Celebs

I've never had patience for fashion photography or celebrity portraiture.  The purpose of such pictures is mostly about selling something, usually clothing or personalities.  As a result I've largely managed to ignore the work of Annie Leibovitz.  The recent review in Vogue of Leibovitz's reissued and expanded book, Women, has made me rethink my estimation of the photographer's talents.

It has taken some effort to ignore Leibovitz for so long because articles and coffee table books by and about her are everywhere. Her Wikipedia bio covers the essential facts of her life and career, including a list of the cameras she has used. Most of her work has been recorded on film.

The examples of Leibovitz's work in the Vogue review is a pretty good selection from what she has done over the years.  The ones I particularly like fulfill my basic requirements for portraiture; they suggest something significant about the subject's character, or maybe something surprising and unexpected.  I think the 2025 pictures of Angela Davis and Michelle Obama meet those criteria.

So, next time I'm at the library I'll see if my new regard for Leibovitz's celebrities holds up well enough to motivate me lugging home one of those big books.