Annie Leibovitz is the world's most celebrated celebrity portrait photographer. Her work with Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair revolutionized the world of celebrity portraits and created a whirlwind of controversy.
Annie was born in the American northeast to Jewish parents. Her family had immigrated from Russia and Romania. Though later in life she did not practice her religion, she always felt tied to her Jewish heritage. It is said that she learned to apply Jewish concepts to her photographs.
Annie was interested in art from a young age and attended the San Francisco Art Institute, originally for painting. She later began taking photography classes at night and her love for photography blossomed quickly.
After a brief stint in Israel, Annie returned to the United States in 1970. She applied for a staff photographer position at an up-and-coming magazine called Rolling Stone, which would later be perhaps the most influential music magazine in American history. Annie's portfolio was impressive, so she was given her first assignment: photograph John Lennon. Her portraits of the star were so profound that her work graced the cover of Rolling Stone.
After only two years as a staff photographer at Rolling Stone, Annie was promoted to chief photographer in 1973. She held this title for an impressive 10 years. During her time at Rolling Stone she honed her skills in both black & white photography and color photography. She developed her own style and her work stood out due to her use of bold primary colors, interesting poses, and her ability to develop a sense of intimacy with the subject.
In 1975 she served as the concert-tour photographer for the Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas. During this tour she took a number of iconic black & white photographs that are still popular to this day. Her favorite from this series was a photo of Mick Jagger in an elevator.
In 1980, Annie was assigned to shoot John Lennon once again. Lennon insisted that his wife, Yoko, be included in his covershoot. Though she initially wanted to shoot them both naked, Yoko offered only to be topless, so Annie chose to keep Yoko fully clothed. The most memorable photograph from this photoshoot is the iconic image of John Lennon, fully nude, curled around a fully clothed Yoko. This photograph exudes the intimacy of their relationship and implies a complicated relationship. The portrait is a perfect example of how a picture is worth a thousand words. John Lennon was shot and killed only five hours after the photoshoot, making Annie Leibovitz the last person to professionally capture one of the world's most beloved pop stars.
After her stint at Rolling Stone Annie began to work for Vanity Fair where she continued intimately capturing celebrities. Her staged photographs of stars both shocked and pleased the public; simultaneously sparking controversy and stirring interest. This decade, Annie shook up the public by photographing Miley Cyrus, a teen popstar, topless with her back turned to the camera. People were outraged, but this portrait was characteristic of Annie's style: surprising, bold, and intimate.
Annie's personal life is similarly controversial. She was romantically involved with a female novelist named Susan Sontag for more than 10 years. Additionally, she was said to be heavily involved in drugs and alcohol at one point. These facts don't surprise me because life often reflects art and vice versa. Most influential geniuses live outside of the box, experiment with consciousness, and live deviant lifestyles. Maybe they have it all figured out.
Here are some of Annie Leibovitz's amazing portraits:
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