Born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Annie Leibovitz enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute intent on studying painting. It was not until she traveled to Japan with her mother the summer after her sophomore year that she discovered her interest in taking photographs. When she returned to San Francisco that fall, she began taking night classes in photography. Time spent on a kibbutz in Israel allowed her to hone her skills further.
In 1970 Leibovitz approached Jann Wenner, founding editor of Rolling Stone, which he’d recently launched and was operating out of San Francisco. Impressed with her portfolio, Wenner gave Leibovitz her first assignment: shoot John Lennon. Leibovitz’s black-and-white portrait of the shaggy-looking Beatle graced the cover of the January 21, 1971 issue. Two years later she was named Rolling Stone chief photographer.
When the magazine began printing in color in 1974, Leibovitz followed suit. “In school, I wasn’t taught anything about lighting, and I was only taught black-and-white,” she told ARTnews in 1992. “So I had to learn color myself.” Among her subjects from that period are Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and Patti Smith. Leibovitz also served as the official photographer for the Rolling Stones’ 1975 world tour. While on the road with the band she produced her iconic black-and-white portraits of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, shirtless and gritty.
In 1980 Rolling Stone sent Leibovitz to photograph John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who had recently released their album “Double Fantasy.” For the portrait Leibovitz imagined that the two would pose together nude. Lennon disrobed, but Ono refused to take off her pants. Leibovitz “was kinda disappointed,” according to Rolling Stone, and so she told Ono to leave her clothes on. “We took one Polaroid,” said Leibovitz, “and the three of us knew it was profound right away.” The resulting portrait shows Lennon nude and curled around a fully clothed Ono. Several hours later, Lennon was shot dead in front of his apartment. The photograph ran on the cover of the Rolling Stone Lennon commemorative issue. In 2005 the American Society of Magazine Editors named it the best magazine cover from the past 40 years.
Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, the photographer’s first book, was published in 1983. The same year Leibovitz joined Vanity Fair and was made the magazine’s first contributing photographer. At Vanity Fair she became known for her wildly lit, staged, and provocative portraits of celebrities. Most famous among them are Whoopi Goldberg submerged in a bath of milk and Demi Moore naked and holding her pregnant belly. (The cover showing Moore — which then-editor Tina Brown initially balked at running — was named second best cover from the past 40 years.) Since then Leibovitz has photographed celebrities ranging from Brad Pitt to Mikhail Baryshnikov. She’s shot Ellen DeGeneres, the George W. Bush cabinet, Michael Moore, Madeleine Albright, and Bill Clinton. She’s shot Scarlett Johannson and Keira Knightley nude, with Tom Ford in a suit; Nicole Kidman in ball gown and spotlights; and, recently, the world’s long-awaited first glimpse of Suri Cruise, along with parents Tom and Katie. Her portraits have appeared in Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, and The New Yorker, and in ad campaigns for American Express, the Gap, and the Milk Board.
Among other honors, Leibovitz has been made a Commandeur des Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and has been designated a living legend by the Library of Congress. Her first museum show, Photographs: Annie Leibovitz 1970-1990, took place in 1991 at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and toured internationally for six years. At the time she was only the second living portraitist — and the only woman — to be featured in an exhibition by the institution.
Leibovitz met Susan Sontag in 1989 while photographing the writer for her book AIDS and its Metaphors. “I remember going out to dinner with her and just sweating through my clothes because I thought I couldn’t talk to her,” Leibovitz said in an interview with The New York Times late last year. Sontag told her, “You’re good, but you could be better.” Though the two kept separate apartments, their relationship lasted until Sontag’s death in late 2004.
Sontag’s influence on Leibovitz was profound. In 1993 Leibovitz traveled to Sarajevo during the war in the Balkans, a trip that she admits she would not have taken without Sontag’s input. Among her work from that trip is Sarajevo, Fallen Bicycle of Teenage Boy Just Killed by a Sniper, a black-and-white photo of a bicycle collapsed on blood-smeared pavement. Sontag, who wrote the accompanying essay, also first conceived of Leibovitz’s book Women (1999). The book includes images of famous people along with those not well known. Celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Diane Sawyer share space with miners, soldiers in basic training, and Las Vegas showgirls in and out of costume.
Leibovitz’s most recent book, A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005, includes her trademark celebrity portraits. But it also features personal photographs from Leibovitz’s life: her parents, siblings, children, nieces and nephews, and Sontag. Leibovitz, who has called the collection “a memoir in photographs,” was spurred to assemble it by the deaths of Sontag and her father, only weeks apart. The book even includes photos of Leibovitz herself, like the one that shows her nude and eight months pregnant, à la Demi Moore. That picture was taken in 2001, shortly before Leibovitz gave birth to daughter Sarah. Daughters Susan and Samuelle, named in honor of Susan and Leibovitz’s father, were born to a surrogate in 2005.
Leibovitz composed these personal photographs with materials that she used when she was first starting out in the ’70s: a 35-millimeter camera, black-and-white Tri X film. “I don’t have two lives,” she writes in the book’s introduction. “This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.” Still, she told the Times, this book is the “most intimate, it tells the best story, and I care about it.”
–Rachel Somerstein
Rachel Somerstein is a writer who lives in New York.
were are you
hi, annie leibovits is inspiring..
What an inspiration. I wish I had a quarter of her tallent then I would be nearly good enough to use a camera. Annie you are an amazing woman.
I love annie’s photos!!!
Been reading VF and admiring your work for many years now……congratulations on being able to interpret so many images.
you are a cool person and a nice one nice info i am a fan and a reashing you for a project!
cool
I LOVE Annie’s pictures!!!! They are so inspiring!!
I love your photos and I am researching you for a school project!!!
Your Pictures are what inspired me to take digital photography
hi , i tottally love your work , your soo inspiring, and i really wanna be like you when i am older
John Lennon was shot on Dec.8th, 1980, not 1981. Oh, and Jann Wenner didn’t just give Annie the John Lennon shoot … she begged to go with him and do the shoot. I think that’s important to know.
;) i chose annie to do a photo journalism class project on.
:)
i know she’s one of the best.
does anyone know how to get a print of annie’s “louise bourgeois”? the picture of her profile with her hand up.
Annie Leibovitz is pure genius!!!
She is a great inspiration for young aspiring photographers. All of her works are masterpieces.
Sam has awful B.O.
Annie Leibovitz is a true inspiration to young photographers. Keep up the great work!!
Sam has awful B.O.
Annie is genial!
Not for me tbh, shes a bit rubbish.
kitchen jokes are getting old.
Annie, we’re Spoted Pig neighbors. I’m in absolute awe of the way that you decided to get out from behind the lens and let the world see you. Not an easy thing ever for a photographer to do. With affection and respect,
Michael
<3
I’m glad you came out from behind the lens. You are strength and beauty…your work is awe inspiring!
I didn’t see this episode, but is there a way of ordering a DVD copy? I would love to see it.
Annie Leibovitz I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are truly an amazing person :)
Keep up the grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat work!!!!!!!!!
I think this Katrina girl is probably cooler than you sam!!!
by the way alessia is part of SAK Productions…. and she wrote the last sentence oh and annie leibovitz is good too….
Annie,
If Rolling Stone comes to their senses and asks you to photograph Mr. Obama, our next President, please consider doing so. One living legend immortalizing another. It would be very fitting.
after seeing the mess with the little hannah montana girl, i just thought of annie leibovitz as a dirty old woman.
If my photography is 1/120th a good as hers I will be called a talented hack.She is an American Treasure!
I couldn’t stop watching…your capivating and inspiring…..jack
Annie Leibovitz will you marry me?
Annie, words can not express the beauty of images that you make. Your down-to-earth persona and beautiful exploration of ideas is truly inspirational. It makes me want to continually better myself and my photography. You have personified the life that I dream of- family and career that meld into one lifestyle. Thank You for the hard work and shining example.
Adore this treasure of a documen. Annie is awesome! Thank you for the wonderful experience.
ya pics r awsome hehehehe!!!!:):):)
okay as one of the member’s of SAKproduction i have to take sometime away from writing on these message boards as I am doing a project on her and I have to do some real research on her..
Thank you
and katrina still smells
You are a photographic inspiration. Thanks
Thank you Annie Leibovitz for these wonderful photographs!
I think you have an excellent talent and deserve all the respect that you get.
Please, keep doing what you’re doing, and show the world what photography is really about!
Thank you very much for those wonderful kitchen comments!
As well Johnny Depp, I am a HUGE fan of your work, and i cannot wait for your next movie premier, see you there!
As a military combat correspondent (first active Marine Corps and now a proud Citizen-Soldier with the Georgia National Guard), I fancy myself as a potential Annie Leibovitz. Wanting to allow the general public to see what I am privileged to see. On the battlefield and at home. Brave, solid individuals who, collectively, form a force we all can be proud of. As we are proud of you Ms. Leibovitz & when I grow up I hope to be half as good as you. Tracy J. Smith, Sgt. 48th IBCT PAO Georgia Army National Guard – Afghanistan here we come!
Your photographs are truly compelling and telling of each one of your subjects. Whenever I look at one of your photos I am instantly drawn.
As a parent of a child with autism I was wondering if you’ve ever considered photographing these incredible children. I find right now the world is caught up in the chaos, sensationalism, the increasing diagnoses and the controversies surrounding this very complex disorder that we know so little about.
I would love the world to forget if only for a moment, the “Rain Man” image, the “Dennis Leary” /”Jenny McCarthy” theories, the vaccines, the plethora of /costs of treatments associated with autism and just see the beauty and innocence of these children just as their families do everyday.*
A book of your photographs that embraced and celebrated these very special children who bring so much joy to so many lives would open so many eyes to the world of autism
I believe if any photographer could bring that out, it would be you.
* Note: With the exception of Mr. Leary, I am not knocking Ms McCarthy or any of the treatments/ theories as parents make their own choices with what is best for their child; it’s just we’re burdened with conflicting information everyday regarding treatments and it can be overwhelming and tiresome. Wouldn’t it be nice for the world to enjoy and see them as we families do or, as close as possible as we do.
i dont know about you guys,
but her pictures really tickle my butty bones :)
Annie is amazing. My ultimate dream would be to meet and work with her… if only for a moment. I’ve been inspired by her work since my passion of photography began.
Thank you for the wonderful kitchen comments! They truly made my day!
Also, I would like to thank Johnny Depp for the kind comments. I am a big fan of your work and can’t wait until your next movie comes out!
To the rest of you: Thank you very much. You’ve all been extremely kind and I love the comments!
Thank you again :)
I’m doing a project about the different ways in which phorography is used to represent different things….Annie Leibovitz is the common thread running through it as i feel that she/you have a constant strength which other photographers can be measured by. Thankyou for being. x
Ever at CSI, Rockwell Hall, Colorado State UNIV, mid-70’s?
Dear Annie,
My writing class had to do an analysis of one of your photos. I chose the Jonn Lennon and Yoko Ono photo. This photo is a story within a photo. The photo wrote my paper. Thanks for the inspiration. B
omg this is so lame I hate her and i hate her photos I have to study her for school and the more I learn the more I want her to die.
yo son! annie is the shizniz! like 4 realioz on cheerioz! i love her photizoz! yeah! she cooler the YoU!
Thank you Annie i have had to do a report on you in my photography class, by studing you i have learned more about the people that you have taken pictures of your work is SO amazing thats its scary. Keep up the good work:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
yeah go googllemistrae !
WTH
you are inspiring
oh my gosh i love your work you are so inspiring i reallly want to be like you when i become a famous photographer. your photos really inspire me. they allow me to look at the world in a whole new different way. Thanks for taking great photos.
i really love your work. if i ever become like you i will remember all the ways and thoughts of you for my sucess in the future and i too will have multiple jobs as well.
Sorry again for the time off, but one of our SAKs’ was in New York, and the other was in rehab for cocaine addiction. We are proud to say that this member of the group is coming along fine and will most likely make a successful recovery :)
Anyways, we are also proud to say that we have learned quite alot about Annie Leibovitz and have developed a huge interest in her photography skills.
Annie: You are amazing as always and we love you!!
From the SAKs…
Annie,
I met you at the book fair at the JCC in Atlanta. I mentioned to you my mom was Susans first cousin. She was wondering if you had her sisters email address so she could contact her. We truly enjoyed your show.
Thank you,
David Strauss
I am suppose to get your latest book but Waterstones dont have it!…I’ll keep looking. it is a present for my mother in law. Besos! C
ever since i was a little girl, i’ve always painted and doodled, but once i reached high school i experienced the mysterious world of the darkroom. i became infatuated with its processes and surprises. i literally took all of my intrest out of every other class and after school activities- and slayed in the darkroom, and constantly thought about images for my photographs. photographs precisely means my life to me. its like an extreme christian loving God.
annie was the first photographer that i became extremely firmiliar with and she took every single word and image from my brain. she is honestly my number one inspiration and i will be just as successful as her if not more…she is a hero to this world.
see you around annie.
i wish i was in the kitchen
Uhhh…What’s the point of this site? To make comments? Can’t watch anything? Very wise use of funds.
Annie’s work made me think “outside the box” and unleashed an untapped imagination I didn’t know I had. She made it OK to be unconventional. Annie, thanks for being such a inspiration.
happy new year everyone
and thanks to all the fan mail we have been getting!
…well, Annie has not photographed me!
im researching annie for a photography paper. i love her photographs
wow annie Leibovitz is amazing i wish i could be as good as her she is the inspiration for my course work
omg!
i love sakproductions
u guys are my idol :)
hi
ur my photography project :) btw r u dead jw
hiiiiii
:)
i chose to do you as my photography project.
ur a beast at taking picturess!!!!
im jealous!!
wooo!!
I am in a Photography Course which I’ll be finishing in a few days and for my final project I am doing a biography and a powerpoint of your wonderful work. I just finished watching the one hour show of your life through a lens and I’m even more inspired. :)
Annie you are the best
I love her pictures! The way she arranges things is amazing…& the simplicity!
Wow, people have whole conversations on this thing.
Where did Annie buy her 1st camera and take her first photographs? Phillipines or Japan?
hey……………i love ur pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hey, i like taking photos and im intersted in pherography, i just dont know how to get started, i have a creative mind, so i like to set things up and take pisturs from cool ageles, and annie is pritty great:P
omg i L.O.V.E YOUR PICTURES! like totaly! they are sooo awesome! i wish i was as good as you!
you know you love me…and i love you! xoxo
Hi I love your pictures and im only 12 and everyone loves you’re pictures in my class most of us are doing you as our art project that we are being levelled on.
We all love your pictures.
I am doing annie leibovitz 4 a project she rooooooooooooooooooocksss xxxxxxxxx
I am doing a project on her to see is like my role model
Noticed she wore running shoes while photographing the Queen 2. I thought she was a more classy lady then that. I guess not
this helpd me out on my research project on her!!!
thanks i had to do a project on u.and ms. wortham is in love with u
i am taking photo and i need some help…..
very inspiring, love your work
I’d like her to do photograph Bob Dylan now. I’ve been seeing some of the performances on youtube. I don’t think anyone is taping any of his current work, much less photographing him as he tours.
hi. me and my friend were looking through these comments and we found something on our hands” tickle my butty bones” and we r doing a photography assignment, and we chose annie. by the way…. thanks for the good laughs.
“im in ur kitchen”
“tickle my butty bones”
“im only 12 and i love your pictures”
Thanks have funnn
comment this one back :]
I Love you
I Love your work and i wont to meet up.
very nice work
just looking at these beautiful pieces of art work i become excited. I feel so inspired by her wonderful work. i feel that she is a true icon for all people to look up to. she is spectacular and amazing. she is my hero
im doing annie for a photo class powerpoint:) haha i like her photos:)
I love photography…im taking photos about year…annie leibovitz is my fave photographist…i hope i will be photographist too:)my dream
Hello Mrs. Leibovitz
I’m currently writting a paper on you as part of a college photography assignment. I have a few questions to ask you. Thank you for your time.
i love your photo i have to do them for school mphotography
this is the best information that i have ever found on annie. she is one of my best friends and we went to school together, i love her thankss
I really love you work and am a massive fan. i am researching the pregnant nude in popular culture in particular your iconic image of demi moore. i was curious to know if you beleive that this image set the stage for pregnant woman to be expressive sexual creatures. And finally that theses representations be accept culturally and morally in today culture. I would be most gratefull to hear your oppinion
Hello Annie and PBS! Thank you for doing a segment on the photograghy of Annie Leibovitz. I had the great pleasure of meeting her, and having her sign one of my photos.
She was very kind and most gracious, as we had a short conversation about cameras and film these days.
Her images always inspired me to think outside the box, and I hope to see her again in the near future.
Annie, you are one of a kind, and you love your family as much as I do mine.
Thank you for everything, and thanks PBS for this great program!
Sincerely yours,
Margo Gabor
i really dont know who she is i can xare lessabout who she is but her art work well from what i saw was great and wonderful
Please tell me what was wrong with my comment. I have
the utmost respect for Annies work and her accomplishments. Please email me with a response.
i love her
I think that photographing autistic children is an amazing idea. My brother is autistic and there is so much more than the Rain Man concept and all these other images of autistic children and people that the public never sees. It would be a great oppurtunity to open the eyes of a lot of people.
Incredible. I saw this last night and was just at awe. Painting background certainly can be seen in her compostions. What does she shoot with?
annie has inspired me to want to become a playboy photogragher.
not for the nakedness of the women but for the art of the women.
i think that annie can inspire annie one that is intrested in anytype of art to go after there goals.
-tiara.
You gave me all the inspiration I needed so far, hope one day I’ll be half as good as you are…
I am recently doing a project for my art class. that involves the discovery or investigation of a famous artist. My art teacher set me up with you because she felt that I could connect with the work that you do. She was right I love the work you do and appreciate the love you put into your work. it is very inspiring that when I follow my path through life that I can give others motive to make their life what they want it to be. keep it up!!
I was only able to catch about half an hour of the show tonight. Stunning images. For portraits, can’t beat Bourke-White, Karsh and Leibovitz!
Should clarify about Bourke-White. Many don’t think of her portraits because she did not do celebrities or politicians; her portraits that stay in my mind are the miners in South Africa and others.
I can not tell you how much I enjoyed this piece. It was terrific.
omg! i love the work that you do! you truly have inspired me and have taken the art of photography to the next level. Keep up the FANTASMIGORICAL work.
annie is amazing! i love her work.
i think your work is amazing but WHY? do you always take pictures of famous people i think you need to show the famous people our life through the lens x x
I am a mother of two young children, pursuing a masters degree in elementary education. I am also working to publish a collection of children’s photographs. I have always been fascinated by the photographs that children take. Their unique perspectives often reveal simple and poignant snapshots of their world. I am writing to request that your company donate disposable cameras to be used by young children in a collaborative arts opportunity that will then allow them to hopefully become “published photographers.” Providing enough cameras to the children in local childcare programs is proving to be a difficult task, and any help that you could graciously provide would be very much appreciated. I would also be honored to name your company as a supporter of the book and a contributor to children’s literacy and success in the arts.
i have chosen to do annie leibovitz for my photo class exam. :)
so this is our last post for the year
BUT DON’T WORRY WE WILL BACK NEXT YEAR
we hope you had a great time with us here at sakproductions
i love you annie
peace be with you
YUNG ALEEZY I HATE YOU
I am in great admiration of Annie’s work and could only hope to accomplish half of what she has! It was because of her I decided to pursue this art further. Thank you :) Peace:)
Annie I post this comment in the hope that you answer it. I am after advice on how to get to where you are in your photography career. You inspire me more than you ever know, so much so that I write to you all the way from Australia. Your work is not only amazing but your capture the person. Through looking at your work I have learnt so much and you inspire me to keeping working at my photography and strive to be at least half as good as you in an industry that is hard to get into. Thank you!
Hey everyone!
i know that us, at SAK productions, said that the last post we wrote was the last one but we just have one more thing to say before SAK productions may break up forever…
Samilla Ice and Notorious KG, eventhough we will be broken up we will still be SAK productions and i know you still love your little sak or yung aleezy…
oh and by the way, media= 85!!! :)
and i love you annie, you gave us an awesome year!! thanks soo much
For me one of the most memorable photographs made by Annie is of the Queen, sitting by an open window. The image is so moody and evocative, one can truly call it pre-photoshop’s era classic.
Hello Annie,
i am a photographer from Argentina, i will be visiting NY in 15 days, and i would like to visit your studio because i grew up looking at your work in magazines.
it would be great for me.
do you receive guests?
Best Regards…
Ignacio…
Annie did the great job in the world. i like the all art. i wise she live long in the world
Annie, you are an extraordinary genius artistically, profoundly brilliant. You have been through so much.
I just feel such a proud sense seeing your outstand work. It’s genius. You have a rare and beautiful gift.
Thank you. Peace and please be very, very well.
Peace,
Christine – Vancouver, B.C.
Annie is good but Diane Arbus is great…
hey!
love your work!
i’m a big big fan from Argentina!
she inspires me…completely.
Annie Leibovitz is one of numerous photographers who have a good eye. She has been fortunate to follow the serendipity of the paths presented in her life (we are so much richer for that)In other words she has followed her own path. That is what we should all do. My only critism is it would be fab if photographers who take photos of ordinary people got the same attention as a photographer who shoot celebrities
After all it is only a form in space But then again there is an arguement for the sensativity of the photographer to bring us something of the underlying spirit of the subject.
Gracias Annie, por tus ojos educando a los míos…
she is a really good photographor! i love her work!
You picturesw are great……..love you!!!!!!!
olá.Sou brasileira e admiro muito, inestimavelmente, o trabalho de Annie.Sou designer e trabalho com fotografia também e modelagem.Meu sonho é ser fotografada ao menos uma vez ainda por Annie.
se alguém, por favor,souber algum meio de se comunicar com ela, seja só para enviar uma mensagem ou carta, entre em contato por favor.
Cristiane
your my idle i love you soooooooo much i wish i was as good at photography as you do you have any tips!?!?!?!?@
Who is Yung A?
That the question that we all ask ourselves once in a while.
Well I have come up with an answer.
She is a crazy farting fiend who is the cause of Global Warming.
We need to stop this being if we want to help younger generations survive past 2012. Please support our group by joining: Stop Yung A For Good Supporters. (AKA Crazy Tree Hugging Screamers)
I love you Annie.
Your pictures are soo awesome. AWESOME SAUCE!!!
And don’t you go bankrupt on your fans!!
I saw an Exibition of her work at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and it is one of the best. I love her photographs all of them from regular people to the famous, from Landscapes to Fashion Editorial pieces. They are wonderful!!
I think her wor is extrodinary. She really does her own thing even if others critise. I’m doing AS photograpy and this is the 1st time I’v notice her stuff but it’l be a real inspriation.****) (stars and moon)
I love Annie’s work… I’m inspired so much that I chose to do a photography history project for my photo III class. Is there any way I can get in touch with Annie?
How do I get hold of Annie Leibovitz? I am upcoming photographer and I want to learn photography from her so I can also shoot high profile people like Mr. President and all that.
The “attractiveness” of a photograph is a matter of opinion. I personally find that her work is extremely uninteresting and bland. The most amazing thing she does is get people to make ridiculous poses. Admittedly, she makes good compositions and manages to get technically correct shots. Beyond that its all in the eye of the beholder.
what’s the deal with you and EDD BENSON from nola
do you really know him come on-get real- everyone in nola knows what he solicts –
you were doing him a johnlennon- what was that all about ?
Your work is beautiful. I only wish I could afford to have a photograph made. Wonderful work! God Bless!
You were doing well until you took pictures of the Obamas.
We are, once again, in the kitchen.
this is sooo inspiring! i had to research this girl for school, and it’s just fantastic!!!!!!!!