The Life and Works of Annie Leibovitz

The Life and Works of Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is one of the best portrait photographers in this modern age. Her works focus on varied subjects but hover more among celebrity portraits. Apart from these, her photographs depict visual stories that affect audience's emotions. The diversity and life of her photographs create visual artistic realms that touch the soul.

Biography:

In 1949, Annie Leibovitz was born in Westbury, Connecticut. Based on Peter Marshall's article posted in About.com, as a student, Leibovitz had an architectural dig at King Solomon's Temple in Israel by 1969. By 1970, she had her first photograph published by the magazine "Rolling Stone." When she graduated from San Francisco Art Institute with her BFA in 1971, she became the magazine's principal photographer in 1973 and stayed with them for the next ten years. Her major influences especially when she was at college were Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.

On a personal note, Leibovitz admitted to her being single in an interview with Anna B. Bohdziewicz last January 19, 1998. Bohdziewicz had asked about how as an artist a family can affect one's work. She replied with: "I do think it is being a sacrifice. It is a classic story of time going much faster then you realize. I do think the work is one in that respect and that I will probably have some regrets, but I do not think it is too late. The work is a big baby, and I have said this before, it has to be fed and you cannot do anything else you really cannot. I fortunately have a set of good friends but everything has felt like it has been for the work, feeds back the work."

Career:

Leibovitz's big ticket to celebrity photography was probably in 1975 when she photographed the Rolling Stone's on tour. She then became the famous band's official photographer. Her famous trail of celebrity portraiture has started. Meanwhile, Andy Warhol became another of Leibovitz's employers as he used her talent in his "Interview" magazine. It was a chance of fate that Warhol picked her as Leibovitz was his second choice for his particular subject.

In Peter Marshall's article, he noted that John Lennon's death in 1980 provided a tragic opportunity for Leibovitz's career. "Only shortly before, she had made her now famous picture of a naked John Lennon hugging his wife Yoko Ono. It was the last photograph before the murder. It stands out from the other images of the couple on the web page by its color and concept."

The magazine Vanity Fair has provided a good platform for Leibovitz too. She became the first contributing photographers to the magazine by 1983, and has provided fine classic-inspired portraits over the years. It was also on this year that Leibovitz's first one-person show and her first book, "Annie Leibovitz: Photographs" came out for public scrutiny. It was talent put to good use as she reaped "Photographer of the Year" awarded by the American Society of Magazine Photographers on the following year.

She provided photography talent at the 1985 World Cup Games in Mexico, and by 1987, she produced the "Portraits" campaign for American Express. This project gained her the 1987 Campaign of the Decade Award from Advertising Age and the 1988 Clio Award for a US National print campaign.

With the prestigious awards in tow, her career moved even further in 1990 as she opened the Annie Leibovitz Studio in New York City, and received the Infinity Award for applied photography from the International Center for Photography.

By 1991, Leibovitz earned a prestigious reputation as one of the only two living photographers to have an exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, in 1991, with "Annie Leibovitz, Photographs 1970-1990." Other achievements include in 1995 as the official photographer for the Atlanta Olympics, and by 1999, she was made a member of the Art Directors Club 'Hall of Fame.'

Works:

Leibovitz's theme in her photographs is like carefully putting small pieces of a puzzle. Her works often give the audience a sense of movement, and the effect of those minute details can sweep anyone.

Lighting is an important factor to achieve a meaningful photograph. In Leibovitz's case, her favorite light source is the large diffused flash. These types of cameras are not for fast moving situations but are great for portraitures. The effects of these kinds of lighting produce a supernatural glow in the highlights, emphasizing or deemphasizing the subject's attributes based on Leibovitz's expertise of what to show.