Photographer Research Project

Photographer Research Project: Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz, born Anna-Lou Leibovitz, was born October 2, 1949, and is currently 68 years old. Leibovitz specializes in celebrity portrait photography. In many of her portraits, Leibovitz uses depth of field to highlight the person she is trying to capture. Additionally, several of Leibovitz’s infamous photographs give the appearance of movement through hair, clothing, or the background. At the beginning of her photography career, Annie Leibovitz was employed by Rolling Stones magazine. She moved to Vanity Fair in 1983, where she is said to currently have a $3 million per year contract. In addition, she is a coveted celebrity and high fashion photographer, working with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada. Currently, she also owns her own website where subscribers can learn about her photography techniques.

Annie Leibovitz has modernized her camera technology from when she originally began, now working with Nikon D810, Sony A7RII, and Hasselblad cameras, and a Nikon 24-70 lens. She uses the variety of cameras to capture the different moods of the intended photo.

Leibovitz is famous for her use of superb lighting in photographs. When direct sunlight is an issue, Leibovitz uses large diffusion umbrellas. Her choice modifier is an octabox on a portable strobe, which allows her to capture her subject in sub par lighting.

The early years of Leibovitz’s career were shaped by photography that captured a controversial message or intimate portraits of celebrities. She shot President Nixon’s helicopter leaving the White House following his resignation in 1972, went on a 10 year tour with the Rolling Stones, and shot portraits of John Lennon on the day he was assassinated. Through these eventful first years as a photographer she developed an iconic--and at times ironic-- style of photography.

Leibovitz has had many interesting stories throughout her decades of professional photography. She has faced political controversy shooting Nixon, Bush, and a fifteen-year-old naked Miley Cyrus. Many of her portraiture has become infamous symbols of celebrity life: capturing Lennon and Yoko on the day of his murder, and recently shooting Kim Kardashian and Kanye West for the cover of Vogue Magazine.

To me, photography often has a significant impact when I know the subject being captured. In Leibovitz’s portraits, the majority of her photographs are of famous celebrities that I recognize which makes them interesting. Leibovitz masterfully captures these celebrities not as celebrities, but rather in an intimate, simple way that is rare in the way they are typically portrayed. Furthermore, Leibovitz has been an iconic and acclaimed photographer since the early 1970s, and her work reflects the multitude of cultural changes in U.S. celebrity, politics, and fashion.

Shown Below are 10 photographs that exemplify Annie Leibovitz's iconic style: