Customer Reviews

A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

After seeing the exhibition (which was fantastic) the book was a sad let down for me and I returned it. Photos were cropped detroying the ambiance or the layout Leibovitz captured and aparently intended in her prints - photos were designed across a spread in such a way as interfered with the photo's integrity (one photo in particular has the page split running through the subject of the photo!). The personal photos of Sonatag in the show were very small and suggested a particular delicacy and intimacy which was lost in the book due to the relative sizing of those prints with all the others. It is a poor accompaniment to an excellent and important show of her work. If you never saw the show - you could propably let it slide - after seeing the show myself, I prefer not to have my memory tainted by an inferior product serving as representation.

GREAT PHOTOS BUT ANNOYING TO LOOK AT!!!! Visually this book is claustrophobic. The images seem forced to fit into a book that is too small to hold them. And probably half of the pictures are across the gutter--very annoying. Sometimes the most important part of the picture is in the gutter. My personal favorite is Michael Jordan with his nose in the gutter. Random House, if you are going to do a book on a great photographer like Annie Liebovitz, do a better job than this.

Annie Liebovitz, one of the world's most talented photographers, has released a book that is not as much an exhibit of her world-renowned photography as it is an open expression of her love for family and close friends. The famous people that we've come to expect from a Liebovitz release are still there, although not as prevalent. The world-class photos that have always been her trademark are still there, although not as prevalent. Annie's soul and personal feelings that have been seen sparingly in past releases, are now most prevalent. If you're buying this book for the usual Annie Liebovitz material, you would do best to ignore this release. If you're wanting to see a side of this photographer that the world has yet to see, please don't hesitate to make the purchase.

The first thing about this book, you should know, IMO, is that most of the photos in this book are too big for one page, so they are presented split down the middle by the spine of the book. This is a TERRIBLE problem. Why would someone produce an image where the prime focal area is split down the middle? This alone ought to keep you from wasting your money on this hefty tome.

The second thing you should know - partly because some of the other Amazon reviewers have pointed it out - is that the vast majority of the photos in this book are shapshots of Susan Sontag, the author's intimate partner. But even if all this were potentially OK for me, I would still regret buying the book. See below.

The book evidently started as a personal memoir/elegy of Susan Sontag for distribution to friends at Sontag's funeral. I don't know what I was expecting. Half the book is a collection mostly of personal pictures of one famous person: Susan Sontag. Susan in the mountains, Susan at home, Susan on trips all over the place, Susan sleeping on the couch, etc. The remainder are devoted to celbrity photos and pictures of family, particularly Liebovitz's parents, many of which seem to have a snapshot quality of being unprepared. Too many of them fail to rise above this.

Liebovitz is well known as a photographer of celebrities. Those photos of are indeed imposing. There is a certain authority that Liebovitz brings to her journalistic photos. But this book is mostly not these portraits. It's about the author - which, by the way, is clearly stated as early as the title of the book. Many of these pictures are snapshots that, frankly, are mostly unremarkable.

A great artist can produce numerous pictures of the same subject. Think Cezanne. Nevertheless, I really am sorry I spent money on this perhaps a bit too personal farewell to Susan Sontag, no matter how deeply felt. I wish this book was better than it is. I think Liebovitz worked very hard on it. As you can see, this book retails at $75. It is offered by various online venues at around $50. What a deal, right? Wrong.

I opened this book with anticipation. I washed my hands so I would not mar or fingerprint the photos. And I removed the dust jacket to keep it nice. Annie Leibovitz' artistry compels me to treat her artworks with respect and care. I appreciated the book's large size, because I love large, beautiful images.

Some people probably think portrait photographer's are gifted because they know how to stage a great photo. That is probably true. But I think the less often recognized talent is seeing who people become in the presence of a portraiture artist. When people are in Annie Leibovitz' presence, I think they may ask themselves: What images do I want to define me? What images do I want to represent me for a long time? Around Leibovitz, her subjects become regal, considered, relaxed, and sincere. Sure, the comedians are still cheesing it up for the camera sometimes. But most of her subjects realize this may be one of the few times an image will be created that may portray them in a substantive and enduring light.

In the introduction, Leibovitz' notes "But after Susan died, . . ." And when I read those words, the above thought formed in my head. Leibovitz' subjects realize her photos may be a dominant defining, popularly-known image of them after they are dead. So I think her subjects make extra effort to become something larger than 'everyday' in her presence.

I don't like to make criticisms in my reviews, and I tend to only review artworks I recommend. But it takes more than great photographs to make a great photography book. I was frustrated with the number of photographs that were enlarged across the book gutter, breaking up the photos' flows. Bigger is not always better and many of the photos would have been better as smaller images on one page. Alternatively, produce the book in two volumes, one volume in portrait, the second volume in landscape. If we're going to put down $75 for one large book, then we probably would be willing to put down $50 twice for two better shaped volumes that adapted to the needs of the photographs.

Some artists can find great art and photograph it professionally. Some artists can re-interpret or choose a point of view that makes their photograph of something otherwise unremarkable into something artful. And some artists seem to have the effect of making the people, social moods, and environments around them more artfully active and aware. Leibovitz' photos reveal that she does all three of those things well.

The more sensient her subject matter, the better her photography. She draws out great intelligence and creativity from the people she is interacting with. Her photos show not only her subjects' uncommonly revealed personas, but also her encouraging, emboldending, and enlightening effects on the people in her presence. Leibovitz' artistry suggests to portraitists that if you want your subject to reveal uncommon beauty in your image of them, first create an atmosphere where they are want to reveal the same to you.

This book has to be reviewed on two levels. First as a retrospective of Annie Leibovitz's photography from 1990 - 2005. On that level, the presentation is sumptuous and greatly enhances even the most mediocre photos. Few of these photos are as breathtaking as much of the work Leibowitz produced in earlier years. Most of the photos would, in fact, be indistinguishable from the work of thousands of others photographers were it not for their famous subjects, such as Al Pacino and Willie Nelson.

One troubling aspect of this collection for me was Leibowitz's seeming imitation of the styles of other photographers from the past such as Dianne Arbus and even Leni Riefenstahl, the infamous creator of the Nazi propaganda film "Triumph of the Will". Her portrait of the muscular torso of Sylvester Stallone is terribly reminiscent of Riefenstahl's style. Likewise her portraits of two Las Vegas dancers, resplendent in their bejeweled costumes, is compared with portraits of them as ordinary middle-aged women without makeup. Effective, but in many ways a reflection of Arbus's famous style. Portraits of Colin Powell and Norman Schwartzkopf look like those from virtually any high-end portrait studio.

The vitality and originality I used to associate with Annie Leibovitz is largely absent in this collection. On the whole, it is a disappointing portfolio.

Leibovitz perhaps intended this collection to be a different kind of statement, truly a statement about her "life". And it is, uncomfortably so perhaps.

There are many, many photographs of Susan Sontag, Leibvoitz's partner. Sontag is remembered (and reviled) by many for her strident anti-Americanism. It is difficult to reconcile these "loving" picures of Sontag taken by her lover with the Sontag who exorciated Americans very shortly after 9/11 and told them they deserved the disaster they got. Hard to put away feelings of animosity while seeing so many photos of her in Leibvoitz's book.

Leibovitz also includes many photos of her family. These are nothing more than snapshots for the most part, no matter how deftly they have been manipulated in the printing process. (I am really curious as to whether Leibovitz does her own printing. Much of the impact of many of her photos in this collection owes to their printing and the large presentation size, not their content or composition.)

In some ways, Leibovitz would have been better served by putting all of her family pictures into a separate section. As such it would have chronicled the physical decline of her parents while their children and grandchildren grew and would have been a powerful testament to familial love.

Leibovitz makes it clear that this is a deeply personal statement. She says "I cried for a month. I didn't realize until later how far the work on the book had taken me through the grieving proces. It's the closest thing to who I am that I've ever done." That sentiment may indeed account for the ordinariness of the photos in this book. Leibovitz is showing us her life - as the title implies - and not simply showcasing her best work. On the other hand, that presumes the admirer of Leibovitz's photography is interested in her personal life with Sontag and family and not just her photography. I'm sure some will enjoy this collection: I did not find it especially noteworthy.

Jerry

The photographs are impeccable, as always, but this photographic glimpse of her life and her loved ones is beyond words. Each photograph will evoke emotions and make you ponder what each subject was feeling and thinking at the time. You will love this.

It was refreshing to see a collection of Annie's work that focuses more on the person behind the camera than the people in front of it. While I love the photos she does for the magazines, I was tired of seeing books that focused on that. That's too superficial to me. I was interested in getting into her soul. And this book gave it to me!

From the introduction pages to the final snapshots of her children, this book kept me drawn in. I felt like I was there with her experiencing all the events. It gave me a personal glimpse of what she's been through without being intrusive. If I were to be really picky, I would say that, yes, there are some pretty obvious technical mistakes. Especially for someone as experienced as herself. But that's not what this book is about. If you want the technically flawless and aesthetically perfect stuff, go look in Vogue or Vanity Fair. If you want to see a bit of her heart and soul, get this book.

Even if you aren't into photography, you can certainly appreciate the quality, professionalism and beauty of Annie's work. She's one of the most trusted photographers around and she's been in the business for so long doing amazing work. This book is delightful to look at.
She actually studied to become a painter, but instead she's created works of art with her camera. This new collection is a personal retrospective and an amazing collection of great photography. Inside are the trademark celebrity photos, landscapes and also for the first time, some personal family photos (the births of her children). There are also pictures of her best friend and partner, Susan, while healthy and while dying.
There is an incredible mix of stunning pictures in here and it's a gorgeous book to look at, to give as a gift, buy for yourself or to let your friends look through it if you leave it on your coffee table. There is something for everyone in here and I highly, highly recommend it.

I am a very big fan of Annie Liebovitz, and have been for nearly fifteen years - ever since I had the opportunity of viewing some of the artists photographs in a Gramacy Park photography agent's office. Ms. Leibovitz has captured the beat of society in her many but many photographs . . . all with a unique depth and in some way, a contradiction to the obvious: which is in part where Liebovitz's genuis lies. In the retrospective 'A Photographer's Life: 1990 -2005, there is a series of high profile and well known individuals that range in their celebrity and notority: however, one thing is certain, each individual captured through Ms. the artist lense is depicted in such sheer dimensions that their essence, their struggles, their strenght, and their desire are captured in ways that offer the whole picture. In 'A Photographer's Life: 1990 - 2005', Annie Leibovitz has captured the kalidoscope of the movers and shakers who have created the moving image of life as we have experienced it. Extraordinary.