“Annie Liebovitz at Work”
As musicians, we’re always looking for inspiration from all of the different art forms around here, not only other musicians.
In that spirit, today on the book list I’m going over the excellent Annie Leibovitz at Work, a career retrospective of the photographer and portraitist Annie Leibovitz, which includes many behind-the-scenes glimpses into her artistic process. One of the best parts of this book is the print quality: there’s lovingly reproduced full-color prints to be found on a majority of the pages:
The career retrospective
The majority of the book is devoted to a selected overview of Annie Leibovitz’s most influential shoots, told through her own eyes and perspective. It starts off with some of her early photojournalist work from Rolling Stone in the 1970s, and goes all the way through the early 2000s with her work photographing the Queen of England.
Along the way, you’ll get fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses at the continual development of her artistic process during shoots, her embrace of new technologies in photography, and her balancing of artistic and commercial projects. There’s some great examples of her work photographing clients for a long-running American Express ad campaign that proves great art and commercial interests aren’t two concerns that must always be at odds with one another.
The work is always placed as an equal next to the story: all of the text is punctuated by practical examples of the photography from each shoot, so you can clearly see how theory turned into practice.
Ten most-asked questions
One of my favorite and most-practical sections is in the back, entitled “Ten Most Asked Questions”. These questions, asked and answered by Liebovitz, include:
“What advice do you have for a young photographer who is just starting out?”
“What’s your favorite photograph?”
“Who’s the most difficult person you’ve ever photographed?”
“How many pictures do you take?”
“Are you happy with the move from film to digital?”
This is of particular relevance to any readers of this channel who’re obsessed with analog recording gear; Liebovitz has a lot of great things to say about the advantages and disadvantages of the digital medium. My opinion, which mirrors hers: “analog” is not always a synonym for “better”; these are different methods that each have different strengths and weaknesses, and can often work well when used in combination.
“How is photographing a celebrity different than photographing a regular person?”
“Where do you get your ideas?”
“When do you know you have a good picture?”
“How much direction do you give?”
Another question relevant to all the aspiring producers reading this channel! To summarize Liebovitz’s answer: if the session is prepared well in advance, any direction needed on the day can flow in a much more natural and creative manner. I heartily agree!
“How do you set people at ease and get them to do the things you want them to do in your pictures?”
Other interesting sections
The back of the book is home to many other practical summary items, including a breakdown of different photographic equipment used throughout the years, a publishing chronology showing the development of Liebovitz’s portfolio over time, and a personal chronology tying her personal life and professional development together.
Overall, this book is a fantastic source of inspiration for any artist in any medium, and highly recommended.
Here’s a direct link (no affiliate).
