Last time we looked at hooded Cobra Commander. Today continuing with more outtakes from photoshoot #1 in March 2008 by then-Glad Works photographer Wes Rollend, we’ll look at CC in his battle mask.
Photo by Wes Rollend
Dramatic lighting separates Cobra Commander from his two guards. But CC’s pose doesn’t work — he’s too casually holding his pistol. If this is HQ, it doesn’t make sense, if it’s going into battle, why the fancy backdrop?
Photo by Wes Rollend
Change in angle adds drama, and more space between CC and his guards, but now his sigil is in shadow and the right guard’s helmet is clipped.
Photo by Wes Rollend
The vertical here accentuates the proportions of the figures, and by cropping out one guard we’ve honed in. There’s movement, like the two are walking toward us, so CC’s weapon now makes sense. But in general I don’t want vertical shots in my book — just a personal preference — so a choice horizontal one is beat out by this one.
Photo by Wes Rollend
Here we’re trying underlighting, but since we don’t have a proper set-up, with the figures on a grid or a transparent floor, the underlighting is more frontal low-angle. This, combined with the down angle POV, makes the figures look like toys rather than living characters in a fantasy story moment, the kind of photo I’m avoiding.
But to repeat from last week, none of these shots — even the best ones (and these four are just a sample) — made the cut since the slot for a photo of Cobra Commander and two Cobra Soldiers never materialized. But that’s fine, since the writing process is really rewriting, so I along with my editor and designer and photographer Wes and Andre are collectively keeping what works, trimming what doesn’t, and then trimming some of what does for considerations of space.
More photos from both Wes and Andre here soon!
A Real American Book! 