Q&A
Leibovitz discusses ‘looking for the heart’ in her portraits
Photographer to sign her new book in Dunwoody
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Annie Leibovitz may not be quite as universally famous as the people she photographs — folks like Miley Cyrus and George W. Bush — but she’s more famous than anyone else who photographs them.
Leibovitz has been an A-list photographer since the early 1970s, creator of iconic images like a naked John Lennon fetally curled into Yoko Ono and Demi Moore cradling her pregnant belly. In her latest book, “At Work” (Random House, $40), the photos are smaller than usual and there’s more text, as Leibovitz recounts the stories of how hundreds of her photos came to be. She’ll tell some of those stories, and sign “At Work,” Wednesday night at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody.
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
In 1984, she submerged Whoopi Goldberg in a tub of milk for a portrait.
Annie Leibovitz discusses and signs "At Work." 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers. 678-812-4002; www.atlantajcc.org.
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She took a few minutes in advance of her appearance to talk with the AJC about the book, about getting celebrities to strip, and about getting older (and wiser).
Q. You write in “At Work” that one of the reasons you were attracted to photography was that you were impatient, and painting took too long. Have you continued to be impatient, or have you learned patience over the years?
A. One of the great things about getting older is things seem to settle down. There’s a lot of things that come with age that are kind of a relief on some level. You don’t feel like you have to take every picture, that you’re missing pictures. It’s sort of making peace with life. When you’re young you’re all over the place. You don’t really know what you’re doing.
Q. When you’re on the road promoting your book, going from city to city, do you bring a camera to the event itself, just in case there’s something you want to shoot?
A. I always have a camera with me. There’s a camera in my bag 2 feet from me. I like to have it. It’s like your snuggly or your little blankey. It’s there in case you see something you must take a picture of. But I don’t do it as often as I used to do, except when I’m on assignment. I’m more interested in being there than I am in taking pictures.
Q. You were instrumental in developing the idea of a cover photo for a magazine being something arresting and memorable. Now we have scads of magazine cover photos. Has this art form been cheapened through overexposure?
A. It doesn’t even exist any more, really. Magazines need to sell. The covers are like advertising. They test the covers to see what sells better. If the cover doesn’t sell well, it’s your fault. It’s lost its whole ability to be something really special.
Q. When you work with celebrities and you’re trying to get them to trust you, do the paparazzi and tabloid culture make establishing that bond more difficult?
A. No, I think I stand on other ground. My sittings are pretty old-fashioned. It’s more like: What are we going to do? It’s a collaboration.
Q. One of the photos that really struck me in “At Work” was that old photo of Robert Penn Warren, stripped to the waist. Even though he’s not in the same realm of celebrity as John Lennon and Miley Cyrus, the idea of getting famous people partially undressed seems to be an ongoing theme.
A. When the book “1970-1990” came out, which was the first chapter of my career, people started saying, “I see you take people’s clothes off all the time.” I said, “I do?” I wasn’t aware I was doing that. I do like the body. It’s a way to show intimacy. It’s a peeling back, a looking for the heart. There’s all different reasons. As I get older I’m looking for other ways to express myself. Maybe it was part of being young also.
Q. For regular people who have a $200 digital camera but don’t have any partially clothed celebrities handy, what one or two things should they keep in mind when shooting their own portraits?
A. My favorite portraits are family and friends. When you get started, stay close to home and photograph your family and friends. Then you can measure what intimacy is like to be close to someone and photograph someone who will put up with you, and then measure that to someone you don’t know. I’d recommend if you’re interested in portrait work, start with people who know you.
