Leibovitz used to work at rolling stones where she developed he signature style of bold colours and strong poses, which she uses in her work often. Her work has captured the imagination of many and she is highly regarded in the photography world, with a plethora of amazing images she is one of many greats of photography.
When people think of Leibovitz they think of the images like Whoopie Goldberg in the milk bath and although that is an iconic image with a whole depth of meaning, she isn’t just a fashion photographer. Her work when touring with the Rolling Stones, the series of images that she took whilst on tour with the infamous rock band meant she got a more intimate view of the band and got some really good images that other photographers weren’t able to get.
Bar these images and a drug addiction after, Leibovitz still creates some super high fashion images that have a big concept and are highly stylised, these images such as the ones shot for the Vogue Alice in wonderland shoot are really well composed, the thought about the pose and how each character is portrayed on the page, bringing the children’s story to life as a fashion shoot. Everything is so well thought out and nothing is there for no reason every tree and every branch have a reason for being in the frame.
Some of Leibovitz’s work has connotations of a dream like state, the colours all blend into one another with the seamlessness of her shooting style and how well she has done for herself in the field of fashion photography for so long. The shots that I have seen from her work seem to all have a particular style to them in her more recent work they have an ethereal look which is super current and super modern, which makes all of her work pop.
There is a strong focus on the client in her more intimate work such as the recent cover for Vanity Fair. She has a strong focus on keeping the client in the shot and keeping the shot relevant to the person, such as Caitlyn Jenner. The image was bold and delicate which kept the eye of the viewer, making them feel connected to the client, this turned into a beautiful image that will be quite powerful for decades to come, and also be a pivotal moment in photographic history.
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