Here is a short video featuring Charlie Sheen commentating on his RollingStones cover shoot. No offense Charlie but I would personally love to see this video with comments from Peggy Sirota, the photographer taking the shots. Maybe if we ask nice, our very own Reese Moore could track her down for an FS Spotlight. I mean let’s be honest. [more]
This is another cool behind the scenes video from Brett Warren as he shoots his series “Wooden Heart”. Brett interned with Annie Leibovitz, and you can definitely tell with his work, they’re lit very similarly and the processing is very reminicent of Annie’s work, but it’s still very cool.
For the January 2012 issue of Vogue, Annie Leibovitz shot the incredible Meryl Streep and the members of a team of women focused on building a women’s history museum in Washington, D.C. While it talks a lot about their cause, you can definitely see all of her lighting set ups in the shots which are surprisingly simple.
Annie Liebovitz is probably the world’s best known photographer, and in this video she’s working on an assignment for Vanity Fair magazine with Matthew Broderick and Kelli O’Hara for the magazine’s April issue.
Brett Warren is a photographer based out of Nashville, TN who studied under Annie Leibovitz. You can definitely see the Leibovitz influence in his finished work and in how he lights his subjects. For most of his work he uses a single light source balanced with natural light, which is very similar to some of the behind the scenes videos and images we’ve seen from Annie Leibovitz herself.
The whole gang here at Fstoppers.com truly appreciates your support, “Likes”, “Tweets”, comments and clicks. They’ve all helped us know which were our best posts in 2011. And I gotta say, the numbers don’t lie. You guys gravitated towards some stellar content this past year and your tastes are impeccable. So what post brought in the biggest numbers? Why tell you when we can show you?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Annie Leibovitz’s work. I hear she’s one of the hardest photographers to work for – as it probably should be. She can make even Lady Gaga, Queen of Eccentric, look elegant for Vanity Fair’s January 2012 issue. While this video doesn’t explain much about her lighting technique or how she achieved each photograph, watching Annie behind the scenes is always a treat. Most of her lighting situations in this video are very simple using only a Photek Umbrella and a diffusion cloth attached to it. [more]
Joe Buissink is one of the most sought-after wedding photographers in the world. The LA-based photographer has shot for Christina Aguilera, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Spielberg, and this week he catches up with Fstoppers to tell us about breaking into the industry at the age of 45, shooting Annie Leibovitz’s sister’s wedding – no pressure, right? – what separates the pros from the amateurs, and why wedding photography is an art. Jump To The Full Post to read my exclusive interview.
Your “Likes”, “Tweets”, comments and clicks all help us know which are our best posts of the month. And because we don’t want anyone to miss any of Fstoppers’ goodness we put “The Best of” in a monthly newsletter for you. So, if you missed anything this August check out the top posts of the month and sign up for our newsletter here.
Assistants, aka “voice activated light stands”, can be a wealth of knowledge and experience if you are fortunate enough to have access to one that’s been around. It’s not entirely unheard of, to meet an assistant that knows their lighting better than the photographer they are working for. If only one of them would create a blog about their BTS exploits… wait a minute. What do we have here?
Everyone knows Annie Leibovitz is one of the most, if not THE most, well known photographer in the world. Her images evoke a strong sense of story, drama, and beauty. It’s not surprising why so many advertising agencies choose Annie to take their clients’ portraits. In this video Annie Leibovitz puts Profoto co-founder Conny Dufgran in front of his own lights for a series of environmental portraits. Like most of Annie’s behind the scenes videos, you really have to pay attention to the details because she isn’t going to spell it all out for you. The first time I watched this video I noticed how much feathering she does with her medium octaboxes, how she controls fill light with large black cards, and even a little on how she directs her subjects. I also like the magic arm trick she uses to get her softlighter closer to her subject…I might have to steal that one. If you have any tips you have taken from Leibovitz share them in the comments.
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens traces the arc of Annie’s photographic life, her aspirations to artistry and the trajectory of her career. The film depicts the various phases that shaped her life including childhood, the tumultuous sixties, her transition from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair magazine and later her most significant personal relationships including motherhood.
Check out the full post for the rest of the documentary.
The video below is a short excerpt from the DVD “Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens“. Annie is commissioned to shoot for the movie “Marie Antoinette”. I found it really interesting how incredibly quick her shoots are. Before the subject ever shows up the concept and lighting has already been figured out. After a few clicks, the shoot is over.
Annie Leibovitz is perhaps the most well known photographer in the world and her work always stands out from the crowded world of photography. While her Louis Vuitton campaign with Sean Connery is a few years old now, there is still a lot of great information to be gained from the beach shoot. Using nothing more than a Photek Softlighter, Annie balances her ambient light well with her soft broad lighting to create a really awesome series of images.
Earlier in the week we posted a quick video from Annie’s photoshoot with Keith Richards. Today I thought I’d share an interview Time Magazine did with Leibovitz where she talks about some of her work, what it’s like running a photoshoot, how she used to work with her assistants, and the whole Miley Cyrus controversy. There are no cameras or crazy lighting in this video but I think all of that stuff becomes secondary in comparison to being a confident photographer, having great ideas, and executing a productive photoshoot. Hope you enjoy
