Annie Leibovitz

[cliveh]

Can someone point me to a good photograph by her? Because her images leave me cold.

 

[BrianShaw]

Sorry… impossible request. You’d never be convinced, I bet. But your opinion is “noted”.

Her photography may leave you cold but she’s had a really successful career. So I guess the old adage about opinions might have some validity.

 

[Pieter12]

Maybe just not your cup of tea. What have you seen that leaves you flat? Obviously, others find her work compelling. Otherwise you wouldn’t even know her name.

 

[awty]

She is great, often depicting women in a strong feminine presence.
Off coarse some don't like that.
Women make the best photographers.

 

[Cholentpot]

Can someone point me to a good photograph by her? Because her images leave me cold.

I'm not a fan of her work either. Looks like bad iphone filters.

She is great, often depicting women in a strong presence.
Off coarse some don't like that.
Women make the best photographers.
View attachment 326661

Photographers make the best photographers and sometimes that's not even true.

 

[CMoore]

Can someone point me to a good photograph by her? Because her images leave me cold.

Food
Photos
Music
Paint colors
Clothing
Jewelry
Hair styles
Etc etc etc

None of it is good or bad or right or wrong.
It is all personal opinion
Her stuff does not wind you up.............no big deal.
No harm, no foul

 

[MattKing]

I'm prepared to go right to the iconic:
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, just hours before John Lennon was murdered.

 

[rcphoto]

I'm not a huge fan of her more recent work, older stuff I find interesting at times. I do not like listening to her talk about her work.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Emperor's clothes.

 

[Cholentpot]

I think she gets by on her name.

Use that photo of The Queen that awty posted.

It it was me presenting that as my work I'd be lambasted. Subject is oddly cropped, the colors look cheap and overdone and honestly could have been shot on a 10 year old phone. But Annie shot it so it's amazing. I think time will judge her work and it won't necessarily be flattering.

 

[Sirius Glass]

She is great, often depicting women in a strong feminine presence.
Off coarse some don't like that.
Women make the best photographers.
View attachment 326661

Her face looks washed out.

 

[Pieter12]

I think she gets by on her name.

Use that photo of The Queen that awty posted.

It it was me presenting that as my work I'd be lambasted. Subject is oddly cropped, the colors look cheap and overdone and honestly could have been shot on a 10 year old phone. But Annie shot it so it's amazing. I think time will judge her work and it won't necessarily be flattering.

I’d love to see your work if you believe you could have done it (along with your 10-year-old assistant). Along with how. You could start with how you lit it and what you said to the Queen as far as direction.

 

[awty]

Her face looks washed out.

She looks strong and assertive, some would prefer demure, feeble, eating sandwiches with Paddington bear.
The pose and background is very dramatic classic English. You could imagine queen Victoria doing the same.

 

[Sirius Glass]

She looks strong and assertive, some would prefer demure, feeble, eating sandwiches with Paddington bear.
The pose and background is very dramatic classic English. You could imagine queen Victoria doing the same.

But she still looks pale, like death warmed over. No insult to the Queen, this is comment about Annie Leibowitz's makeup and lighting.

 

[awty]

But she still looks pale, like death warmed over. No insult to the Queen, this is comment about Annie Leibowitz's makeup and lighting.

She did other photos more standard photos, because she can.

 

[awty]

I'm prepared to go right to the iconic:
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, just hours before John Lennon was murdered.

Very Iconic, John adored Yoko and the picture shows it. Lots of people hate Yoko, mostly men, same goes with Annie.

 

[Cholentpot]

I’d love to see your work if you believe you could have done it (along with your 10-year-old assistant). Along with how. You could start with how you lit it and what you said to the Queen as far as direction.

I wouldn't tell her that her crown looks busy.

Look, this isn't how criticism works. I don't have to defend my work while critiquing a public figure. For some reason people get all huffy when one points out flaws in photography but they're fine when someone says they don't like The Rolling Stones or they think that Beethoven's work is bombastic and over the top.

And I agree with Sirus, she looks like she's got a foot in the grave. There's nothing strong and assertive going on. I see what Lebovitz was aiming at, the bare trees, the stormy skies breaking into light. A powerful woman holding on in the winter of her life. I don't see much more than a cliché going on. There's nothing that sets this apart from the masses other than Leibowitz has access to figures of power.

In short, it looks like someone who learned how to use the preset filters on their phone.

 

[MattKing]

I'm not convinced that the internet versions of that particular portrait of QE II are particularly good.
The reproduction for the Vanity Fair cover image - is much better.

But unless you are keen on corgis, the other portrait is far stronger.
If you do a Google search for Annie Leibovitz portraits, there is a lot there that are worth looking at.

 

[Cholentpot]

Very Iconic, John adored Yoko and the picture shows it. Lots of people hate Yoko, mostly men, same goes with Annie.
View attachment 326676

Disliking someone's work doesn't make one hate the person.

Gail Rubin was a massive influence on my work. She doesn't have an extensive body of work but it's what was on my parents shelf growing up. I poured over the photos wondering how it was done. It was a mystery to me. There was no moment of 'Oh, these photos were taken by a women. I guess they're pointless.'

I don't care who pushes the shutter. The work speaks for them.

​

 

[awty]

Disliking someone's work doesn't make one hate the person.

Gail Rubin was a massive influence on my work. She doesn't have an extensive body of work but it's what was on my parents shelf growing up. I poured over the photos wondering how it was done. It was a mystery to me. There was no moment of 'Oh, these photos were taken by a women. I guess they're pointless.'

I don't care who pushes the shutter. The work speaks for them.

​

It's very hard not to be biased on people's personality, that's why I choose not to read about photographers and just base my opinion on what I see.
Annie has interesting compositions and often depicts her female subjects in a strong roll, men more effeminate, challenging the norm.
It's good for photography and I hope it gives up and coming photographers a broader scope.

 

[Cholentpot]

It's very hard not to be biased on people's personality, that's why I choose not to read about photographers and just base my opinion on what I see.
Annie has interesting compositions and often depicts her female subjects in a strong roll, men more effeminate, challenging the norm.
It's good for photography and I hope it gives up and coming photographers a broader scope.

I'm not of Annie's generation. I would assume when she came on the scene she was doing something revolutionary. Maybe that's where I don't get it. I personally don't find her work inspiring.

 

[Horatio]

Women are great, except when they're not, just like men. Photography is great, except when it's not, like other art.

 

[Auer]

I think she gets by on her name.

Use that photo of The Queen that awty posted.

It it was me presenting that as my work I'd be lambasted. Subject is oddly cropped, the colors look cheap and overdone and honestly could have been shot on a 10 year old phone. But Annie shot it so it's amazing. I think time will judge her work and it won't necessarily be flattering.

The image is just right, projects ancient power (monarchy) and is all modern avant garde.

10 year old phone? That's fine if it would have been shot on that. Only the end result matters.

 

[BrianShaw]

The image is just right, projects ancient power (monarchy) and is all modern avant garde.

10 year old phone? That's fine if it would have been shot on that. Only the end result matters.

And let’s not forget that there are significant processes and other “artistic/creative influences” between the photo session and the image we ultimately see published.

 

[Cholentpot]

And let’s not forget that there are significant processes and other “artistic/creative influences” between the photo session and the image we ultimately see published.

To my untrained ill educated and under informed eyes it looks like it could have used a bit less processing.

What it really looks like is someone who just got access to the powers of photoshop and is going overboard with the program. Like we all do when we start. Slide that saturation way to the left or right. Wow. Amazing.

Being that this is photrio, I think her work on film was far better than when she switched over to digital.