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AL Workbook v8 Ch4

The document discusses portrait photography and Annie Leibovitz's approach. It covers her transition from photojournalism to portraits, the elements of a portrait, how context affects meaning, and that a single photo cannot capture a person fully. Examples of Leibovitz's portraits of famous people from different stages of their lives are also discussed.

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29 views

AL Workbook v8 Ch4

The document discusses portrait photography and Annie Leibovitz's approach. It covers her transition from photojournalism to portraits, the elements of a portrait, how context affects meaning, and that a single photo cannot capture a person fully. Examples of Leibovitz's portraits of famous people from different stages of their lives are also discussed.

Uploaded by

buziak
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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4.

PORTRAIT
PHOTOGRAPHY
CHAPTER RE VIE W

A portrait has many elements. What might not be obvious is that


“Your picture depends it can contain elements of photojournalism, which on the surface
on what is in it, which seems to be the polar opposite of portraiture. Annie started out as
has nothing to do with a photojournalist. In this chapter, she discusses why she accepted
technology. That is the her role as a portraitist and why she doesn’t feel limited by it.
last thing you should
It is accepted that a portraitist has a point of view. But any
worry about.” photographer has a point of view, including those who work as
—Annie Leibovitz journalists. In practice, objectivity is relative. As one of the
students says in a class conducted by Annie at the San Francisco
SU B C HAPTER S Art Institute, “Where is the line?” Most of the students prefer
personal work, but Annie is a big fan of photojournalism. She
• Objectivity: Where Is the Line?
admires what appears on the front page of the New York Times
• Historical Context every morning.

• “Capturing” the Person Annie has been working steadily for decades and has accumulated
a body of work that is a record of the culture of our time. She has
• W hat Makes a Great Photograph? worked with some of her subjects at many different points in their
lives over the years. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, moved
from the once outré world of bodybuilding to being a movie star
and then the governor of California. His trajectory colored the
way we look at the early portraits now. Historical context affects
the meaning of pictures. The portraits of Caitlyn Jenner taken for
Vanity Fair when she was announcing her transition to a woman
record a very specific personal and cultural moment. The portraits
of Zaha Hadid took on a different weight after she died.

The idea that one photograph can “capture” a person is, Annie
says, baloney. She often runs more than one portrait, or even
a series, which gives a better sense of the range of identities
within one person. She says that she threw out the concept of
the decisive moment some time ago.

LE ARN M ORE

• Check out the NYT Lens blog.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 2
4.
PORTRAIT
PHOTOGRAPHY
A S SI G NMENT

• If you look at hard copies of newspapers like the New York


Times, cut out photos you find particularly striking or
inspirational. Pin them to the walls of your workspace,
file them away in a folder of materials to look back on, or
paste them in your journal.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 3
PHOTO INDEX

2. THE E VOLUTI ON OF A PH OTOG R APHER

S a n Fr a n cis co A r t I ns t itute, 19 6 9 -1971

R o ll i n g Sto n e, e a r ly 1970 s

Annie Leibovitz Jann Wenner and Annie Leibovitz

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 4
PHOTO INDEX

4 . P ORTR AIT PH OTO G R APHY

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger


Pretoria, South Africa, 1975 Sun Valley, Idaho, 1997
Vanity Fair June 1997 Cover

Caitlyn Jenner
Malibu, California, 2015

Zaha Hadid
New York City, 2003

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 5
PHOTO INDEX

4 . P ORTR AIT PH OTO G R APHY

Alexandra Fuller
Kelly, Wyoming, 2016

Sally Mann
Lexington, Virginia, 2015

David Hockney David Hockney and John


Fitzherbert
Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England,
2013 Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England,
2013

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 6
PHOTO INDEX

4 . P ORTR AIT PH OTO G R APHY

Akke Alma Akke Alma


Las Vegas, Nevada, 1995 Stardust Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada,
1995

Narelle Brennan and her daughters, Narelle Brennan


Sarah and Briana Stardust Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada,
Las Vegas, Nevada, 1995 1995

Linda Green Linda Green


Las Vegas, Nevada, 1995 Bally’s Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada,
1995

Susan McNamara Susan McNamara


Las Vegas, Nevada, 1995 Bally’s Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada,
1995

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 7
PHOTO INDEX

4 . P ORTR AIT PH OTO G R APHY

Agnes Martin Sarajevo


Taos, New Mexico, 1999 1993

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 8

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