The Fantasy World of Editorial Shoots

Confessions Between Camera Clicks: How Editorial Shoots Reimagine their Muse

E V O L U T I O N / M E T A M O R P H O S I S

Editorial shoots are the lifeblood of experimentation in fashion. They take a more creative and exploratory approach to photography which allows the subject to create a different version of themself for the public to see.

Beyoncé’s editorial shoot for British Vogue and Robert Pattinson’s shoot for are examples of such reinventions. For both stars, metamorphosis has been key to their development. Beyoncé went from Destiny’s Child member to solo artist, from singing about love and confidence to lamenting about the pain associated with infidelity and betrayal, all the while expressing Black joy. Robert Pattinson’s evolution has been markedly different. Since “Twilight,” the actor has been primarily viewed as Edward Cullen, the pale, creepy vampire who fell in love with a human. Even though Pattinson has been very vocal about his hatred of filming the five-part saga, his fans still see him as Edward. The GQ shoot gave fans a view into Pattinson’s range as an actor beyond “The Twilight Saga.” 

During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, both artists had a chance to be removed from the spotlight and focus on their craft. And for both of them, this meant some serious reinventions.

W H O / I S / R O B E R T / P A T T I N S O N

Robert Pattinson’s evolution came first. In 2019, Pattinson was cast as Bruce Wayne in the new “Batman” film produced by Warner Bros. This was a shock to many fans, who knew him primarily for his role as Edward Cullen. The dark antihero role of Bruce Wayne felt very far off from Edward Cullen’s brooding competitions with a werewolf for a human’s love. Many people believed Pattinson was the wrong choice for the role, but his photoshoot for the March 2022 cover of GQ changed a lot of minds.

While fans have acknowledged (and even memed) Pattinson’s eccentricism in his “Twilight” interviews, his personal style did not match his personality. On red carpets for film premieres and award shows, Pattinson opts for black suits, occasionally adding a dash of gray to the mix. In the GQ photoshoot, Pattinson’s eccentricism translated into brightly colored clothes and a wild edge that was previously unknown to his audience. 

I was shocked when I saw these photos. I couldn’t believe this was the same actor that told Kristen Stewart, “Hold on tight, spider monkey.”. And yet there he was, looking untamed but glamorous. Pattinson was photographed by Jack Bridgland, whose photography style focuses on portraying vibrant colors and capturing his subjects’ energy. 

Bridgland captured Pattinson’s new energy in the fantasy world he built in front of the camera. The set for the shoot was highly clinical. One photo showed Pattinson sitting on a stretcher as two doctors tinkered with their medical tools with their backs facing him. The use of bright, almost blinding, color and emphasis on sharp lines added to the clinical feel of the shoot. Through Bridgland’s photography, Pattinson turned into a platinum blond “bad boy” with an eye for fashion, an image that completely contrasts the person everyone thought Pattinson was. 

The world Bridgland created for Pattinson forced fans to see Pattinson’s metamorphosis in plain view. He is not Edward Cullen. He is an actor with a wide range and the ability to completely transform himself no matter what camera he stands in front of.

T H E / R E N A I S S A N C E / C O M E S / I N / T W O / P A R T S

Beyoncé’s transformation was less of a shock and more of an anticipation of where the 28 Grammy Award-winning artist would go next. But I doubt anyone was prepared for what she was planning. 

After six years of quasi-radio silence post-“Lemonade,” the woman at the top of the music industry revealed photos from her July 2022 British Vogue cover and editorial shoot ahead of her newest album release. 

Beyoncé is known for her ability to give a performance by using fashion and imagery to communicate with her audience. But the release of the British Vogue photoshoot was completely different. Her signature regalness played the backdrop to the sharp colors, opulent styling and power captured by legendary Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti. The images were the statement of the Black female pride that Beyoncé has spent her entire career cultivating and sharing with her audience.

Pavarotti created a campy, maximalist fantasy world. Beyoncé stands on a dance floor or sits on a giant disco ball, small teasers of the genre of the upcoming album, illuminated by red lights. The clothes she wears are whimsical, dramatic and decadent. Pavarotti’s photography style deepens the message Beyoncé shares with the world through her clothes and set design, painting her as the supreme being of this little universe and reminding everyone of her ability to reinvent not only herself, but culture and music as a whole. It’s fitting that her newest album is called “Renaissance,” a term associated with fundamental change on a cultural level.

The album primarily represents a huge shift in her aesthetic and sound, which was foreshadowed in the British Vogue shoot. The dance album is entirely drawn from Black and Latino LGBTQ+ ball culture. The album covers themes of joy, confidence and love, but it is produced in a way Beyoncé had barely explored previously. The accompanying editorial shoot primed her audience for the tonal shift. Pavarotti’s camerawork and editing forced the audience to see Beyoncé from a new angle — as an alien superstar born from isolation and pain, destined to flourish in her newfound joy.

F A N T A S Y / A S / A / M E D I U M

Robert Pattinson’s GQ shoot and Beyoncé’s British Vogue shoot were very different, but both photographers created fantasy worlds for their subjects to reinvent themselves in front of a camera. The worlds they were placed in reflected their metamorphoses and the direction they were heading toward in the future, and fans that saw these fantastical universes had to face the new versions of the actor and musician they love. The power these shoots had cannot be understated: they completely reframed Pattinson and Beyoncé and provided a medium for their evolution to be seen and acknowledged by all.