Annie Leibovitz

 October 25, 2021


Annie Leibovitz  

By: Connor Albaugh 



        It is simply incredible just how talented photographers are and what they can do with a camera at their feet. From pictures taken on your phone to pictures framed in museums, each and every photo displays something unique, special, and memorable. However, the final product of a photograph all depends on the person, what device they used, and the story behind it. With this being said, one thing that I did not know before the construction of this blog is the work of “Annie Leibovitz.” She happens to be one of the best photographers in the world, specifically focusing on portrait photography (Article 1). Born in 1949 on October 2 in Waterbury, Connecticut, a star had entered the world (Article 1). It wasn't until the year of 1967 when she found her love for photography “when she enrolled at San Francisco Art Institute” where she was originally studying painting (Article 1). From then on, her life took a turn for the best when she applied for the rock magazine “Rolling Stone” in 1970 (Article 1).  With a lot of uncertainty as well as competition, Annie’s career took off when Jann Wenner was taken away by her work and hired her to be a staff photographer (Article 1). From this point on, her career sky rocketed and she was able to become a chief photographer for Rolling Stone at the age of 23 (Article 1). She was given multiple opportunities to photograph the band of Rolling Stone on tour and unfortunately ran into a substance abuse problem which limited her and her ability to create art. All in all, her photos that she takes and the style she implies has given her the opportunity to showcase her work to her and the world. 

           As widely known and popular as Annie is, there is a lot to learn from her and her photography ways. She gained her fame and her notoriety when she utilized “bold colors and certain poses” for Rolling Stone (Article 1). This happened to be early in her career. When viewing many of these photos, Annie was able to capture the rock band “Rolling Stone” in many forms. Thus happened to be on stage and specific portraits of the singers and the band together. Although many of these photos are in black and white because of the time and absence of certain technology we have now, Annie was still able to capture incredible images. These photos, filled with energy, emotion, and abstract lighting, really paint a picture for the viewer. One of the things Annie does particularly well in her photos is she used “carefully staged settings, superb lighting, and the use of vivid color” (Article 2). This can be seen in first picture above (Article 4). John Lennon performs on the stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people. The lighting from the stage highlights John and his mouth which is likely open during one of the songs he is singing. The detail around him and the depth of field used show John, his band to the right of him, and the people screaming and shouting his name to the left of him. He is the center of attention in this photo, as the light is perfectly placed and the color used makes for a great overall photo. Aside from her work with the band “Rolling Stone,” Annie is also known for photographs that she has taken of certain celebrities in a dramatic fashion. For example, in the second image above, it pictures “Arnold Schwarzenegger in Malibu, California in 1988 on a horse” (Article 3). With the person in this photo and how it was taken, I think this can be seen as an iconic photo. This is a photo of one of many celebrities that she was able to capture in her time of professional photography. With this being said, Annie’s photo of Arnold is quite fascinating and very well done. Arnold is very popular himself, being one of the nation’s well known body builders and heavily present in a plethora of films. Many will say he is just known for this, but his ability to fulfill each of his roles to the best of his ability with the right mindset, attitude, and motivation really helped him to get where he is today. I think a lot can be said about Annie. This image is symbolic of these traits. She had a vision here and created a beautiful image. From Annie’s previous work before fame, it relates to Arnold’s career and builds a meaningful connection between the person being photographed and the photographer. The composition of this photo is well done. Arnold riding a horse with a cigar fits his personality, showing how he can fit a role, as he did as an actor in movies. The lighting is important because is highlights the color of the horse and the contents of Arnold’s body. You are able to see the detail and shape of his tricep and bicep muscles which embody his bodybuilding physique. The lighting also dramatically alters the image because it shows how majestic Arnold and the horse are. The use of background mountains helps to blend the contents with the color of the grey sky. The framing is done well, and the depth of field is shallow which allow the viewer to focus in upon Arnold and his pose upon the horse. Annie did an excellent job setting this shot up and with where Arnold is in the image on the horse, it is okay for centering to occur because it makes the viewer focus on Arnold more than one would. The color is another good element in this photo because the color of Arnold pants match the horse and the shadows on the horse match the color of the sky. I really enjoy this image and how Annie took this because of the shallow depth of field. It keys in on the important details (Arnold, the horse, and the sky) which eliminates distracting elements or unnecessary space that shouldn’t be in the image. This is done where the horse is just in the frame on the right and left side of the image. I also really like the formation and structure of Arnold’s muscle which shows what one can look like when you put in a lot of time and effort in the weight room. 

        In the end of it all, not only has Annie made a name for herself, but she is a world renowned photographer. The portraits she has been able to take and be apart of are specific to each person she has photographed and the time in history she was apart of during this photography. With her early and impressive resume with the rock band “Rolling Stone,” this really opened her eye to their culture and how popular the band was. Additionally, it also gave her ideas and inspiration for future shots she would take of iconic celebrities and other portraits she took. Her ability to establish great lighting, good sources of color, and stage her images in a creative and unique like fashion show the type of photographer Annie is and what she was able to accomplish. In terms of my photography, I can really see myself inspired and amazed by her work. In many of my images, one thing that I try to incorporate is good lighting and color. Color and light are so important in photographs because they display a certain mood, emotion, and great detail through what you photograph. The better the color and lighting, the cleaner and more abstract your image will look. In particular, I like to capture color and light through a shallow depth of field. My focus always tends to be on the subject, distracting elements are eliminated, and the object or person being photographed can be seen clearly. My reasoning for taking a certain photo is something that can be articulated easily without any doubt or questions concerning why I took the image. Additionally, I have been better with knowing what to photograph and why. For Annie, photographing the majority of celebrities was crucial to her style of photography. In terms of my photography and the style it tells, I am more into nature and my surroundings. Nothing is better than capturing a sunset or a squirrel with a nut in its mouth. I am very passionate with what I chose to take photos of and show to many people in my life which is something I am proud of. My work continues to get better and having Annie as a guide to seeing what it takes to gather and assimilate good photographs will motivate me to become a better photographer. It will also help me to be more aware and in tune with my photos to produce the best possible product that I can with the resources I have accessible to me.   


Sources Used: 

Article 1: https://www.biography.com/artist/annie-leibovitz

Article 2: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Annie-Leibovitz

Article 3: https://www.monicarichkosann.com/blogs/journal/iconic-celebrity-photography-by-annie-leibovitz

Article 4: https://theartgorgeous.com/5-facts-annie-leibovitz/





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