THE LAB: DECOY | 6 Photographers 1 Man - A Portrait Photography Session With A Twist

[@firmadanielsundstrom]

I think this really highlighted the photographer's skill in telling a story with a picture. They were not instructed to document the guys face, they were asked to "flesh out who he is", and based on the different versions of him they were presented with, I'm seriously impressed. They did the job they were asked to do with artistry and great skill. All honor to them, and quite a bit more credit by Canon and everybody.

[@RochfordonDemand]

Great representation of how a photographer's bias can shine through in a photo. Each photograph is only the photographer's perception of reality.

[@thesidneychan]

+Ms. Rochford on Demand And each photograph is only the viewer's perception of reality.

[@juhlsche]

+Sidney Chan yes!!

[@douwehuysmans5959]

+Sidney Chan Don't confuse perception with interpretation. Perception is neutral.

[@nurhafizahnh]

THIS

[@bashful228]

+Douwe Huysmans even perception is coloured by context, just the perception of colour itself is psychologically effected by contextual colours in field of view and other things in the subconscious mind. ask someone the details at the scene of an accident then show them a video and your bound to get wild differences. I've done it myself describing a situation and what I perceived to have happened then looked thru my shots and seen, no the guy didn't have a bare chest he had a Jack Daniels Tee shirt on but his behaviour made me perceive, or memorise an incomplete picture. This is not in the realm of interpretation, certainly not conscious interpretation.

[@kustomkure]

The best most amazing thing about this video is his acting actually. Very impressive.

[@eviannafaye5269]

Amazing how our preconceived ideas shape our perceptions of a human being....raises awareness of being non-judgmental of anyone we meet....

[@RolandMcGruner]

wow what a brilliant ad campaign, very well done!!

[@RolandMcGruner]

+RolandMcGruner soz canon, I already got a sony cam :\

[@canonanz]

+RolandMcGruner Ahh drats, there's always next time!

[@RolandMcGruner]

Canon Australia plus there's always adapters ;)

[@ROL4NDpkmnguide]

+RolandMcGruner Fellow roland

[@priyachhabra4760]

RolandMcGruner

[@EvertPruis]

Utterly brilliant life wisdom. Kudos Canon!

[@justlinsu]

Brilliant..........A former professor taught me an expression to remember....and which I still use to this day. "What I see and hear is not always what's going on."

[@gillianbower]

This has really opened my eyes!!

[@geographygreg1091]

when?

[@dolan_darkerest]

close em back, this fails the irony test

[@LouieNeira]

My own philosophy: A camera doesn't lie, but it will believe anything you tell it.

[@yescanauta]

That's quite a wibly wobbly response isn't it?

[@geographygreg1091]

nerd

[@japanesebungled3845]

whoah !! I thought I was going to watch a video on photography. This was way more than that. This is about PEOPLE. Impressions, perceptions, insight, discernment, appreciation, empathy, consideration, discrimination, awareness, understanding and emotion. "A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it" An attitude is shaped more by the preconception of an individual than by what is the actual person

[@kikivolauvent1]

what a lesson this was! I totally agree, it's what WE think we see, the photographers. Brilliant!

[@littleraspberry5771]

Never thought a Canon ad would be so touching, it's beautiful!

[@seetlive]

WOW! This says a lot about how we see people with our naked eye every day. How many times have I been wrong judging others? This is the lesson.

[@mccgsm]

Fascinating; I'm often amazed by people who look at photography as scarcely more than mindless button pushing--yet each of these photographers drew out a visual narrative reflecting the human narrative they had heard. This is expressive art at its best, and brilliantly done!

[@YouBazinga]

There is a saying "A picture says more than a thousand words." When I hear it, I always add ", but not necessarily the truth!".

[@stevenwren2784]

The tag line is totally wrong. The sitter played 6 different roles. If you want to find out the photographer's response to a subject, let them all take a photo based on the same information and background.

[@zedx50]

+Leithguyuk edinburgh While you're right, I think what they're getting at is that a photo shoot can be determined by the assumptions a photographer makes going into the photo shoot. If the photographer assumes the person is a convict, the photo will represent that. I want to believe that this was just to show that just because someone's picture from a photo shoot looks a certain way, it has just as much to do with the photographer as the person being photographed.

[@Phantahh]

+zedx50 The thing is, the photographer didn't assume he is a convict. The photographer was told he was a convict and then further reinforced into that role when the subject was asked questions and answered them to reaffirm what was told. The assignment was to capture who Michael really is, which they did based off of the lies and information they were given. So, not only was the photographer lied to, they were told to create a portrait based off of that lie. I understand the message that this video was trying to portray, but they portrayed it in a glaringly faulty way. Of course the photographers are going to photograph Michael based off of his description it was their assignment.

[@wizardcam]

+Phantahh Either way, it seems to me this further enhances the bias we ALL have regardless what we're told and how important it is we learn to stop making assumptions. I would also be curious to see how the photographers would all have done had they received the same backstory of the actor. All the way around, I'm fascinated by this experiment they did and further sets in my mind that it's extremely difficult to truly know someone based on our initial impressions.

[@iamyoursaviour]

+wizardcam and even more difficult to know somebody based on lies. I find this a stupid concept - photographers try and bring out character in people (why were they doing the shots? Did they think it was for a Magazine biography?), and if you want your photos to not feel right for you, lie away!

[@breathofakasha8686]

+zedx50 him changing his character to match the story the photographers were told debunks their whole thesis. For example, the ex convict one, he was flinching away. His body language was up tight. Where as when he was suppose to be a fisherman, he was very laid back and all smiles. This may be my neuropsychology degree coming out, but I think they did the experiment wrong if they were going for the idea that what the photographer thinks of the person shapes the photos they take. I would agree with this IF the guy would have acted the same in every photoshoot. But instead he IS being a different person in each photoshoot, and as a result they all portray a different person. Personality makes up who you are. Not just the face. These photographers portrayed the man who came into the studio. I think if he would have acted the same without the photographer being told anything about the guy, they would have came out with the same images. A true scientific experiment requires a constant. That should have been the guy acting the same way for all 6 photographers when they were told different stories about him. Only then could they conclude that what we think about the person is how we portray them.

[@zachariaskult]

01:06 acting good as fuck

[@MichaelDeLucaEE]

Nice spot. Yeah, very nuanced.

[@MultiSciGeek]

+Zach Coolt The lady or the guy taking his shirt?

[@zachariaskult]

+MultiSciGeek the whole act of his ex-criminal like behaviour

[@MultiSciGeek]

Zach Coolt Yeah i agree on that

[@Gioeufshi]

+Zach Coolt you do realise that it was all staged right?

[@radhakrishna5641]

I would love to have seen a second series of portraits, once the photographers knew the truth

[@TPJN777]

Photographs are lies. A photographer never captures reality. What I have always thought about photography. That is what I got out of this.. Brilliant.

[@brandonbellefleur3926]

I just love how people take something so regular and shift it into something amazing! Well done Canon, well done.

[@parashar1505]

gosh! This is hyperreal! I have never imagined or asked anyone who they were before taking their pictures, and never imagined that based on who they are, they should be photographed differently!

[@appreciationworld4974]

This is great insight. At least we could know we should not deny other people's value nor difinitively say they are wrong.

[@kravdraa7]

What on earth did they expect? This is about as valid as setting up an automatic camera and getting a subject to take half a dozen different poses without prompting! The job of a photographer is to be technically capable and to get the subject to feel as comfortable as possible. Usually, the subject will be willing on some level. As to "A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than what's in front of it", I would say this shows the complete opposite. The subject played a role and that is exactly what the pictures illustrate. This demonstrates the photographers are good at their job; no more, no less.

[@KyriaNunNuit]

What a profound statement on preconceived notions. Brilliant.

[@jasonbodden8816]

No idea how ANYONE can look at these portraits and say they all look the same *smfh* I think they're all beautiful in their own right. Each used things like angles and depth of field to each tell the story they were given and felt portrayed what they were told. I thought this was brilliant.

[@zidziddyzid]

Best Ad campaign ever!

[@KidsWithGuns1992]

Of course, a photographer takes pictures of what they perceive the person to be - and in this case they were given different stories. But really, everything a photographer photographs is really a self portrait, including landscapes. EVERYTHING they capture is just a reflection of themselves in an almost literal physical sense. You'll notice portraits by them often "look" like the photographer in some way, like when animators animate a cartoon to look something like the person who voices them.

[@pauldelcour]

+KidsWithGuns1992 Fascinating. True, although I know there are people who are able to surpass themselves and truly pick up the person they are observing. I do not think it is as black and white as you state. You are always influenced but the other person, hence a photo is not merely a reflection of the photographer. Just my 5p worth...

[@jitkamsh]

+Paul Delcour So it might be photographer's ability to interrelate with the photographed object. If it's not in him, he cannot see/feel it in the object.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

But if the guys acting, that's going to throw things off. IF I took a bad-ass photo of an actor doing a bad ass stunt, it doesn't make me the bad-ass, well besides maybe from bragging rights lol

[@genin69]

uhmmmm.. computer says no

[@matamp5954]

Spot on - you've absolutely nailed it and you can apply that to everyone doing everything in life, not just photographers

[@gabrichrvoje]

I am a Nikon photographer.. but Canon you have a thumb up from me for this.. really opens a perspective.. amazing!

[@rshaw002]

You could set up a still life vase of flowers and have 5 photographers take a photo of it and it would be different. Anyone who has studied photography or spent any real time dabbling in it knows this. Of course the photograph is shaped by the person behind the camera, that's also true even if it's just a photo of a cactus (as my photography teacher would say, there are 360 degrees around you, and your camera is only pointed at a limited number of them). And if we're talking about photos, why not extend this to news reporting, where it's just as true, no matter if you lean left or right. And in fact, this is true for all of reality, all reality is filtered and experienced differently from person to person.

[@blitzkrieg_ahf]

Beautiful, this 3 min video has so much to teach!

[@L.Spencer]

I'm amazed at their ability to show what they had learned about him, his roles were really reflected well. I don't think I'd ever be able to do that.

[@dineshwagh6153]

Best ad i have ever seen

[@BaxterJPTORIE]

What an eye opener!! WOW!

[@EmmalDonnelly]

That is a fantastic video. So true that our perception shapes our perceptions. Very powerful!

[@MrAzAgg]

very good! subjectivity... different perception of reality.

[@TeriPetz]

Amazing video and a great proof of how our focus and our intentions change the results. Love my Canon cameras. Even my printer is Canon.

[@donovanjakosalem2403]

a dazzling spectacular brilliant amazing stunning remarkable wonderful astonishing portrait of a twist mimic personality

[@agpyo06]

Finally a campaign about the photographer and not the camera

[@ecospherecoaching2052]

What a powerful visual representation of how perception shapes reality. What would change in the world if we chose to connect with each other instead of judge each other?

[@smitty_lo]

God... I love this so much. This is awesome, and can be very informative! Thank you for sharing! :D

[@raulio3440]

This is so beautiful. I always wanted to be a photographer and this makes me more interested and inspired to get to this career.

[@MsGnor]

I think this experiment has been done before, to demonstrate the impact of bias. They primed teachers in advance. The teacher was told either the child is super bright, or a trouble-maker. Apparently this affected how the teacher treated the child from the start. Super bright got more intellectual support, trouble-maker got more punishment. Clever campaign, well done Canon.

[@MrButong15]

"no one sees it like you", whoever made it, this words are magical!

[@MikeChudley]

This is amazing!

[@MrsNellieMurphy]

They did their jobs, interpreting what the essence of the person (role) was.

[@werewolf74]

Ad or no Ad 100$ shared on my FB. this says so very much about us as humans.... perception and how to interact.

[@AceMaheswaran]

It made an impact in the way I see people.

[@FreekBottema]

Awesome, just awesome!

[@codeXenigma]

Really enjoyed that. Food for thought indeed

[@juergenhaas3530]

I think Canon is missing the point here by stating "a photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it". Yes, I agree about the message. However, the message is in my opinion not related to what the video is showing. The video shows clearly that the photographers received different briefings about what kind of person to photograph and also their "model" was behaving in an entirely different manner. So yes, thank god, different photographers create different kinds of pictures. However having a model behave in a different manner and giving different tasks to each one of them does not really prove that.

[@Grainnebell]

Wow amazing, the power of great direction. Love it.

[@VicMac]

I love it! This experiment is fantastic

[@parashar1505]

Wish we could have more of these... so insightful...

[@Dimacswtf]

Im gonna share this to all my photographer friends!

[@gooner9038]

Michael is a very striking looking fellow. BTW, very clever ad.

[@chida259]

Eyes express everything!

[@NeoVirusOfficial]

Outstanding !

[@aglehg]

Wau! Grats! This is so awesome!

[@radhakrishna5641]

The subject is ALL those things, as everyone has multiple personas, hundreds, that cycle through our days and lives.

[@ForkliftJoe]

I've done photography. I'd rather you not LIE to me about who the man is or what he's done. Every photographer, every photo shoot is different and takes on a life of it's own. Not only the mood of the subject, but also the mood of the photographer. If one has a headache, or hasn't eaten all day, or had a fight with the spouse, it adds to the mood of the shoot.

[@cremvursti]

+ProperGanderSaul You can't really talk about objectiveness in photography, imo. There are so many variables left for the photographer to decide on, things that change the essence itself of a photo...

[@DragoonEnNoir]

Brilliant. Well done... and it should make us think twice about how we see people. What narratives are we bringing with us each day as we interact and meet new people?

[@mygad]

That's amazing. Well worth watching and recommending for others to take a look at.

[@amyandsteveo]

This is incredible.

[@eceyucel6299]

One of the rare interesting reading topics of IB

[@roicetayag8436]

I don't really know why, but I cried after watching this. I must be crazy.

[@MisterAlexEsquire]

Pretty neat. I'm just like... _"Stand over there so I can get sufficient natural light for my crappy camera. I don't want to use the flash."_

[@nahtethannahtethan]

I don't know why but this video got my eyes teary.

[@youssefmostafa6262]

Thanks Canon Australia for giving the IB an additional text to add in their English Exams :)

[@BeTheChangeJournals]

A brilliant video. Thank you for sharing!

[@Chapchrisman]

I have spent some 45 years photographing people. Photographers are individuals, and will therefore approach their subject in different ways. I try to get to know the person a little. Cameras are very intimidating - the skill is to put people at ease. Once you have done that, with patience the portrait will follow.

[@sylviahoke7513]

Such a wonderful exploration of interpretations.! I'd love to be a part of a series in NYC.! :)

[@munjunchan]

The subject is acting so the photographers, of course will take different photos.

[@SisterAv]

Wow this is so interesting, very well done!

[@mrz1342]

perfect video!

[@Arbitraritorian]

By following the emotional journey of these photographers over three minutes, I can see clearly now: EVERYTHING WILL BE OK. #CHANGED FOREVER! #HALLELUJAH!

[@gopalchitkara9422]

convert those photos into black and white and see the magic. awesome concept btw!

[@jerimee.m.3920]

All of the pictures are impressive-good photographers. That said, the video doesn't accurately reflect what they intended it to. We are supposed to see 6 photographers capturing 6 different perspectives based on what "they thought" or their biases. What we actually witness is a man playing 6 different characters and acting/expressing himself in accordance with that. This needed to be a double blind study where the photographers are told his backstory without involvement from him and he didnt know "who" and "what" his identity was to them. So the video itself is more akin to capturing photos of Leonardo Dicaprio from 6 different movies.

[@MsChristineryan]

I loved this video . . . thank you

[@lauramanson7856]

Wow!!! I’m not surprised! I’m an artist, so I’m trying to say something with everything I do.

[@photosbyjose3471]

I love this

[@johnathanmphoto]

Is that the 85mm 1.2 on a Mark III? I just recently sold that lens and kept my 50 /1.2 instead. Either way, I would have shot with one or the other as well at 2.2 to 2.8 (their sweet spots) and the natural light of that window or the 70-200 /2.8 at F14/16, 160-200, ISO 100 with strobe and 1 large umbrella. Curious what each photographer shot at. Any links to Canon's technical right up on this shoot?

[@AdviceandAdventures]

+Johnathan M. Nikkor 85mm/1.4

[@melaniedoyle9439]

This was sent to me by a friend & I am a photographer. I also understand the point that canon was trying to make, that the person taking the photo does predict the preception of the end photograph (at times). However, honestly & personally I didn't see any difference in the final photographs. To me he was portrayed basically the same in all 6.

[@KlaudiaJurewicz]

well done guys!

[@DanielFreakinAwesome2]

That studio is beautiful

[@altfarthwind]

Nice advertisement, good job Canon

[@nthndo]

what an amazing ad

[@warrenography]

brilliant and moving

[@ikkiiqqi5767]

sangat menginpirasi, intinya kerja sama antara yg memfoto dan yang difoto wajib kompak dan solid,, mantaplah ditunggu video selanjutnya

[@Joeybsmooth]

I might be reading too much into this...but don't understand what Canon is really saying here. It is not like they said . this dude was a Con,Drunk,ect and his photo was just taken. They talked to him and he played a role. So it is hard to assume that they were stereotyping him. They shot what he showed.

[@Metaio83]

+Joeybsmooth Take any photo above and think of another character mentioned, you will realise that you will also fall to your own conclusion. We also judge with our own personal biases, irrelevant of the photographer/actor intention.

[@andrewmoller3035]

+Joeybsmooth they're saying that a photograph's meaning and message comes more from who is capturing it than who is captured within it. It is the photographer who constructs the perception we have, based on how they capture the image.

[@kelleyhice]

+Joeybsmooth yes you are and that is the point of this commercial. What their are saying is BUY OUR PRODUCT.

[@Rambowjo2]

+Joeybsmooth What I get from this is that being a photographer isn't just what you can get your hands on, in terms of camera gear, model and setting, but also what you as a person can do with your creativity. I think that's a very cool message. I think a lot of photographers feel like shooting is futile, since somebody has already taken the photo you're about to take. This ad helps combat that mentality.

[@Joeybsmooth]

***** But that is not what happen. They did an interview with the person. So they shot what he gave them .

[@JoeT001]

SHOWS THE TALENTS CAN BE CAPTURED THROUGH THE LENS,... THAT'S THE MESSAGE, AND MORE ON THE TALENT OF THE PERSON,.. GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS,.. DID THEIR JOB,.. i SURE COULDN'T GET THAT MUCH EVEN AFTER A WEEK OF TRYING, THEY'RE VERY TALENTED,.. YES

[@angelaschoenauer]

This video is good at making money, by their KZbin hits and that is all. I've been a photographer for over 35 years, I don't know whether my subjects are criminals or whether they are heros when they walk through my door. I don't ask them, that is none of my business. My job is simply to photograph them in the best possible light to show their character through their eyes, their demeanour and their expression, and to take the best representation of what I feel from them. We are all various degrees of good and bad, and my job as a photographer is to find the connection between myself and my subject and to record that on film. I would have preferred to see the same subject captured by different photographers without any previous information. Only then could we truly judge this experiment at its full capability of different photographer viewpoints.

[@tanyamontpetit4765]

Love the background music!! Possible to know the name of the song/artist? Congrats to all the team!

[@steveyi0607]

Yep. lesson reminded one more time!

[@Pallander]

Very well done!!

[@TheMrLeoniasty]

anyone know the name of the song in the background?

[@andrewmamusic2634]

really neat stuff!

A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by the camera itself. A big thanks to Canon for all those models discarded from the Art.

[@gerzson18]

Great representation of how a photographer's categorize the people and subjects. They also try to meet people's expectations. Example: an alcoholic person wouldn't be a happy nice man, a man who lived in prison for years "has to be" a rough person etc.. It's a shame for the photography profession......They just shot pictures of a story, not a person...

[@therealsamho]

Lovely bit of work. @canon Do you know who composed the music?

[@cbsajiram]

really love it