
Annie Leibovitz
top photographer
Annie Leibovitz aspired to be a painter when she first went to art school but instead found the passion that would become her vocation ~ photography. Getting her start at the fledgling Rolling Stone with rock's top musicians, Annie would become internationally famous for her gorgeous celebrity portraiture, including some of this century's most iconic + controversial shots.
As one of those rare artists who can shift easily between art galleries + ad campaigns, bestselling books + fashion magazines without being phased, the breadth + depth of Annie's work is profound. And, her continuing influence on her medium is unparalleled.
provocative portrait photography | sometimes even controversial ~ as with the covers that featured a scantily clad Miley Cyrus back when she was a sweet 15-year-old Disney starlet or a 7-month-pregnant Demi Moore wearing nothing but diamonds
capturing celebrities | including everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Lady Gaga, the Obama family to Queen Elizabeth II {Kim & Kayne were upset when Annie canceled on them the day before their wedding}
bold primaries | her distinctive saturated style
being a Rolling Stone alum | signing on to the just-launched rock magazine that launched her career...and gave her the chance to tour with the Stones themselves
1973 | named chief photographer at Rolling Stone, a position she'd hold down for a decade before moving on to Vanity Fair
1996 | named the official photographer for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta
2009 | given the International Center of Photography's lifetime achievement award
from | to
a shy kid with a passion for photography | one of the best known photographers in the world
born on
October 2, 1949
born in
Waterbury, Connecticut
birth name
Anna-Lou Leibovitz
nickname | also known as
Annie
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Marilyn Edith Heit
~ modern dance instructor ~
Samuel Leibovitz
~ US Air Force lieutenant colonel ~
sister of
5 siblings | 2 older + 3 younger
grew up in
around the world, following her dad's military assignments
including the Phillipines
lives in
New York City
educated at | studied with
Northwood High School
~ Silver Spring, Maryland ~
San Francisco Art Institute
loved studying
painting
writing
photography
mother of
3 daughters | Sarah, Susan + Samuelle
~ gave birth to Sarah at age 52 | had twins Susan + Samuelle via a surrogate ~
partner of | influenced by | worked alongside
Susan Sontag
~ a brilliant cultural critic who was in fact notoriously skeptical of photography ~
tweets
@annieleibovitz
image credits
collapse bio bits"One doesn't stop seeing. One doesn't stop framing. It doesn't turn off and turn on. It's on all the time."
From Annie Leibovitz: Life, and Death, Examined | october 2006
"Call us 'lovers.' I like 'lovers.' You know, 'lovers' sounds romantic . . . 'Partner' or 'companion.' It just sounds like two little old ladies."
Love, family, celebrity, grief -- Leibovitz puts her life on display in photo memoir | november 2006
"Having a studio is a little like having a fancy car. It doesn't help you take better pictures."
Annie Gets Her Shot | october 2008
"I learned at a very young age that what I did mattered."
TIME Magazine Interviews: Annie Leibovitz | november 2008
"When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I'd like to know them."
A Photographer's Life | january 2009
"You could take your camera and it would take you to places...I would do things with a camera I wouldn't do normally if I was just by myself...To me, it was a very social instrument."
Life through Annie's lens | november 2011
"If you do something for a long time, it only gets more interesting."
Life through Annie's lens | november 2011
"I don't know if I believe in the decisive moment any more. Life is filled with too many moments."
Life through Annie's lens | november 2011
"I have enough in front of me; I don't need to turn the camera around."
Life through Annie's lens | november 2011
"In this day and age of things moving so, so fast, we still long for things to stop, and we as a society love the still image. Every time there is some terrible or great moment, we remember the stills."
Annie Leibovitz on Getting the Shot - and the Future of Photography | june 2013
"If there's [a] secret that I have, it's that I'm not afraid to go back. I know that everyone thinks you can't go back, but you can."
Annie Leibovitz on Getting the Shot - and the Future of Photography | june 2013
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {september 2014}
John Lennon and Yoko Ono by Annie Leibovitz
Annie captured this intimate portrait of John + Yoko when the latter backed out of the nude photo shoot they had planned. Perhaps Annie's best known work, the iconic image is cemented in cultural memory in part due to its tragic timing. She took the photo on December 8, 1980 ~ just hours before John was assassinated.
Annie Leibovitz | Rolling Stone
Annie Leibovitz
Annie recalls being a shy kid who didn't like to draw attention to herself. Photography helped her come out of her shell since her camera felt like a "license to go out and look and be part of the world." Annie still has no interest in ego-centric self portraits, but even she sometimes snaps a selfie!
Anna | CC BY 2.0
Annie Leibovitz at her opening of Pilgrimage at the Concord Museum
Annie attends the opening of her exhibition connected with the release of her latest book, Pilgrimage, which takes a turn away from portrait photography towards landscapes, places + things ~ a project she first imagined undertaking with her decease partner, Susan Sontag.
digboston | CC BY 2.0