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Portrait photography is an incredibly difficult art form to master but Annie Leibovitz managed to capture the living essence of her subjects; from John Lennon to Keith Richards, Miley Cyrus to Barack Obama. She is one of the most famous living photographers who has had a widely acclaimed career taking photos for magazines including some of the biggest names in the industry including the Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and numerous other publications.
Born in 1949, Leibovitz is one of the best known American photographers of recent times. She specialized in portrait photography (different from portrait mode), producing meaningful, engaging and emotive pictures of a wide range of the characters who shaped the modern world. She was the first woman to put on a solo exhibition in the Washington National Portrait Gallery.
Annie Leibovitz: 5 Best Photographs.
This photo of John Lennon was taken by Annie Leibovitz just one day before John Lennon was tragically shot by Mark David Chapman in 1980 while leaving his apartment in New York. Following his whirlwind rise to fame and more than a decade playing with the legendary Beatles, Lennon had turned his main energies towards the antiwar movement reminding people that the war would be over whenever we wanted it to be!
To this day conspiracy theories still swirl around the events of that fateful day that he was shot but all agreed it was a great loss to the world of music and modern culture. In this image with Yoko, John is expressing his close relationship with his wife in a typically unusual way.
Queen Elizabeth II.
Annie Leibovitz did a series of powerful, atmospheric and brooding images portraying Queen Elizabeth II as a distant, lonely and daunting figure in stark contrast to the photos backdrops. Queen Elizabeth is the longest serving monarch in the world with over 60 years on the throne of the United Kingdom.
It’s rare for photographers or artists to be allowed to portray the Queen and it is testament to Annie Leibovitz’s reputation as she grew over the course of her year to be one of the most authoritative voices in the industry.
In both of these images the Queen is portrayed in Buckingham Palace, her primary residence.
Whoopi Goldberg.
Whoopi Goldberg exploded onto the comedy scene playing leading roles in amazingly successful films such as Sister Act, which helped to make her a well loved household name. Whoopi has also done stand up comedy and later took up a role on a popular daytime talk show. This portrait really captures the fun loving side of Goldberg in a surrealistic and powerfully contrasting setting.
Nelson Mandela.
Nelson Mandela was the iconic leader of South Africa following the fall of the Apartheid system that had oppressed the people of his nation. After making some questionable choices in his early life, Mandela was sentenced to decades in the infamous Robben Island prison, however, after his release he led his country into a new era and went on to become one of the most popular world leaders on the planet, bringing a message of peace while harmony and inspiring many young people to join politics.
Lady Gaga.
In this fun and playful image Annie Leibowitz allows her more abstract and surreal side shine through! Lady Gaga is a modern cultural figure that can come across as quite a chameleon as she has reinvented herself several times throughout her increasingly successful career. The bright colors draw the eye into the image and the cleverly intriguing composition makes it a world class fashion photograph.
Learning from Annie Leibovitz.
Annie Leibovitz is an inspiring photographer that we can all learn a great deal from. Her portraits continually managed to capture the essence of her subjects while also being dramatic, emotive and unforgettable.
Top Tips for Portrait Photography.
- Select the right background for the photo. Does the background tell the audience something about the subject or add to the meaning of the picture?
- Try taking the photo in a number of different poses to find one that really allows your subject to express themselves naturally.
- Using post production software can really help to sharpen the image as well as allow you to add filters to the background to draw the viewers eyes to the subject.
- Keep the rule of thirds in mind while composing your photo.
- Be attentive to the lighting of the image.
Are you a fan of portrait photography?
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