There aren't too many well known photographers out there..
Annie (yes, I will call her by her first name, as if I know her personally) is the most well known photographer I can think of besides David Lachappell and Patrick Ecclesine, but they are a whole other blog post.
When I first discovered a passion/love for photography I looked at who the best of the best were, and in searches.. Annie's name always came up. I found her fascinating, worked for Rolling Stones (something I really wanted to do), Works for Vanity Fair (How cool was she?), and some of the most memorable photographs I've seen (like John and Yoko) she took!! This girl already lived the life, I wanted to live! Well at least professionally she did.
Then I heard some not so great things about her.. like that shes hard to work for, and not the nicest person on the planet. And while you try not to let that affect your opinion of a person too much..it does.
When her book 'Woman' came out I got to learn a little more about her life, but i wasn't too impressed with the book. Kind of felt like you're looking through someone else's well organized scrapbook or photo album. Almost felt invasive.
Fast forward to 2007... The gap ads came out.. And I fell in love with her work all over again.. She made you want to buy clothes from black and white portraits.. That's talent! And I still have yet to see John Mayer look so good!
About 3 months ago, I met a photographer in Santa Fe. He said he use to live in the Los Angeles area, and that he shot a few celebrities. Of coarse.. Annie Leibovitz's name came up, and he said something that really resonated with me. He said.. "Annie's NOT a great photographer, have you seen her Nature book? And all her commercial stuff, she has someone else light!... but what she is... is a marketing genius. Whoopie Goldberg in a tub with milk.. that's whats brilliant."
I had to think about that for a while.. am I wasting my time studying photography? When really all I needed was marketing degree?
Then.. I thought about it some more.. Annie Leibovitz is old school! She was a photographer before it was easy to be a photographer. She did not just point and shoot (and as you can tell from my last post.. I obviously have issues with those kind of photographers), but going through older pictures of hers, before digital cameras, I decided.. She's more amazing than I thought she was..She IS an amazing photographer as well as a creative genius. and that's what separates her from other photographers. So her nature stuff isn't all that great, and most photographers these days have people light for them... She's still amazing at portrait photography! Who cares if shes "Barbara Streisand with a camera".. She's kinda earned her diva status.. If she wasn't the best at what she does, These companies would hire someone else who was less temper mental for a lot less money.
1 comment:
Hi PhotoGirl! I agree that Annie Leibovitz IS an amazing photographer and that she's definitely earned her diva status. And I think even if she were to start her career today, at a time when the camera itself really does a lot of the leg work in creating a technically sound image, she still has what it takes to separate herself from the rest of the pack. Not only does she have creative vision, but she's daring and willing to take risks to see that vision through...
Take her photo shoot with Queen Elizabeth, for example. She thought the Queen's outfit was so extravagant, she thought the photo would be better if she took her tiara off. So, despite the extremely tight time constraints, the difficulty of not being able to put it back on if taken off, and the obvious repercussions it may have had on her career as well as international relationships... she asked the Queen to take her tiara off!!! The Queen being asked to take off one of the most obvious symbols of royalty! Pretty damn ballsy. And not only that, she wouldn't take no for an answer when there was protest to the suggestion. That, I think, is what will always separate her from the rest as an artist. She has true vision and isn't afraid to stick by it and pull the trigger. And in the end, regardless of whether they were taken with a point and shoot or someone else sets up the lighting...the extraordinary and unique imagery she that she is famous for capturing will always speak for themselves
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