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29th out of 196 books
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Annie Leibovitz at Work: The Making of a Photograph
“The first thing I did with my very first camera was climb Mt. Fuji. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a lesson in determination and moderation. It would be fair to ask if I took the moderation part to heart. But it certainly was a lesson in respecting your camera. If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant. There were not going to b...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
November 18th 2008
by Random House
(first published October 23rd 2008)
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I really enjoyed this book, which includes some of her photographs, but also some essays which read like short conversations. Something she might have said over coffee. Plus there are some fun celebrity anecdotes, and a lot of the thought process, and other processes, behind her pictures. I recommend it.
A quote:
"Where did 'Smile for the camera' come from? It's a tic. A way of directing attention to the camera. 'Look at the birdie.' The smile is a component of family pict...more
A quote:
"Where did 'Smile for the camera' come from? It's a tic. A way of directing attention to the camera. 'Look at the birdie.' The smile is a component of family pict...more
I knew the photos would be great, but i was really surprised by the text... A succinct and compelling autobiography of an ever-evolving artist and the various milieus she works in. I read it in one sitting. I wish the book contained nice reproductions of just a few more of the photos she discusses in the text, but other than that I think this is just fantastic.
This is a terrific volume. It represents a series of her photos, well illustrating her art, with brief essays going along with the photos.
I was keen to see the Rolling Stones in their 1975 concert tour--and saw them twice in Buffalo (once indoors and once outdoors). What a set of events! And Leibovitz was the official tour photographer. So her photos of the tour (including a couple from Buffalo) gave this a more personal sense.
Anyhow, this is a fine work. If you are i...more
I was keen to see the Rolling Stones in their 1975 concert tour--and saw them twice in Buffalo (once indoors and once outdoors). What a set of events! And Leibovitz was the official tour photographer. So her photos of the tour (including a couple from Buffalo) gave this a more personal sense.
Anyhow, this is a fine work. If you are i...more
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Annie Leibovitz has a writing style similar to Maya Angelou; calm & wise. (Something I'm not sure I will ever accomplish myself.) But the most astonishing thing about this book is realizing how she has been a fly on the wall at some of the most groundbreaking moments in the last 30 years.
She photographed Andy Warhol and Truman Capote together. She photographed Arnold Schwarzenegger with Dolly Parton. She photographed Bush, Cheney, Rice & Powell in the Cabinet Room (because the Oval...more
She photographed Andy Warhol and Truman Capote together. She photographed Arnold Schwarzenegger with Dolly Parton. She photographed Bush, Cheney, Rice & Powell in the Cabinet Room (because the Oval...more
I had been to see an exhibition of Annie Leibovitzs work both here at Te Papa and in London. Her iconic pictures are so well known, that it was always a surprise to see one of a celebrity that I hadn't seen before. I guess she has been taking photos since I was born, so there were quite a few that I didn't recognise.
I couldn't get over the feeling, that for much of the work that she was trying to justify that her work was hard - not just simple point and shoot sessions....more
I couldn't get over the feeling, that for much of the work that she was trying to justify that her work was hard - not just simple point and shoot sessions....more
A thoroughly interesting book. Leibovitz recounts the stories behind some of her most famous (and infamous) photographs. I have to admit that I didn't know much about her early career, and I found myself being really impressed by all the different sorts of people and situations her work has covered -- I think that when people think of Leibovitz, what comes to mind is celebrity photography and Vanity Fair shoots. I had no idea that she photographed Sarajevo, for example.
I'm tryin...more
I'm tryin...more
Many interesting anecdotes about working with the Rolling Stones, Hunter Thomson, the Queen, Obama, the methods of other photographers.
Trivia:
p 18. "I had the nagging feeling that magazines were the wrong road, that working for one was selling out, but feeling guilty is not a bad thing. You should always question what you do.'
p 168. "It took me years to understand that I equated asking someone to smile with asking them to do something false."
...more
Trivia:
p 18. "I had the nagging feeling that magazines were the wrong road, that working for one was selling out, but feeling guilty is not a bad thing. You should always question what you do.'
p 168. "It took me years to understand that I equated asking someone to smile with asking them to do something false."
...more
This book is a series of photographs with accompanying short essays. The culmination is a wide-angle view of how Annie Leibovitz works and has worked. She discusses equipment, lighting, sets, studios, fake smiles, musicians, actors, athletes and politicians spanning the decades of her career. The move for film to digital is a quiet discussion - it's inevitable, digital is here, so we will adjust. There are some magical moments captured here. It's impossible not to be amazed by the specific histo...more
If you have even a passing interest in the process of photography you should read this book. Annie Leibovitz has unquestionably taken some of the most iconic and historic pictures of the past 40 years, and in this book she opens up and talks about the circumstances and the stories behind photos that are so iconic, they're almost taken for granted.
The book spans the entirety of her career, from the resignation of Richard Nixon, to her absolutely gorgeous portraits of the Queen of E...more
The book spans the entirety of her career, from the resignation of Richard Nixon, to her absolutely gorgeous portraits of the Queen of E...more
I expected the book to be full of photographs but was surprised by the generous amount of text that she dedicated to her work. I didn't know much of Annie's work but quickly picked up on the famous photographs that she took; complimentary to that though was how she described with detail her experiences behind these photographs.
Her writing is very easy to follow and compliments the photos perfectly. There were some instances in which she described some photos which weren't shown, and ...more
Her writing is very easy to follow and compliments the photos perfectly. There were some instances in which she described some photos which weren't shown, and ...more
Review posted on our blog as well: http://pulp.orangephotography.com/blog/?...
I received At Work from my family as a holiday gift and read it in one day so you know it’s a quick read. The book clocks in at 237 pages and has a nice mix of images and the back stories to them. I really enjoyed the book to get her perspective on how she produces the images she creates as well as the logistics, thought and ideas that go into creating each shot. Her anecdotes are quite entertaining as wel...more
I received At Work from my family as a holiday gift and read it in one day so you know it’s a quick read. The book clocks in at 237 pages and has a nice mix of images and the back stories to them. I really enjoyed the book to get her perspective on how she produces the images she creates as well as the logistics, thought and ideas that go into creating each shot. Her anecdotes are quite entertaining as wel...more
"I'm interested in getting something unpredictable, something you don't normally see. Even so, when the picture starts to happen, it's often a surprise."
Annie Leibovitz is not my favorite photographer. At least, she wasn't one of my favorites before I read this book. But! Her essays are so beautiful, especially when they're coupled with photographs showing the time of her life she's discussing or, even better, an exact photograph she's extrapolating on. I loved reading her ...more
Annie Leibovitz is not my favorite photographer. At least, she wasn't one of my favorites before I read this book. But! Her essays are so beautiful, especially when they're coupled with photographs showing the time of her life she's discussing or, even better, an exact photograph she's extrapolating on. I loved reading her ...more
An incredible look at the behind the scenes process of photography through the pen of one of the most biggest portraitists of this age. Spanning her entire career, first as a stringer for a fledgling Rolling Stone to going on tour with bands and finally a session with the Queen of England. She's frank and the writing is raw.
There are technical aspects of the book, but it's not a manual by any means. Peppered with famous images from her incredible body of work, like her photography or...more
There are technical aspects of the book, but it's not a manual by any means. Peppered with famous images from her incredible body of work, like her photography or...more
Just received a lovely (thanks Barbara) signed edition of this and flew through it. The text (which is based on conversations but rendered as though it is Annie writing/speaking directly) is at times disjointed and clumsy, but clumsy or not it offers an fascinating glimpse into Leibovitz' process. Best for me were the remembrances of touring with the Stones, watching Ah-nold become Ah-nold over the years, and learning that Al Sharpton once managed SOul Brother #1 Mr. James Brown and adopted hi...more
I've never felt I was that influenced by Annie Leibovitz, then I read this book and began to realize that most of my favorite images from the late 70s and 80s were taken by her. Additionally, a lot of the ways she approaches a subject - a photo - are ways that I try to approach a subject (especially when she was still new).
This book gives a very quick insight into how her mind moves and thinks - its not a discussion on how she did the shoot, its more a discussion on the thoughts aro...more
This book gives a very quick insight into how her mind moves and thinks - its not a discussion on how she did the shoot, its more a discussion on the thoughts aro...more
I don't really care for Annie Leibovitz as a writer; I felt like this book was 90% cut and dry description of things that happened to Annie and only 10% interesting insights into the things that happened. Nevertheless, her pictures really are iconic and the contemporary nature of her work makes learning the context of her photos all the more interesting. It's fun to read the anecdotes she has collected over the years from working with people like the Queen, Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, etc. Her...more
I have to take off my writer's hat and put on my photographer's hat when I read this. When I put on my writer's hat, I want more detail - lots more detail. As a photographer, she gives literally snapshots (through words) on some of the things she's thinking about and the events that took place as she has executed some of her more famous works. It's also interesting to see the evolution of photography through her eyes. Overall, worth the read. It was also really nice to read something about the a...more
Full disclosure: I only skimmed the text of this book. That said, the real draw here are the photos. Sure, there are dozens of Leibovitz's iconic shots that you've seen many times before, but there are also scores of lesser known photos that are just as striking. Each chapter contains a few photographs on a theme (war, Hollywood, The Rolling Stones, etc.) accompanied by Leibovitz's recollections about what went into making the photos. The final few chapters also include lists of her favorite...more
I honestly was hoping for a bit more candidness in the book... Leibovitz does share stories behind many of her famous photographs, but rarely shows or admits personal fragility. A bit more honesty would do wonders to this book; it often seems that she's hesitant to tell the entire story for fear of making herself or others looks bad. Of course, if I were Annie, I might remember very little about the feelings or details behind a still image from 30 years ago.
Worth a read, but probably...more
Worth a read, but probably...more
A behind the scenes account from her pov on what happened with each of her iconic photographs. Really interesting to read the details such as how john and yoko were to each other or how demi acted with bruce during the naked pregnancy photos. The best part was at the end where there is a layout of the photos in how they were published. So you see copies of the magazine covers or inside layouts. Way cool. Tends to get a little dry in some areas as Annie doesn't seem like an upbeat outgoing p...more
This book was a very pleasant surprise. A book filled with nice photos, and in addition with wonderful text by the photographer to accompany the photos. Annie Leibovitz does magic when it comes to portraits of celebrities, and portraits in general. I was most pleased with the very easy-flowing narrative, where she describes her way to the top. Her text is very intimate.
She does not only tell us about her journey as a photographer. Her text also has loads of information about how profes...more
She does not only tell us about her journey as a photographer. Her text also has loads of information about how profes...more
Since I obviously can't afford this one, I leafed through the pages for almost an hour in a bookstore yesterday. The book was told in an honest narration from Annie's POV.
She talked about her life as a photographer, how every moments, every pictures, and every equipment make her what she is today. I personally loved the Amex anecdote and Rolling Stones tour story.
And I understand now why Kate Moss is still on demand, despite her personal lifestyle choices.
One word f...more
She talked about her life as a photographer, how every moments, every pictures, and every equipment make her what she is today. I personally loved the Amex anecdote and Rolling Stones tour story.
And I understand now why Kate Moss is still on demand, despite her personal lifestyle choices.
One word f...more
Annie Leibovitz is right up there as one of the most important photographers of our time. Her work is simply brilliant, and I loved how in this book she lets the reader into both her life and her work. I especially loved how many times she said her ideas didn't work or she didn't get the picture she wanted or planned to get. Those statements, along with images of all the beautiful, riveting photographs she did get, are inspirational for photographers at any level.
Finished this up this morning after reading half of it last night. I love the idea of this book and how the focus is put on the stories of how the photos were made more so than the photos themselves. Reading the stories was really interesting, especially with regard to all the famous photos Annie has taken. It was good to read more of Annie's story as well and learn how she started and what her struggles, as a photographer, were. Makes her seem more real.
While I'm not necessarily in awe of Annie Leibovitz's photography, she is hard to ignore from the vast amount of opportunities she's had. It is hard at times to judge her work on it's own, minus the recognition of seeing it on a thousand magazine covers, or from the A-list celebrities that dominate her subjects. That being said, I really liked the tone of this book. It felt personal without giving into condensation or vagueness. I came away admiring her dedication and wonder for her craft.
I was expecting a book of photographs but ended up with so much more. Annie takes us through the 70's and her work with "Rolling Stone Magazine" and her infamous covers, including how she was able to get Bette Midler to lie in a bed of roses and have Whoopi Goldberg soak in a bathtub of milk. She takes us through to the days of Watergate and Nixon and all the way to the present day and how she took her photo of now, President Barack Obama. More than anything else it is a history book. ...more
Became fascinated with Leibovitz post my checking out the Vanity Fair Exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum... I even bought a camera and started taking photography classes. This book is such a pleasant read, but it's not a book full of her photographs... it's a book describing how she works, which I absolutely love. I do wish the photographs in the book were bigger, though.
A good read for anyone, especially a photography lover.
A good read for anyone, especially a photography lover.
As a photographer, I greatly appreciate Annie Leibovitz's work and was able to find a plethora of inspiration from this book through the images and also the stories that she tells. The only reason I did not rate this 5 stars was because of the restraint I felt in some of the things she said. Perhaps its just her personality, I really don't know, but she came off as extremely reserved and even masked. I just felt like she said a lot of things about certain people in a very political way, although...more
for the most part, i think almost all of leibovitz's eloquence is used up in her photographs. the text is interesting, but not illuminating, except in one instance in which leibovitz recalls a conversation with patti smith, years after she had taken her photograph: "She says she came to understand many years later that the person I had seen when I took the photograph was someone she wasn't consciously aware of then. That she grew into the person in the picture." it's the kind of statem...more
Annie Leibovitz at Work by Annie Leibovitz is an autobiographical account of the famous photographer's career expressed as commentary on a selection of photographs arranged chronologically. Unpretentiously discussing celebrities as clients and exotic locations as backdrops, Leibovitz's engaging voice marks the occasions of her growth as technician and artist from Richard Nixon's resignation to Barack Obama's campaign, with many stops at such places as the Chateau de Versailles and Buckingham Pa...more
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Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer whose style is marked by a close collaboration between the photographer and the subject.
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz is the third of six children in a Jewish family. Her mother was a modern dance instructor, while her father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. The family moved f...more
More about Annie Leibovitz...
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz is the third of six children in a Jewish family. Her mother was a modern dance instructor, while her father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. The family moved f...more
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