Anna-Lou “Annie” Leibovitz was born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut. She was the third child of six offspring. She was part Romanian from her father, Samuel’s side, whom was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. She was also part Jewish form he mother, Marilyn’s side of the family. Her mother had been a dance instructor, thus Annie was already surrounded by the arts growing up. She especially took interest in music in High school.
She attended San Francisco Art Institute to study in Paint. Her teacher that really truly inspired and motivated her through her experience there was known as Sasha Michelle.
After she got out of college she spent a few months during 1969 in Amir, Israel working on Kibbutz. She returned back to the US in 1970, started working as staff photographer for The Rolling Stones Magazine.
In 1973, she was promoted to Chief Photographer.
During her experience working in magazines she often looked at other artists work. Richard Avedon’s portraits specifically impacted her. From him she learned that you could work for magazines and still do your personal work, which for her was very important. She resolved that it was much more intimate to tell stories ad she works with people who love her and who will open their hearts and souls and lives to her.
In the 1980’s she stopped working for the Rolling Stones Magazine and took up working with Vanity Fair. She also did portraits of Celebrities for American Express Charge Cards.
In 1991 she showed her works in the National Portrait Gallery. Making her the 2nd living-portrait photographer and first woman to her work there.
Also in 1991, she emulates Margaret Bourke-White’s scaling of a gargoyle on the 61st floor of the Chrysler building in Manhattan. Annie had been photographing dancer David parsons at the time. John Loengard a life photographer and picture editor took a picture of Annie while risking falling from the gargoyle for The New York Times just as Margaret was snapped from the same gargoyle years before.
Annie released another book of her photography in 2006 (ANNIE LEIBOVITZ: A PHOTGRAPHER’S LIFE, 1990-2005). This contained many of her professional works including a shoot with the Queen. There were also personal works of family photos, photos of her children, and photos of her late partner Susan Sontag whom passed away in 2004.
In 2007, BBC had caused mayhem when they misrepresented the photo shoot that Annie had held with the Queen. They had cut and edited footage of the shoot to make it look as though Annie had personally offended the Queen. BBC later apologized for the misrepresentation of the artist.
Also in 2007, Annie was hired by Walt Disney for the “Year of a Million Dreams” where she took photographs of several celebrities in various Disney scenes
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