The way Annie Leibovitz photograph people, just tells who they are

Hanna Aronsson
S050808
Fashion Visual Communication
Jan Carlsson
2010-01-15
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Table of Content
1. Annie Leibovitz ................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Annie Leibovitzs work..................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Signature and style .............................................................................................................................. 5
1.4 Critique ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.5 Books, exhibitions and awards.................................................................................................5

2. Customer Gap ............................................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Individuals of style ................................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 The result of the campaign .............................................................................................................. 9
3. Discussion and conclusion...................................................................................................................... 10

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1. Annie Leibovitz
1.1 Introduction
Annie Leibovitz was born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Her father was a career
Air Force Officer and Annie and her family moved frequently due to her fathers duty
assignments. It had never occurred to her that she could become a photographer. She
was used to see the world through a frame, which was the window of her familys car as
they travelled from one military base to another. In 1969 Annie therefore started to
study painting at San Fransisco Art Institute, in order to become an artist (Leibovitz,
2008) Later she discovered her interest in taking photographs and began to take night
classes in photography.
1.2 Annie Leibovitzs work

Annie Leibovitz is today one of the most well known photographers in the world. She
started her career, in 1970, as a staff photographer for the newly established magazine
Rolling Stone. The magazine was than a small magazine and it was devoted mostly to
rock and roll. Annie did not know much about rock and roll at that time, but she was
grateful to be able to take pictures and see them published. In 1973 Annie was listed as
the chief photographer for the Rolling Stone magazine, she kept that position at the
magazine for 10 years. (Leibovitz, 2008)

In December 1970 Leibovitz travelled to New York in order to photograph John Lennon.
This was the first important assignment she did for Rolling Stones. John was due to his
celebrity status honest, straightforward and cooperative and the picture turned out
good. This photo session become a precedent for Leibovitz work with famous people.
Ten years later, in 1980, Leibovitz travelled to New York to photograph John Lennon
together with his wife Yoko Ono, they had just released their album Double Fantasy.
Leibovitz took a Polaroid of the couple laying together
John naked and curled around a fully dressed Yoko Ono.
(Figure 1) John looked at the photo and said, Youve
captured our relationship exactly. (Leibovitz, 2008)
This picture become one of Leibovitzs and Rolling
Stones most famous photos, it was taken just a few of
hours before the famous Beatles member was shot and
killed. The picture was run on the cover for Rolling
Stone Magazine John Lennon commemorative issue.
The cover was in 2005 named the best magazine cover
from the past 40 years by the American Society of
Magazine Editors. (Leibovitz, 2008)

In 1983 Leibovitz resigns from Rolling Stone and starts to work for Vanity Fair
Magazine, a magazine with wider cultural interests, where she has become known for
her provocative portraits of celebrities. Two of her most famous portraits from this time
are Demi Moore naked and pregnant, holding her belly (Figure 2), and Whoopi Goldberg
laying in a bath of milk (Figure 3). (Leibovitz, 2008) Leiobovitz wanted with the photo of
Whoopi show that she was emerging from what was, which was all white. (Leibovitz,
2007)

Figure 1
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At the same time Leibovitz started working with advertising. Late in 1986 she started to
work on a campaign for American Express where she was taking portraits of celebrities.
Leibovitz had freedom to do whatever she wanted to do with these portraits. Between
1987 and 1992 Leibovitz shot a hundred and three portraits for the first American
Express campaign. It was a successful campaign and it won several awards. Celebrities
shot during these years for American Express are i.e John Cleese, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie
Shoemaker and Wilt Chamberlain. (Leibovitz, 2008)

In 1988 Leibovitz met the writer Susan Sontag while photographing publicity pictures
for one of Sontags book. According to Leibovitz,
Sontag encouraged her to be the best that she could be.
(www.guardian.co.uk) The two had an emotional and
intellectual bond that was really essential and
important to both of them (Leibovitz, 2007). Leibovitz
and Sontag had a relationship until Sontags death in
2004. In 1993 Leibovitz travelled to Sarajevo during
the war in Balkans, the trip was according to Leibovitz
influenced by Sontag, who wanted Leibovitz to be
more serious in her work (Leibovitz, 2007). A picture
taken during this trip was among others Bloody bicycle
(Figure 4) the picture was published in Vanity Fair.
(Leibovitz, 2008)

In 1999 Annie Leibovitz was asked by Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vouge,
to go to Paris and photograph the couture
collections for the fashion magazine Vogue.
This was the first in a series of jobs for Vogue.
(Leibovitz, 2008) Leibovitz found this job very
interesting and she sees the clothes as pieces of
sculpture and she experienced the shows she
visited as performance art. Leibovitz compare
this kind of shoot with putting together a
movie. Everything is planned before you get on
set. There is a large team involved and there are
Figure 5
Figure 2 Figure 3
Figure 4
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many meetings. Leibovitz started the work of these fashion photographs by visiting the
runway shows and looking at the clothes. From what she saw at the fashion shows a
storyboard with pictures was developed. This storyboard helped Leibovitz keeping the
right direction thorough the photo shoot. When photographing clothes it is, according to
Leibovitz, important to see how the clothes can be represented from their best side. For
Leibovitzs first big couture shoot she worked with Puff Daddy and Kate Moss, who
knew how to wear the dress she was wearing in order to make it look its best (Figure 5).
(Leibovitz, 2008)

Leibovitz has since then made several photo shoots related to fashion. One of them is the
Alice in Wonderland shoot for Vogue made in 2003. For this shoot things were tightly
controlled, well-known designers were asked to make dresses for Alice and the
designers were also a part of the photographs. Figure 6 shows Natalia Vodianova as
Alice and Karl Lagerfeld who has designed the dress. (Leibovitz, 2008)

Another noted photo shoot made by Leibovitz is a portrait shooting of Queen Elisabeth
II before her official visit to the United States (Figure 7). Leibovitz was the first American
being asked to make an official portrait of the Queen.


1.3 Signature and style
Annie Leibovitz is known for taking photographs of celebrities. Her photos capture the
subjects characters and attitudes in a remarkable way. Leibovitz often works with a
technique that includes working with bold primary colours and unexpected poses.
Leibovtz in known for using his technique and it is often seen as her trademark
technique. Leibovitz pictures are provocative and eye-catching, she is not afraid of
expressing and showing what no one else does. Anna Wintour says that Leibovitz goes
crazy and budget is not something that ends at her contentedness. But it is worth it,
because at the end of the day she gives you an image that no one else can she cares.
(Leibovitz, 2007)

The environment is an important issue for Annie Leibovitz when taking pictures. She
likes to place the subject in its own environment. If that is not possible she set a stage
for them. Her signature portrait style is marked by collaboration between Leibovitz, as a
photographer, and the subject to make the subjects personality visible through the
photograph. (Leibovitz, 2008) Leibovitz photos are mostly posed and technically
accomplished pictures in black and white or deep saturated colours. Leibovitz style has
off course changed and developed as time has gone by, she says in an interview that I
did not know what I was doing when I was younger She says that it was a natural thing,
her lens of choice was always the 35 mm. It was more environmental. Furthermore she
says that the choice of the lens was because it is not possible to come-in closer with the
Figure 7 Figure 6
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35 mm. Coming close was boring to Leibovitz at that time. She felt that it was boring
with just a face, it did not have enough information. (fototapeta.art.pl) Due to that
Leibovitz pictures often capture a situation. It makes her and the subjects more
comfortable when they have something to do, or a role to play in front of the camera.
(fototapeta.art.pl)

In the documentary Annie Leibovitz Life through a lens Annie Leibovitzs sister Paula is
saying that Annie is very focused when she is working and that she is very demanding.
Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief Vanity Fair, compares her with Barbra Streisand with a
camera. Leibovitz has the capacity to make people do something that they would not do
with anybody else. (Leibovitz, 2007)

Annie Leibovitz sees her job as a photographer as that she gets a little tiny slice of a
persons life, she is there for a few minutes and she capture that part of the persons life.
(Leibovitz, 2007)

1.4 Critique
There has been some debate about the value of Leibovitzs photographs as art. Critique
has been pointed to her work because of its focus on celebrities and commercialism.
There are however, others who are seeing Leibovitz work as creative and who sees her
imagination as something good. Severe critique has also been pointed towards one of
Leibovitzs latest photographs taken of 15 years old Miley Cyrus posing topless for a
photo shoot for Vanity Fair. The photo of the lightly dressed singer and actress made
some parents to her fans indignant. Leibovitz respond to the critique by saying that she
is sorry that her portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. (www.popcrunch.com)
Furthermore, Leibovitz has during her years as a photographer been accused of stealing
photos from employees. She has been judged to pay compensation for damages.
(www.kamerabild.se) Lately there has been a lot of publicity about Leibovitz having
financial problems. She has, due to her success, incurred heavy debts and might lose her
rights to all her photographs. (www.dn.se)

1.5 Books, exhibitions and awards

Leibovitz has received many honours and awards, including the Barnard College Medal
of Distinction and the Infinity Award in Applied Photography from the International
Centre of Photography. She has been made a Commandeur des Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres by the French government and the Library of Congress has made her a living
legend. In 2005 she was on both first and second place for the best magazine cover from
the past 40 years by the American Society of Magazine Editors, first place went to the
picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (figure xx) and second place went to the picture of
a pregnant Demi Moore (picture xx) (www.sfai.edu) This is due to that Leibovitz sees
covers as a kind of dilemma for her. The covers are sort of advertisement, which needs
to make the magazine sell. Her work really lives inside the magazine, her real
photographs are inside the magazine. (Leibovitz, 2007)


Leibovitz has published several books and her work has been shown at major
exhibitions. Her first book, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, was published in 1983. Her
second book, Photographs, 1970 1990 in 1991. The same year she had her first
museum exhibition organized by the International Center of Photography in New York
in conjunction with the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery in Wachington DC. The
exhibition was moved around in North America, Japan, Europe and Australia. Leibovitz
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next book Dancers: Photographs by Annie Leibovitz was published in 1992 followed by
Olympic Portraits: Annie Leibovitz in 1996. In 1999 Women with an essay by Susan Tong
is published. Stardust: Annie Leibovitz 1970 1999 is published in 2000 in conjunction
with an exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark. American Music is
published in 2003 at the same time as the exhibition Experience Music Project in Seattle.
Leibovitz two latest books, A photographers Life 1990 2005 and Annie Leibovitz: At
Work, was published in 2006 and 2008. In 1996 the documentary Annie Leibovitz: Life
Through a Lens directed by Annie Leibovitz sister was released. (Leibovitz, 2008)
2. Customer Gap
2.1 Individuals of style

Gap Inc. is one of the worlds largest specialty retailers with more than 3100 stores.
They opened their first shop in 1969 in San Francisco. Today Gap is operating five of the
most recognized apparel brands in the world, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy,
Piperlime and Athleta. (www.gapinc.com)

Annie Leibovitz was in 1988 commissioned by Gap to create portraits for their ad
campaignIndividuals of Styles. (Leibovitz, 2008) The campaign consisted of bold black
and white photographs of famous people who wore Gap items combined with their own
clothes in order to create a personal style for the photographs. Personalities from the
worlds of fashion, art, literature, film and music have been photographed during the
years. Examples of such personalities are Tony Kushner (Figure 9), William Wegman
(Figure 9), Steven Meisel (Figure 10) and Miles Davis (Figure 11). The campaign is still
ongoing and is today occasionally is shot in colour. (www.artknowledgenews.com)

Leibovitz shot the photos for this campaign in her own studio and in Los Angeles. This
was a new way of working for Leibovitz, she had not seen herself as a studio portrait
photographer. For this work she had to trust the subject in a wider extension than
before. (Leibovitz, 2008) Leibovitz writes in her book Annie Leibovitz: At Work that she
can be very graphic and the Gap photographs are graphic, but that she, for this work had
to rely on the subjects ability to project themselves. Further she writes that when she
started the Gap campaign she had not yet developed a method of establishing a
relationship with the subject. She thought you just looked. During the work with the
Gap campaign she learned that it is possible to control a situation by the way you talk to
someone. You can draw them out she says. (Leibovitz, 2008) The individuals has been
put ahead the clothes for this advertising, the person is the art. The campaign forced
Leibovitz to use and learn how to handle backdrops. She wanted to process a gray
backdrop and had the photographer Irving Penns gray backdrop in mind. In order to
generate this gray backdrop she let the light fell of white backdrops, which makes them
look gray. Leibovitz has through this made the gray colour associated with her pictures.
And many recognize her style in photographs by the specific colours. (Leibovitz, 2008)
Leibovitz is still not completely comfortable with her work in the studio. She thinks of
her work in the studio as straight forward and direct. For her the environments for her
pictures are an important issue. Her first choice is to place the subjects in their own
environment, which she could not do for this campaign. (Leibovitz, 2008)





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Figure 11
Figure 10

















Figure 9 Figure 8
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Figure 12 Figure 13

In 2007 Leibovitz started to shoot a new series of pictures to an advertising campaign
for Gaps partnership with RED, which has as a primary objective to engage the private
sector in raising awareness and funds for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa.
(www.joinred.com) In order to show Gaps latest range of clothing and to raise funds for
RED the campaign are composed of fascinating images of socially conscious celebrities
as Anne Hathaway (Figure 12), Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Garner, Penelope Cruz, Mary J
Blinge and Chris Rock (Figure 13). For the images the celebrities, as for the campaign
Individuals of Styles, wears their favourite Gap RED item in way that express their
own individual style. In order to elucidate the emotion of the picture the images also
include a tagline with the word (RED) as part of it, i.e. ADMI(RED), INSPI(RED) or
UNCENSO(RED). (www.gapinc.com)




Leibovitz pictures taken for Gap during the years all have the same drab colours and
they all capture honesty and the essence of the object. The philosophy behind the
pictures is the same, to inspire individuals and to reach their full potential
(www.gapinc.com).

2.2 The result of the campaign
Annie Leibovitz has now for over 20 years in collaboration with Gap and some other
eminent photographers, produced a collection of fashion and advertising photography,
which has contributed to turning Gap into one of the worlds most recognized fashion
labels. The campaign has changed the publics perception about Gap. The company came
to mean good taste to large parts of the society. In October 2006 the book Individuals:
Portraits from the Gap Collection was released. The book contains images used during
the Gap campaign. (www.artknowledgenews.com)

Gap has built a strong brand on the strength of advertisement and image. Leibovitzs
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images for Gap are so simple but yet so fascinating. She has in her work for Gap
enhanced the value of her customer, Gap has become renowned for Leibovitzs powerful
portraits. The advertising in the shape of portraits is rooted in Gaps heritage, and their
customers associate the brand with these images.

Leibovitz as a photographer for Gaps campaigns has developed with this assignment.
She writes in her book Annie Leibovitz: At Work that before she started to collaborate
with Gap she had not taken studio portraits the way she made it for Gap. For this work
she had to trust the subjects in a wide extant. Leibovitz says that she developed a
method to make acquaintance with her subjects (Leibovitz, 2008) Knowing the person
she is taking photos of makes it easier to know what to say and to make the subjects
personality come through in the image. The collaboration has in other words
contributed to Annie Leibovitzs development in her way of taking photographs.
Leibovitz is often associated with bold colours, which also are used in the campaign for
Gap. Leibovitzs images taken in bold and black and white colours for Gap has most
likely contributed to strengthen Leibovitzs style and made it broader.

Gap is encouraging people to follow their own style and to feel comfortable with it, to
wear clothing and items from Gap their own way. The same Gap item is bought by many
different customers who are wearing it differently and allowing their personal style to
shine. Gap has affected the society with their philosophy of life. The campaign has
achieved a lot of attention partly because of celebrities used within the campaign but
also because of the skilled photographers who has taken the pictures.

Already in 1990, two years after the Individuals of style campaign was started, the
advertisement was a success. Gap received hundreds of mails from people who wanted
to be a part of the campaign, which shows that the advertisement really reached out
successfully and that people pay attention to it. (http://money.cnn.com) The success of
the campaign has continued and since it regularly updated with new photographs and
new celebrities it keeps it popularity.

The Gap campaign made for advertising Gaps partnership with RED has contributed to
raising the awareness in the society about how each individual person can contribute to
help people affected by AIDS in Africa. By buying the items advertised in the campaign
you support The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. (www.joinred.com) The
campaign is powerful and well reasoned. There has however been discussed if the RED
campaign has contributed to success for the brand Gap more than helping people
affected by AIDS in Africa. There are different opinions regarding how much money Gap
has spent on the advertisement and whether it has created benefits for Gap more than
for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. (http://www.independent.co.uk) The
campaign has however resulted in that the Gap (PRODUCT) RED campaign has
contributed with donating money to charity and the money RED has raised means that
life will be improved and saved. Gap writes on their homepage that the Gap RED is not
charity, it is a new way of doing business (www.gapinc.com) Accordingly Gap wants to
contribute to making life better for people in Africa and at the same time doing business
with success.
3. Discussion and conclusion

Annie Leibovitz writes in her book Annie Leibovitz At work that she never asks the
photograph subject to smile (Leibovitz, 2008). Sure, there are smiles among her
photographs, but those are spontaneous and nothing she has forced the subject to do.
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She also writes that she likes to play music when she is photographing to create an
atmosphere. As written earlier in the report Leibovitz also has developed a method of
establishing a relationship with the subject, which makes it easier to make the person in
front of the camera show his or hers personality. Maybe it is elements like these that
make Leibovitz so successful. That she has the capability to capture honesty and the
truth in her photographs. The truth might, in many of Leibovitzs photos, be a part of a
scene or a costume, but even if the context and surroundings in the photos are arranged
there is always a thought behind it where the truth comes in. Leibovitz conscious hides
her subjects behind concepts and masks and she captures the staged moment. She is
studying the subject in order to be able to let the subjects personality come through the
concept or the costume. This creates according to me an interesting combination
between the subjects personality and Annie Leibovitzs style. Leibovitz originally
thought of becoming an artist could be a part of her way to express herself, her
background could have helped her forming her way to express herself in her photos. Her
signature portrait style is marked by a collaboration between the Leibovitz, as a
photographer, and the subject to make the subjects personality visible through the
photography. The poses in which she organizes her subjects are sometimes dramatic,
sometimes peculiar and odd, but they always work. Many of her photographs are
carefully staged.

For Gaps campaign Individuals of styles Leibovitz developed a, for her, new way of
working. Within the campaign the photographers technical skills have, according to me,
been faded down. Instead there is a focus on lifting the subjects personality. The style
Leibovitz has contributed with to this campaign is according to her straightforward and
direct. The campaign has featured a large number of celebrities. The subjects for the
campaign have not been chosen to the campaign just because of their achieved success
but also because of their individual sense of style. Gap has with help from the celebrities
individual style made the mass-market clothes from Gap unique. I believe this is an
effective and smart way of marketing, when famous and popular people wear Gap
clothes the customers or potential customers perceive it as that you do not have to buy
expensive designer clothes to dress like the stars. Gap says on their web page Every
day, we look for new ways to connect with customers around the world, provide value
to our shareholders and make a positive contribution in the communities where we do
business. (www.gapinc.com) I believe that the advertisement campaign and the
collaboration with Annie Leibovitz have contributed to fulfil this goal. Gap
communicates a message that everyone understands and because of its specific style
and expression the ads are widely recognized, they have affected the society with their
philosophy of life, and maybe they have made people believe in them self and their own
style in a wider extension. The pictures that Leibovitz has taken during the years for Gap
have all the same honesty and she captures the essence of the people she is shooting. A
picture says more than a thousand words and especially a picture taken by Annie
Leibovitz. The way Annie Leibovitz photograph people, really tells who they are.










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References

Literature:
Leibovitz, Annie(2008). Annie Leibovitz At work, Random House

Internet sources:

http://www.artknowledgenews.com/National_Portrait_Gallery_Individuals.html (2010-
01-07)

http://www.dn.se/blogg/mediebloggen/2009/08/05/krisens-senaste-offer-annie-
leibovitz-4296
(2009-12-29)

http://fototapeta.art.pl/fti-ale.html (2010-01-07)

http://www.gapinc.com/public/About/about.shtml (2010-01-06)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2006/oct/07/photography.art
(2010-01-06)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/the-big-question-does-the-red-
campaign-help-big-western-brands-more-than-africa-439425.html (2010-01-11)

http://www.joinred.com/News/Articles/ArticleDetail/08-11-
26/_RED_Room_Showcasing_Annie_Leibovitz_Photography_Opens_for_World_AIDS_Day
_at_the_National_Portrait_Gallery.aspx (2010-01-10)

http://www.kamerabild.se/nyheter/fotografer/Annie-Leibovitz-anklagas-for-bildstold-
1.241789.html
(2009-12-28)

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1990/02/12/73056/index
.htm (2010-01-11)

http://www.popcrunch.com/annie-leibovitz-miley-cyrus-nude-photo-vanity-fair-
magazine-statement/
(2009-12-28)

http://www.sfai.edu/People/Person.aspx?id=202&navID=6&sectionID=2&typeID=1
(2010-01-05)

Documentary:
Leibovitz, Barbara (2007), Annie Leibovitz: Life through a lens