What do you think?
Photographs: Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz's first book. All celebrity portraits: The Stones, Townsend, Michael Douglas, Patti Smith, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, etc. 142 pages; color and b&w photographic plates through out; 9.25 x 12.25 inches.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 1983
About the author
Annie Leibovitz
89 books236 followersAnna-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 frequently with her father's duty assignments, and she took her first pictures when he was stationed in the Philippines.
In high school, she became interested in various artistic endeavours, and began to write and play music. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute. She became interested in photography after taking pictures when she lived in the Philippines, where her Air Force father was stationed during the Vietnam War. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while she worked various jobs, including a stint on a kibbutz Amir in Israel for several months in 1969.
When Leibovitz returned to America in 1970, she worked for the recently launched Rolling Stone magazine. In 1973, publisher Jann Wenner named Leibovitz chief photographer of Rolling Stone. Leibovitz worked for the magazine until 1983, and her intimate photographs of celebrities helped define the Rolling Stone look.
In 1975, Leibovitz served as a concert-tour photographer for The Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas.
Since 1983, Leibovitz has worked as a featured portrait photographer for Vanity Fair.
Leibovitz sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement of her Vanity Fair cover photograph of a pregnant Demi Moore from a 1991 issue titled "More Demi Moore." Paramount had commissioned a parody photograph of Leslie Nielsen, pregnant, for use in a promotional poster for the 1994 comedy Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. The case, Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., has become an important fair use case in U.S. copyright law. At trial, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found that Paramount's use of the photo constituted fair use because parodies were likely to generate little or no licensing revenue. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed.
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 frequently with her father's duty assignments, and she took her first pictures when he was stationed in the Philippines.
In high school, she became interested in various artistic endeavours, and began to write and play music. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute. She became interested in photography after taking pictures when she lived in the Philippines, where her Air Force father was stationed during the Vietnam War. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while she worked various jobs, including a stint on a kibbutz Amir in Israel for several months in 1969.
When Leibovitz returned to America in 1970, she worked for the recently launched Rolling Stone magazine. In 1973, publisher Jann Wenner named Leibovitz chief photographer of Rolling Stone. Leibovitz worked for the magazine until 1983, and her intimate photographs of celebrities helped define the Rolling Stone look.
In 1975, Leibovitz served as a concert-tour photographer for The Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas.
Since 1983, Leibovitz has worked as a featured portrait photographer for Vanity Fair.
Leibovitz sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement of her Vanity Fair cover photograph of a pregnant Demi Moore from a 1991 issue titled "More Demi Moore." Paramount had commissioned a parody photograph of Leslie Nielsen, pregnant, for use in a promotional poster for the 1994 comedy Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. The case, Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., has become an important fair use case in U.S. copyright law. At trial, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found that Paramount's use of the photo constituted fair use because parodies were likely to generate little or no licensing revenue. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 20, 2018
Great collection. This book includes great shots of The Rolling Stones, Muhammad Ali, Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Blondie and many others, all showing great personality. Richard Pryor and Lily Tomlin's photo (1974) was lovely, but one of my favorites is Patty Smith's, taken in New Orleans in 1978 - simply stunning. And the most memorable is, of course, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's portrait, taken in New York on the day of his murder.
Aug 20, 18
Aug 20, 18
January 8, 2021
Another sleepless night, another book. Easy "read" (?), or in better words, easy to look at.
I came across Annie Leibovitz through Susan Sontag and through that famous photo of John Lennon and his wife. I love her work, and the most notable one is the one she took of Leonardo DiCaprio in his young days with a swan around his neck. Such a photo!
There's an interesting documentary about her, you can watch the whole of it on YouTube, if you're interested to know more about her:
https://youtu.be/C5AKqjpPJQ8
I came across Annie Leibovitz through Susan Sontag and through that famous photo of John Lennon and his wife. I love her work, and the most notable one is the one she took of Leonardo DiCaprio in his young days with a swan around his neck. Such a photo!
There's an interesting documentary about her, you can watch the whole of it on YouTube, if you're interested to know more about her:
https://youtu.be/C5AKqjpPJQ8
September 14, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
Questi ritratti risalenti agli anni ‘70 e ‘80, a mio avviso, sono molto più veri e belli delle foto grandiose da editoriale degli anni 2000.
Questi ritratti risalenti agli anni ‘70 e ‘80, a mio avviso, sono molto più veri e belli delle foto grandiose da editoriale degli anni 2000.
February 28, 2019
"There is something about Annie Leibovitz that inspires people to reveal themselves...The Leibovitz touch is witty, humane, affectionately mocking. Here is arresting proof of the way Annie Leibovitz has revitalized the portrait..." - The New York Times Book Review.
Until I did put my hands on a photobook by Annie Leibovitz I was somewhat hesitant to call her more than a celebrity/fashion photographer, regardless of how talented she is. Now, I see that I was so childish and ignorant in my assumption.
One of the things that makes Leibovitz's photographs great, to stand out, is that these musicians, actors, designers or models - artist mainly - are almost seen laid bare, "with no guard or shield" as Annie said at one point in her Masterclass. Therefore, these famous and succesful people appear vulnerable, happy or sad, they are more authentically represented, they can be themselves, without trying to put on a persona, a "good show", to entertain and entertain...
The contrasts and aesthetics of some of the photos are really something, like Woody Allen standing in a pink environment or Muhammad Ali being dressed in black and laying on these red stairs. Every photograph of Annie tells a story, a way to see or present people, feelings.
I can't tell that this photographer or this writer/actor/musician is the greatest - because I would ignore the diversity and nuances of the others - but Leibovitz surely is among the greatest photographers of all time and it's an absolute pleasure to see her creativity at work and without sounding sexist, being a very succesful female photographer, she surely teached a lot of male photographers a lesson ha ha. And keeps inspiring everyone in her path.
P.S.: At the end of the book I had the thrill to read an interview with Leibovitz in which she tells a really interesting story about how she photographed the famous Cartier-Bresson. Also on the back cover a photo is taken of Annie by Robert Mapplethorpe. There you have it, three of the most special and outstanding photographers in one place.
Until I did put my hands on a photobook by Annie Leibovitz I was somewhat hesitant to call her more than a celebrity/fashion photographer, regardless of how talented she is. Now, I see that I was so childish and ignorant in my assumption.
One of the things that makes Leibovitz's photographs great, to stand out, is that these musicians, actors, designers or models - artist mainly - are almost seen laid bare, "with no guard or shield" as Annie said at one point in her Masterclass. Therefore, these famous and succesful people appear vulnerable, happy or sad, they are more authentically represented, they can be themselves, without trying to put on a persona, a "good show", to entertain and entertain...
The contrasts and aesthetics of some of the photos are really something, like Woody Allen standing in a pink environment or Muhammad Ali being dressed in black and laying on these red stairs. Every photograph of Annie tells a story, a way to see or present people, feelings.
I can't tell that this photographer or this writer/actor/musician is the greatest - because I would ignore the diversity and nuances of the others - but Leibovitz surely is among the greatest photographers of all time and it's an absolute pleasure to see her creativity at work and without sounding sexist, being a very succesful female photographer, she surely teached a lot of male photographers a lesson ha ha. And keeps inspiring everyone in her path.
P.S.: At the end of the book I had the thrill to read an interview with Leibovitz in which she tells a really interesting story about how she photographed the famous Cartier-Bresson. Also on the back cover a photo is taken of Annie by Robert Mapplethorpe. There you have it, three of the most special and outstanding photographers in one place.
July 14, 2019
I'm not really a big lover of color photos. This is OK.
September 1, 2010
I admit I picked this off the shelf at the library without looking beyond the title, so it's all my own fault, but I was hoping for commentary about the photos themselves, preferably by Annie Leibovitz herself. It's a wonderful collection of images, but I was looking for stories to go with them. This was not the right book for me. But, again, great photos, worth a flipping through at least!
June 9, 2017
Great photobook! This is the first photobook compilation of Annie Leibovitz. Albeit she hadn't explored very much on the different topics of her style, but this book is quite something to be seen now at this time. My favorite is the picture of Carly Simon and James Taylor. I saw Carly's stretch marks. That's beautiful.
April 3, 2018
Clearly not just images, clearly not just a photo shoot of a famous person. These people of whom there are already countless images, are revealed here with personality and spunk. William Hurt and Clint Eastwood wowed me off my feet. After that shot of Bette Midler, I hope nobody ever again attempts to take a photo of her.
June 9, 2026
I inherited some anti-Leibovitz bias from my old film developer, and I am glad to say that I can move on from that now. These are killer portraits in a wide range of settings, each of which complimentary to their subjects in fresh and intriguing ways. Really great stuff, want to make up for lost time by seeking out more of her stuff after this.
June 8, 2021
Maybe i expect kind of different types of portraits. The name of the book is also doesn't carry the content. Photographs is too general comparing to celebrities portraits. But about the portraits, just simple realistic shots which actually is a good idea but not what I expected.
December 30, 2017
A wonderful collection 💚
August 18, 2025
I bought my softcover copy within the last month for one of my birthday books. A keeper, even my auntie became intrigued by the photographs. Of course, I handed it to her in the car. (NO SARCASM) She found wonder and stimulation plus 998 other adjectives, as do I.
April 18, 2018
dauguma nuotraukų iš darytos roing stonų žurnalui jau leid-iamam spalvotai
May 26, 2021
很多照片確實很經典。
即使不知道這個人的背景，也能透過照片看到複雜的經驗寫出的特質。
女攝影師晚年嚴重禿頂，也是很罕見了。
即使不知道這個人的背景，也能透過照片看到複雜的經驗寫出的特質。
女攝影師晚年嚴重禿頂，也是很罕見了。
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews