Photographer Research Project Allie Labrousse

Digital Photography 2 Period 4

Annie Leibovitz

Family and Education

  Annie was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on October 2, 1949.   She is the third of six children. Marilyn Leibovitz, her mother, was

a modern dance instructor of Estonian Jewish Heritage, and her father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and his name was Sam Leibovitz.

  While in high school, she began to write and play music as she became interested in various art activities.

  Her first pictures were taken when her family was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War while her father was completing his duty assignments. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute and studied painting.

Annie’s Accomplishments and Inspirations   She is an American portrait photographer   In 1970, she began her career in the United States working for the

Rolling Stones magazine as their staff photographer.   In 1973, she was named the chief photographer of Rolling Stone, and

held this job until 1983-10 years.   Annie got her inspiration from Richard Avedon’s portraits, a powerful

example in her life. She learned that she can still work for magazines while also completing her own personal work.

  She was also influenced during her time at the San Francisco Art Institute from photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, men who had “their style of personal reportage-taken in a graphic way-was what we were taught to emulate.”

  She enjoys working with people who will love her and who will “Open their hearts and souls and lives to you.”

….Accomplishments   In 1971 and 1972, Annie photographed The Rolling Stones in San Francisco, and

worked as their concert-tour photographer for the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas ‘75. During this tour, she took a photo of Mick Jagger in an elevator.

  While working for the Rolling Stones Magazine, she was also given the opportunity to take a photo shoot of John Lennon along with Yoko Ono, a woman Lennon insisted he be photographed with, on December, 8, 1980.

  In the 1980’s, her new style of lighting, in addition to her use of bold colors and lighting landed her in the spot of working for the Vanity Fair Magazine.

  She won a Clio award in 1987 after photographing celebrities for a campaign for American Express charge cards.

  In 1991, Leibovitz was named the second living portraitist and the first woman to have an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Additionally in 1991, she photographed the dancer David Parsons cavorting on an eagle gargoyle on the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building in Manhattan.

Work Appearances   Her work was held at the Brooklyn Museum during the time of October 2006

through January 2007. The retrospective of Leibovitz work was based on her book, “Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005,” which held numerous photos of her family, children, and partner Susan Sontag.

  The show went on the road for seven stops. Some of the places include the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C, the Place of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, and Berlin Germany.

  In 2007, the BBC misrepresented a portrait shooting by Leibovitz of Queen Elizabeth. This picture was meant to be taken for the queen’s official picture before visiting Virginia, and apparently, people thought the Queen was angry after Leibovitz suggested that she remove her tiara for a less dressy picture. In reality, the Queen did not walk out of the room, and was only walking to the sitting in the second scene.

  Also in 2007, the “Walt Disney company hired her to do a series of photographs with celebrities in various roles and scenes for Disney Parks ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ campaign.”

Other Facts/Quotes   After taking a controversial photo of Miley Cyrus wrapped in

a bed sheet without being topless, Annie Leiboivitz released a statement to the media, saying, “I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”

  Leibovitz has three children. The oldest is Sarah Cameron Lebovitz, born in October 2001 when Annie was fifty-one years old. She also has twins, Susan and Samuelle, born to a surrogate mother in May 2005.

Photograph of Nicole Kidman Annie took this photo of Nicole Kidman was taken in New York in 2003. Nicole is the subject of the photo. The main source of light is coming from the two lights beaming above, lighting up the bottom of her dress. Therefore, mostly artificial light is being used, because it also seems like there is light coming from the small windows in the background. Perhaps, they could just be smaller light bulbs. I chose this picture as one of the five photos to present because it reveals Annie’s way of using bold colors and dramatic lighting. Furthermore, this composition is so striking because she uses the rule of thirds. While Nicole is standing to the right of the photo, the bottom of her dress flowing out to the left centers the photo. Annie is most likely trying to communicate a bold and confident woman.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/annie_leibovitz/

Photo of Queen Elizabeth The subject of this photo is of Queen Elizabeth II, taken in Buckingham Palace. I know she is the subject of this photo because she stands out and all the focus is on her. All natural light is being used as the light from outside is coming through the window, lighting up the right side of her face. What makes this composition so striking is that Annie used the rule of thirds when snapping the photo because she lined up the windows and positioned the queen in her chair to master the technique. I chose this picture opposed to any other because it is taken of the queen all dressed up in her royal clothes, something she only probably wears on special occasions. Annie is most likely trying to communicate the pleasant nature of Queen Elizabeth.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/annie-leibovitz/images/144273/title/queen-photo

Annie’s portrait of the Obama Family The subject of the photograph is Barack

Obama and his family because they are the ones that are being showcased in the picture. The Obama family portrait was taken in the Green Room of the White House on September 1, 2010. I chose this photo over any other because it is taken of the president and it shows how famous and known Annie is to be able to take this photo. It also shows her ability to take nice and simple photos instead of her normally more bold photos. This photo seems like natural light is being used, possibly coming in from a window in front of them, because their faces are clearly seen. What makes the composition of this photo so striking is that she uses the rule of thirds because their faces are all lined up fairly even. Annie is most likely trying to communicate an amiable and professional looking family.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/23/obama-family-photo-by-ann_n_331282.html

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez The subject of this photo is Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as Jasmine and Aladdin because they are the main focus in the picture. This photo was taken January 25, 2008. What makes this composition so striking is how she masked them into the photo to create an effect that they are really flying on a carpet above the hills and into the sky. I chose to display this as one of Annie’s photos because it reveals how talented she is with making photos look so unique, and it also shows an example of her work with Disney. Artificial light from the studio is most likely being used when taking the picture of them because their faces are lit up. The rest of the lighting in the background was probably edited and masked in the photo. Annie is most likely trying to recreate Jasmine and Aladdin soaring through the Arabian night.

http://www.insidethemagic.net/

Scarlett Johansson The main subject of this photo is Scarlett Johansson posing as Cinderella. The date this photo was taken is unknown. Artificial light looks like it is being used because it gives the picture an eerie glow. The light is most likely coming from the left hand side because the left side of her dress and face is lit up. What makes this composition so striking is that the use of color and lighting as well as the placement of the subject is very well executed. It also looks especially unique how the light from the castle is beaming down on the shoe. Annie is most likely trying to communicate a defining moment in a classic story. I selected this photo as opposed to any other because the photo has such a cool effect.

http://www.insidethemagic.net/

Bibliography for Annie’s biography information.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Leibovitz