Research 9 - Annie Leibovitz

One of the first things I heard about Annie Liebovitz is her financial problems.   She is an American portrait photographer and her first photographs taken with her very first camera were up Mount Fuji.   She then went to live on a Kibutz in Israel and after returning to America during the time of the Vietman war and anti war rallies.   Liebovitz photographed the campaigners and took these along with photographs of Israel to the art director Rolling Stone magazine and her first picture was published on the front page in 1970.  Shortly after she became chief photographer at Rolling Stone magazine.  Information taken from Annie Liebovitz book "                   ". 

Annie Liebovitz (copied from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/)

She has photographed famous people including Queen Elizabeth II, Barak Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Ella Fitzgerald; she has photographed the war in Sarajevo; worked for Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines. She has also photographed domestic violence victims, students

Her photograph of Whoopi Goldberg is great fun.  Taken in a bath of milk in Whoopi's neighbour's bath, it was filled with heated milk.  The idea that Leibevitz had was based on one of Whoopi's characters who thinks that she was white underneath her black skin

Martina Navratilova (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/navratilova.html)

 I wonder if the above photograph of Martina Navratilova was one of the extravagent photo shoots that Liebovitz is supposed to spent vast amounts of money on.  It certainly is not your average studio

Domestic Violence Victim (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/violence.html)

I also love one of her impromptu shots of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon.  They were dressed in drag and this was based on their roles in Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot.  Again the picture is humerous.  The looks on the faces of Tony and Jack tell a story; the pale colours of their scant clothing contrasted with their stronger make up works well.   The detail on their bodies from hairy arms to top of Jack's arm being white and the bottom half tanned; their bodies are not toned and fit which is just so natural.


The drag racer photograph below does absolutely nothing for me however, I have included it to show the variety of Liebovitz's work.   I can't say there is anything I like about it I can only tell you what I don't.  The colour isn't very bright however there is red orange and a splash of blue.   I don't look at the photograph and instantly go to the face of the driver instead I looked and thought what is it?  The wheel at the rear of the racing car with smoke billowing out ann under the car is brilliant.

Drag Car Racer (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/powell.html)





Follower of Yoruba religion and her family (http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/romera.html)

My favourite photograph of Annie Liebovitz is this one.  There are not many different tones in the photograph but it works: the clothing and the colour of the sand are extremely close but they still stand out from the sand.  The dress of the mother appears to have a very feint pattern on it whilst the two older girls have clean crisp white cotton dresses on (their Sunday best?).  The expression on the face of the child being carried with a slight scowl or confused look.  The 2 older children are all looking directly the camera, the one to the right has a look of protecting the family.  They are all holding onto each other and fill the frame with the girl on the right being chopped off but to me that still works.   The triangle of the sea meeting sand to the left of the photograph is not distracting in any way nor is the object that is behind the sleeve of the mother as I didn't see it for ages. 


Her photographs have been published in the New York Times, in her own books, in Vanity Fair magazine and has exhibited all over the world.