Favorite Photographer- Annie Leibovitz

Posted Mon, 03/16/2009 - 18:42 by Amanda Phillips


Annie Leibovitz

When I was first considering who I should choose for this assignment, I started looking at a few works by photographers I knew and some I did not know. While doing this, I realized that when I look at photographs, I immediately start placing them in categories such as abstract vs. straightforward, modern vs. traditional, past vs. present, etc. After discovering that I categorize photos in this way, I realized that Annie Leibovitz rarely creates works that I can place into same ones. This is part of my appeal to her. I like the fact that when I look at a variety of Leibovitz's works, the similarities end with the fact that they are all portraits. Each person she photographs is represented in a way that tells who they are and what she thinks of them more effectively than a journalist could describe.

Here are a variety of images by Leibovitz that I hope will allow others to come to the same conclusion I have.


Comments

Thanks!

by Amanda Phillips - 03/19/2009 - 18:33

That exhibit adds so much to my point. She's so versatile. Do you mind if I use that link as an addition to my work?

Mmmmmm. I love me some Annie Leibovitz

by John Reitz says - 03/17/2009 - 09:37

I really like your choice. After already making a decision of my own, I'm torn in favor of moving to the Leibovitz camp.

A year ago I saw an exhibit of hers at the Brooklyn Museum and it blew my mind. It was like walking through a beautiful, contemporary wax museum. I love your description of A.L. as an uncategorizeable artist. She takes people, often familiar ones, and places them in unfamiliar locales or costumes. In the case of the picture of the White Stripes above, neither part (the sideshow exhibit nor the White Stripes) is particularly extra-ordinary. However, the combination of the two is what makes the picture exceptional.

Here's a link to my favorite set I've seen of her work, all focused around Alice In Wonderland:
http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/120103/popup/slideshow1.html