“I don’t have two lives,” Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990—2005. “...
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reviews
Apr 02, 2009
Jackie
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I wish I liked this book more, because I really like her work. But the photos she chose for this personal memoir of her life included a lot of photos that were undoubtedly special to her, but to which the reader is clueless. She doesn't explain much, which is fine (it's a photography "essay" of sorts, and so her art should speak for herself) but she traveled all over the world, and usually with Susan Sonntag (her partner) and rarely put really phenomenal shots of these places in the bo
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Feb 27, 2008
Brenna
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This book is really heavy....if you do not like it you can always use it to prop open a window.
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May 15, 2008
Lisa
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I probably found this book especially interesting because I read it after attending an exhibit by the same name at one of our local art museums.
I’ve always admired Leibovitz’s photographs and I knew a little about her life, but I never realized how central family (both hers and others’) are for her.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the landscape photos. I particularly enjoyed the photos of her family, and the stories behind them. Perusing the text and viewing the phot More...
I’ve always admired Leibovitz’s photographs and I knew a little about her life, but I never realized how central family (both hers and others’) are for her.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the landscape photos. I particularly enjoyed the photos of her family, and the stories behind them. Perusing the text and viewing the phot More...
Aug 15, 2009
Mo
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The good stuff in here is really good. The stuff I don't like as much I know was intended to make the book intimate and introspective -- one or two pictures of naked, pregnant Annie would have been more than enough to get that across. One or two pictures of Susan Sontag naked in the tub would have been more than sufficient. But there are lots. Almost as though Annie couldn't make up her mind which one to put in . . .
Oct 24, 2010
CD
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I have spent a lot of time in many small moments looking through and at single images in this huge book. Originally 2 or three photograph's and a 'series' caught my eye and prompted it being added to my collection.
I've since found several more photos that elevate this to a favorite book and it doesn't sit on the coffee table.
The death photos of Susan Sontag are gripping and somber.
Political statements abound within this work but are mostly subtle and intense witho More...
I've since found several more photos that elevate this to a favorite book and it doesn't sit on the coffee table.
The death photos of Susan Sontag are gripping and somber.
Political statements abound within this work but are mostly subtle and intense witho More...
Feb 14, 2010
Cathy
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This book is a trip through Annie Leibovitz's life through her photographs, some personal and some commissioned. The first time I picked it up was in Barnes and Noble. I found a comfy and chair and just started flipping through. I sat there for over an hour looking at her images and was literally driven to tears in the middle of a bookstore. Truly amazing that photographs can have that sort of power.
Aug 07, 2009
Arian
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This book, besides being absolutely massive in size is one of the most personal and beautiful collections I have ever seen. Annie Leibovitz has gone though some of the most personal and intimate times in her life and shared them with us, from the death of her partner and father, to the birth of her first child when she was 51. Deeply moving. As a photographer I am just in awe of her talent and bravery.
Jan 10, 2009
Dwayne
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An absolutely Fantastic Book! Shows pictures from VAnity Fair as well as personal photos with Susan Sontag before her death (also has shots of the World Trade Center burning which she took from her own New York apartment when she was pregnant). I'm amazed by how personal this book is, and always amazed by how she chooses to frame her subject matter.
Jul 07, 2009
Delight
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This was a look inside the mind of a great photographer. I have been intrigued by some of the covers and photos she has taken over the years and often wondered "where did she get that idea?!". This book attempts to share some of her thinking, although I found it a bit lacking. Still, it was fun to look at some of her favorite photos with her commentary.
Jan 06, 2009
Christina
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Annie Leibovitz has lived an incredibly interesting life. The people she's met, the things she's done, and the places she's gone are enough to fill three lifetimes, and she still has many more things to do. I find her life fascinating, and this book does a good job chronicling both her triumphs and her tragedies.
Feb 16, 2008
Naomi
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An intimate portrait of the author's life, sprinkled bizarrely with celebrity photos. A friend of mine criticized Leibovitz' juxtaposition of the intimacy of her life with Susan Sontag, and Sontag's death, with her usual celebrity shots. However, Leibovitz explains in the introduction that this was how her life is. She moves constantly from intimate personal spaces into this other world that is her work. In that context, I was okay with the mixture of photos. The personal photos are VERY intimat
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Aug 05, 2011
Annie Leibovitz has a very interesting story to tell. Her idea of not distinguishing between personal and professional photographs in order to create a single history of her and Susan Sontag's life is very intriguing. Some of the pictures I was blown away by; some did not impress me much, but as a collection, I found it be captivating.
Dec 27, 2008
Joseph
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What a great bunch of stories about shooting famous figures -- Leibovitz is surprisingly generous and humble in her anecdotes. Could have been twice as long, with twice as many photos, twice as big.
Jan 20, 2009
Diane
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Annie Leibovitz' tribute to her late partner Susan Sontag and to her family. It's a touching and well-thought-out photographic essay about the seasons of life.
Jan 07, 2009
Antonina
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Great book, it's a shame though that so many pictures are placed on the spread, thus destroying the photo's integrity and impression.
Feb 03, 2010
Blackpanic
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Annie gave me a signed copy of this after we wrapped her American Masters episode. I have only nice things to say about it. It is gorgeous!
Feb 24, 2009
Elizabeth
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I loved, loved, loved this book. I continue to think about many of the photographs in this amazing book and recommend it often.
Jan 09, 2009
Yamo
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love her photos - didnt realize that some of the most memorable rolling stone magazine photos I remember were hers.
Jan 18, 2011
Fantastic compilation of a period of this Artists work. An amazing glimpse into her personal life as well.
Jan 17, 2008
Shelbs
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this was a book i picked up and flipped through one night at friend's house after drinking too much wine. i didn't expect annie l's book to be so personal. with an unflinching eye she captured the erosion of her lover's health to cancer. the photos of susan sontag's corpse were so incredibly painful to look at. i was expecting to see photographs of her celebrity subjects...and i got more than i bargained for. in particular the photos of susan sontag receive chemotherapy and shaving her head mad
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Feb 25, 2009
Michael
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Wonderful. Her personal work is much more powerful than her commercial stuff.
Oct 28, 2007
paige
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while her celebrity portraits are well executed, always nailing the glam ones and intimate portraits alike it is her "private" photographs that give her the title as one of the best photographers of this century. her ability to private candide moments of her family show that she was always working, even subconsciously. one of my favorite photograph's of susan (susan at the house on hedges lane, wainscott, long island, 1988</i) is within the first few pages; from then on i silentl
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Jun 20, 2011
Margarite
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She chronicles the celebrations and heartbreaks of her large and robust family.
Aug 21, 2008
Terry
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If you are interested in Photography, this is the Photographer to read about. Her passion continues to inspire me to this day. Everytime I look at her photographs, I remember why I became a photographer. It isn't just about making the stars look beautiful with her, its about documenting her life including her partner, Susan Sontag passing, her children, and her family. It's also about making a difference photographing people who matter to small groups of people.
Sep 13, 2007
Pam
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WOW- this is my favorite photographer of all time! the one who has inspired me to be a portrait photographer. this book is Annie's picks on her favorite photographs that she has taken. largely based of her family and her uncertain relationship w/ Susan.
she's truly inspirational. she has a way in capturing a moment, the light, the feeling.
I wanna be like Annie!
p.s. I'm not sure picture books clasify as "reading", but I love it still...
she's truly inspirational. she has a way in capturing a moment, the light, the feeling.
I wanna be like Annie!
p.s. I'm not sure picture books clasify as "reading", but I love it still...
Apr 28, 2008
Myriam
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Overall, a wonderful retrospective; the non-celebrity photos are the most gripping, especially those that reveal the photographer (self-portraits; portraits of Susan Sontag and the author's daughters). Not a big fan of Leibovitz's pop-culture layout (the over-size book and photos...something she also does in shows where photos are printed like posters on boards, often, instead of as fine prints, framed).
Nov 17, 2008
Robert
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While Leibovitz's portrait and commercial work are well known, it her personal work that really stirs me in this book. She chronicles the death of her partner, Susan Sontag, and her father. Very emotional and quite the departure of her career work. The lack of 5 stars in only because I am not a huge fan of her commercial work and there is still too much of that here for me.
