Published: Jan19 2009 :: File Under: Books Photography

One More Book: At Work

at work

I think I started this book in 2008 and finished it in 2009, so it will probably kick off next year’s list of favorites, as At Work is a great read. It’s sort of hard not to pay attention to Annie Leibovitz’s career—it’s everywhere you look. Some of the most popular magazine covers and spreads of all time were shot by Leibovitz and she’s an obvious icon of modern photography. But honestly, I never really paid much attention to her story. As to be expected, it’s a pretty great story. The book is not really a photography showcase, nor is it a how-to book with regards to equipment and lighting setups. It’s more about how she thinks and the internal dialogs going on in her head as she leads you through a handful of famous and not so famous photo shoots.

A couple of my favorite chapters include a recounting of a year spent on the road with the Rolling Stones, and then a more recent shoot of the Queen of England. The latter was a shoot that felt like it was hanging on by a thread, and yet she produced some really amazing photographs of Queen Elizabeth. I did some more research on the shoot itself and found this great video on YouTube called Monarchy. If you like the behind the scenes stuff to get a feel for how she does it check out these too: Sean Connery for Louis Vuitton, Keith Richards for Louis Vuitton, Marie Antoinette.

Author: Geoffrey :: Published: January 19, 2009 12:32 PM

Comments

Gina Sez:

You know what is so weird about Queen Elizabeth? Ever since Helen Mirren portrayed her in “The Queen,” it’s hard to know when a photograph of her is actually Elizabeth, or Helen playing Elizabeth. Helen’s performance was uncanny.

Posted on 18.02.2009

Geoffrey Sez:

I still need to see that movie. Thanks for reminding me!

Posted on 05.05.2009

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