated her Golden Jubilee in our local village with all our friends from the local school at my first ever street party. I think this portrait makes me feel proud of our royal family and what it stands for in this country, but I also feel I can appreciate the Queen as a great grandmother and family woman, as well as a great symbol and ambassador for her country.
I think the photographer, John Swannell, would have felt a huge sense of responsibility to produce a photograph which was going to be circulated throughout the world to mark such an important and historic occasion. He had to achieve the right tone with the image, work with the Queen, showing her suitable respect, but being able to capture her and work with her to achieve a picture which was what both of them wanted. I think he wanted to capture this historic moment of her 60 year reign, but also to capture the human side of the Queen. I think the photographer achieved the look of the portrait he was going for.
I think this portrait emphasises to me how an initial glance at a photo can give an immediate first impression, but it is often worth looking further into it to understand the full story. My first impression would be of a Queen in her splendour for a royal portrait to mark an official occasion. The Queen is clothed in expensive clothing and wearing the same beautiful crown she wore for her coronation, as well as amazingly expensive jewellery, including a necklace worn by Queen Victoria. The image is very expensive and royal. However, looking further into the photo, I can see the more human side of the Queen, by the way she is hinting at a slight smile and almost allowing you to see a little into her world, as your eye moves from the Queen across the photo to the image of the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace, her home.
Casual Royal Portrait
I have chosen to look at the portrait, taken by photographer Jason Bell, of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and their family dog, Lupo, in the Mother's Day photograph from the DailyMail.
This portrait is set in the casual setting of a window and not in the formal throne room, showing that they're not trying to show off their wealth or power and giving a much more relaxed feel to the image. The portrait is a lot less formal than many others prior to this as the royal family are trying to make themselves feel more approachable and more like the 'everyday' family. They are all in casual clothing, with their hair not formally styled and with no sign of any royal jewels, again suggesting they're not trying to push their high status. The royal family are trying to portray themselves as far less formal and remote, especially following the death of Princess Diana, when people felt the royal family didn't understand the views of the people and the concerns of how much it costs the taxpayer to have a royal family. The fact that Prince George isn't looking at the camera again adds to the relaxed feel and I think the main aim of the portrait was to show that Kate and William are enjoying their life as a young married couple with a child, with both parents looking very happy and stress free.
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