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.
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I am a fan of Annie's work and have seen this documentary in its entirety and can only say I love her work. She definitely has a distinctive style and while her shoot as shown above is short, I say she knows what she wants from a shoot. No need to shoot 100+ frames when only 3-8 images will be used for actual print.
I don't know anything about this woman, but she seams absolutely crazy but brilliant.
"She absolutely does not care about budget."
That seemed like a subconscious jab at Annie. :P
@jj Casas or anyone else.....whats this documentary called?
http://amzn.to/fKWp6M
you can rent it from Netflix! I just did a while back. I also own several of her books... she is amazing! You can tell that these shots have huge post production, but the photography is still amazing.
She is an excellent example of what it means to know your gear, and have your vision for the shoot...before you start shooting. She switches between cameras like it is nothing...and her images are incredible. Thanks for the post.
As always thanks for the find. I've always thought very highly of her work but had never really seen her in action. For anybody interested it's also available on iTunes as a 900mb download with option to rent or buy ($2.99/$9.99)
I'm a massive fan of Annie's work and find her to be probably the most inspiring photographer I'm aware of. I actually did my Uni dissertation on her life and work, 4 years ago.
I highly recommend her book "Women", which is a series of portraits of women in the workplace, including a Miner, Firewomen and an Astronaught.
Being British, I'm also a fan of her portraits of Queen Elizabeth.
Way too important of an Icon to ignore..... I am totally fascinated with Annie at the moment......
She's a testament to having an idea, knowing what works, sticking to it and making it all work.
the reason why the shoot seems "quick" is because most celebrities will not sit all day for a shoot. regardless of who you may be as a photographer, even the top echelon of celebrity photographers are only given 10-20 minutes to shoot. the prep work on these shoots is tremendous, utilizing stand ins that will have the same complexion and facial features as the actual celebrity in order to nail down lighting, composition, etc. because there can be no adjustment time once the celebrity sits down. it's literally click click click done.
What gets said between Annie and the guy sitting to her right at 1:04?