For me, many of Annie Liebovitz’s portraits capture as sense of intimacy combined with wit or drama. This drama is especially drawn out in her larger montages created by the lighting, settings and postures of subjects. Whether it is a portrait of the queen or a tableau of Disney princesses, there is a sort of ethereal or otherworldly quality that seems to imbue the light. This seems especially applicable with our look at utopia/distopia images. There is something that seems so real about these pictures, as if you are standing in the same room, yet they are fantasized and a bit idolized. I suppose in part this is what happens when you take portraits of celebrities. There is a sort of convention of how to display these people with glamour*; even if they are depicted as “just people” we are still ever aware of their special-ness, whether it be their beauty, talent, intellect, or power.
I would say she has two general categories: the portrait solely displaying the face/body as the subject, and then the portrait in which she creates a imagined film still. This brings up the question of the portrait artist; is it about the artist or the subject (especially if they are someone well-known)? It seems to me that Liebovitz is able to retain her style in photographing a huge range of people, and is not afraid to assert herself to obtain to picture she would like – as seen in the short documentary of her photographing the queen. Looking at her images now, I realize how many of her photo shoots I have been exposed to (in print magazines, etc.); in many of them I was drawn to their magical quality, but there did not seem to be much poignancy after that. However, when photographing celebrities or fashion, there does seem to often be a sense that the subject/image is not necessary, but enchanting nonetheless. Although I’m not sure how I feel about all of the messages sent by her photographs, I do admire Liebovitz for carving out her own distinctive niche in the realm of portraiture – an area where the photographer can be just as important as the subject.
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