Shaina Patel Pic-Essay

The portrait photography of Annie Leibovtiz is extremely powerful and filled with emotion. While most of her notable work features celebrities and public figures, several of her other pieces encompass a range of subjects including scenes, ordinary people and even interpretations. Leibovitz’s portraiture appears to be different than traditional portraiture in that much thought goes into how her subject is placed as well as the scene surrounding them. Most of her work features people as subjects rather than objects as she attempts to capture the drama and flare that they produce. Several of her portraits have landed the covers of magazines and galleries; these portraits tend to show people in raw and exposed scenes to showcase the beauty and thought put into each photograph. The power of her portraits can be seen in examples such as the photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, portraits of pop icon Michael Jackson and portraits of Queen Elizabeth II. I personally find Leibovitz’s photography to be successful based on her use of surrounding elements and staging to create both extravagant and simple scenes that equally convey the same amount of emotion, power and beauty. The dramatic flare that she adds to each photograph is done in such a tasteful manner that her scenes appear almost natural to everyday life. This can be seen in simple scenes such as those of a pregnant Demi Moore holding her stomach, or scenes of the Obama family lounging on a lawn.

            Leibovitz also calls on interpretation to create her infamous scenes. I was personally intrigued by the “Year of a Million Dreams” campaign she worked on for the Walt Disney Company. The spread featured different celebrities in the roles of famous Disney characters, however the photographs did not resemble the happy emotions one feels when watching a Disney classic. Leibovitz’s interpretations were darker than their traditional counterparts; each scene appeared to be hauntingly beautiful featuring celebrities wearing costumes similar to the originals, however several of the scenes and colors were muted and gave off a somber feeling. Overall, I consider the entire series of photographs to be successful based on their finished appearance. Most of this finishing is definitely due to Leibovitz’s eye for editing and again, dramtic flare. Every one of her photographs, including her portraits and other series, showcases her abilities with both cameras and computers. Her work appears to encompass most, if not all, of the elements and principles of art, as well as an aesthetic unique to her.