Annie Leibovitz

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born 1949

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.

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all quotes by Annie Leibovitz (12)

"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

"The idea that you're going to get the soul of the sitter in 15 minutes is garbage."
Annie Leibovitz on Getting the Shot - and the Future of Photography | june 2013