Report: Annie Leibovitz was born on October 2nd, 1949, as the third of six children to Marilyn Edith and Samuel Leibovitz. Her father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S Air Force, meaning that most of her childhood was spent moving around to different locations. She first discovered her love of photography when her father was stationed during the Philippines during the Vietnam war. She would entertain herself by taking pictures of people around the army base and the locals in the village. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute, with her initial plans to become an art teacher. Those plans changed after taking her first Photography workshop and switching her major to it. Her work is inspired by Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, which her school educated her about.
She later went on to work for Rolling Stone, the most significant part of her career being when she became the last photographer to photograph John Lennon alive with his girlfriend. She had vowed to get him to the front cover, and even though the picture made it, sadly it was for the wrong reasons, seeing as he was shot and killed 5 hours after the photo was taken, a bit of a bittersweet moment. Other notable projects she was a part of include her time with the Disney Cooperation photographing celebrities as various characters for their “Year of a Million Dreams” campaign and and exhibition for the National Portrait Gallery, being the second living and first woman to show there.
Artist's Statement: I didn’t mention it in my report section because it was a little irrelevant, but the main reason I chose her was because of what I read about her sexuality. While it isn’t completely confirmed, she loved another woman as a lover, and this gave me a sense of familiarity with her. It helped me remember that despite my sexuality, being successful just requires talent and hardwork, society can’t stop talent from making its way onto the scene. Not to mention I just really love her style of photography. The desaturation on the pictures makes them look older than they are, and it’s an artistic choice I cannot fault. If I had known about her prior, she probably would have been an influence on the pictures I took in class.
She later went on to work for Rolling Stone, the most significant part of her career being when she became the last photographer to photograph John Lennon alive with his girlfriend. She had vowed to get him to the front cover, and even though the picture made it, sadly it was for the wrong reasons, seeing as he was shot and killed 5 hours after the photo was taken, a bit of a bittersweet moment. Other notable projects she was a part of include her time with the Disney Cooperation photographing celebrities as various characters for their “Year of a Million Dreams” campaign and and exhibition for the National Portrait Gallery, being the second living and first woman to show there.
Artist's Statement: I didn’t mention it in my report section because it was a little irrelevant, but the main reason I chose her was because of what I read about her sexuality. While it isn’t completely confirmed, she loved another woman as a lover, and this gave me a sense of familiarity with her. It helped me remember that despite my sexuality, being successful just requires talent and hardwork, society can’t stop talent from making its way onto the scene. Not to mention I just really love her style of photography. The desaturation on the pictures makes them look older than they are, and it’s an artistic choice I cannot fault. If I had known about her prior, she probably would have been an influence on the pictures I took in class.