Annie Leibovitz

 


    This image I selected from Annie Leibovitz's work stood out most to me due to its simplicity. A lot of Annie Leibovitz's portraits are very elaborate. This image, however, had no extravagant setup, was rather simple, yet still captivating. The lack of fancy setwork and editing in this photograph sets it apart instantly to me from a lot of Annie Leibovitz's other photographs. The way in which Annie Leibovitz placed so much focus on the subject's eyes is really what drew me in as a viewer. Despite all the chaos and messiness of the subject's hair in this image, her eyes remain still, locked on the camera. 
    The intense stare of the subject, while everything around her is somewhat messy, also conveys a story element in this portrait. The steadiness of the subject's eyes, to me, is somewhat representative of a calmness within a storm. While everything else is uncontrolled and wild about this portrait, the subjects gaze remains constant and calm. The messiness of the subject's hair in this portrait leads the viewer to wonder, What is going on around her? Is she frustrated and upset by the lack of cooperation from her hair? Is she outside in the wind? This photograph makes you wonder so much about the subject, which is also what makes it such an engaging image. 
    I think Annie Leibovitz's decision for this portrait to be in black and white also helped make it that much more impactful. The lack of color amplifies the sense of mystery about what may be happening to the subject and also generates a sense of drama as well. It also carries on that very theme of chaos and storminess, reflecting the same gloominess of a cloudy, rainy day. This is yet another aspect of this portrait that makes it so different from a lot of Annie Leibovitz's other photographs, since a lot of her other work is in color. 

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