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A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005 (0375505091)
Description
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| “I don’t have two lives,” Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990—2005. “This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.” Portraits of well-known figures–Johnny Cash, Nicole Kidman, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Keith Richards, Michael Jordan, Joan Didion, R2-D2, Patti Smith, Nelson Mandela, Jack Nicholson, William Burroughs, George W. Bush with members of his Cabinet–appear alongside pictures of Leibovitz’s family and friends, reportage from the siege of Sarajevo in the early Nineties, and landscapes made even more indelible through Leibovitz’s discerning eye. The images form a narrative rich in contrasts and continuities: The photographer has a long relationship that ends with illness and death. She chronicles the celebrations and heartbreaks of her large and robust family. She has children of her own. All the while she is working, and the public work resonates with the themes of her life. Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
I opened this book with anticipation. I washed my hands so I would not mar or fingerprint the photos. And I removed the dust jacket to keep it nice. Annie Leibovitz' artistry compels me to treat her artworks with respect and care. I appreciated the book's large size, because I love large, beautiful images.
Some people probably think portrait photographer's are gifted because they know how to stage a great photo. That is probably true. But I think the less often recognized talent is seeing who people become in the presence of a portraiture artist. When people are in Annie Leibovitz' presence, I think they may ask themselves: What images do I want to define me? What images do I want to represent me for a long time? Around Leibovitz, her subjects become regal, considered, relaxed, and sincere. Sure, the comedians are still cheesing it up for the camera sometimes. But most of her subjects realize this may be one of the few times an image will be created that may portray them in a substantive and enduring light.
In the introduction, Leibovitz' notes "But after Susan died, . . ." And when I read those words, the above thought formed in my head. Leibovitz' subjects realize her photos may be a dominant defining, popularly-known image of them after they are dead. So I think her subjects make extra effort to become something larger than 'everyday' in her presence.
I don't like to make criticisms in my reviews, and I tend to only review artworks I recommend. But it takes more than great photographs to make a great photography book. I was frustrated with the number of photographs that were enlarged across the book gutter, breaking up the photos' flows. Bigger is not always better and many of the photos would have been better as smaller images on one page. Alternatively, produce the book in two volumes, one volume in portrait, the second volume in landscape. If we're going to put down $75 for one large book, then we probably would be willing to put down $50 twice for two better shaped volumes that adapted to the needs of the photographs.
Some artists can find great art and photograph it professionally. Some artists can re-interpret or choose a point of view that makes their photograph of something otherwise unremarkable into something artful. And some artists seem to have the effect of making the people, social moods, and environments around them more artfully active and aware. Leibovitz' photos reveal that she does all three of those things well.
The more sensient her subject matter, the better her photography. She draws out great intelligence and creativity from the people she is interacting with. Her photos show not only her subjects' uncommonly revealed personas, but also her encouraging, emboldending, and enlightening effects on the people in her presence. Leibovitz' artistry suggests to portraitists that if you want your subject to reveal uncommon beauty in your image of them, first create an atmosphere where they are want to reveal the same to you.
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Author: Guest
After my sister worked with Annie in a photo shoot here in Madrid, she recommended I buy this book, since I have always been a huge fan of Annie. This book is very insightful and complete of her work.
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Author: Guest
After seeing the exhibition (which was fantastic) the book was a sad let down for me and I returned it. Photos were cropped detroying the ambiance or the layout Leibovitz captured and aparently intended in her prints - photos were designed across a spread in such a way as interfered with the photo's integrity (one photo in particular has the page split running through the subject of the photo!). The personal photos of Sonatag in the show were very small and suggested a particular delicacy and intimacy which was lost in the book due to the relative sizing of those prints with all the others. It is a poor accompaniment to an excellent and important show of her work. If you never saw the show - you could propably let it slide - after seeing the show myself, I prefer not to have my memory tainted by an inferior product serving as representation.
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Author: Guest
GREAT PHOTOS BUT ANNOYING TO LOOK AT!!!! Visually this book is claustrophobic. The images seem forced to fit into a book that is too small to hold them. And probably half of the pictures are across the gutter--very annoying. Sometimes the most important part of the picture is in the gutter. My personal favorite is Michael Jordan with his nose in the gutter. Random House, if you are going to do a book on a great photographer like Annie Liebovitz, do a better job than this.
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Author: Guest
It was refreshing to see a collection of Annie's work that focuses more on the person behind the camera than the people in front of it. While I love the photos she does for the magazines, I was tired of seeing books that focused on that. That's too superficial to me. I was interested in getting into her soul. And this book gave it to me!
From the introduction pages to the final snapshots of her children, this book kept me drawn in. I felt like I was there with her experiencing all the events. It gave me a personal glimpse of what she's been through without being intrusive. If I were to be really picky, I would say that, yes, there are some pretty obvious technical mistakes. Especially for someone as experienced as herself. But that's not what this book is about. If you want the technically flawless and aesthetically perfect stuff, go look in Vogue or Vanity Fair. If you want to see a bit of her heart and soul, get this book.
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