Out Spotlight XXXXII

Today's Out Spotlight is Annie Leibovitz. Leibovitz has become on the most famous portrait photographers in the world. Her unique style vision and approach has put her in a class of her own.

Born in 1949 the third child of six to a dance instructor and a U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel, Annie Leibovitz became interested in photography after taking pictures during her time in the Philippines as an Air Force brat where her father was assigned at the time of the Vietnam War. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while she worked various jobs, including a stint on a kibbutz in Israel for several months in 1969.

In 1967, there was small magazine beginning in the San Francisco area, called Rolling Stone. After Annie returned to the U.S. in 1970 she began taking pictures for Rolling Stone, and in 1973 was named by publisher Jann Wenner as chief photographer of Rolling Stone. Leibovitz worked for the magazine until 1983, and her intimate photographs of celebrities helped define the Rolling Stone look.

Strongly influence by her mother's background in dance she tried to capture movement in her photographs. Later she reinvented portrait photography by collaborating between her and subjects creating inventive personal person portraits.

Since 1983, Leibovitz has worked as a featured portrait photographer for Vanity Fair.

Leibovitz had relationship with writer Susan Sontag until Sontag's death. Although they never lived to together they had apartment that look into the other's. They never acknowledge what their relation ship was but when Leibovitz was interviewed for her 2006 book A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, she said the book told a number of stories, and that "with Susan, it was a love story."

Leibovitz acknowledged that she and Sontag were romantically involved. When asked why she used terms like "companion" to describe Sontag, instead of more specific ones like "partner" or "lover," Leibovitz finally said that "lover" was fine with her. She later repeated the assertion in stating to the San Francisco Chronicle: "Call us 'lovers'. I like 'lovers.' You know, 'lovers' sounds romantic. I mean, I want to be perfectly clear. I love Susan.

Leibovitz has three children Sarah Cameron Leibovitz was born in 2001 when Leibovitz was 51 years old and her twins Susan and Samuelle were born to a surrogate mother in May 2005.

While Susan spoke with words, Annie speaks in pictures. Here are the tiniest glimpse of her work over the years.









Annie Leibovitz: American Masters
Annie Leibovitz : NPR
Salon.com article

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