Annie Leibovitz: Artist

Annie Leibovitz is easily a household name today, and arguably one of the best photographers of her time. Starting her career working for Rolling Stone Magazine, she began taking intimate photos of Hollywood stars creating a type of photo that became her signature. Annie has made a reputation as a photographer of the Hollywood scene, and with that comes controversy. While some argue that Leibovitz’ photos are lewd, most think of them as masterpieces of the world of photography. Despite scandals including the “nearly nude” photo of Miley Cyrus, a teenage Disney channel star, Annie has done some unarguably great work.

Recently, Disney hired Annie Leibovitz to shoot the latest ad campaign for the Disney theme parks. These Ads recreate scenes from classic Diney films using famous actors such as Scarlett Johansen, Jessica Biel, Abigail Breslin, and Julie Andrews just to name a few. Her work combines the use of digital photography, and computer software to recreate the truly magical scenes from the movies the average person knows and loves.

Annie Leibovitz is an example of a truly great photographer and artist, whether controversial or not. Today the world of photography is changing, but artistry remains the same, it is simply the way the photographer works which makes him or her great.

Photos:

http://www.livingorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/annie-leibovitz-julianne-moore-michael-phelps.jpg

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00033/annie_leibovitz700_33742b.jpg

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Artists or Photographers

The Camera has evolved greatly over its long history. Ideas for the camera date back to the 13^th and 14^th centuries when scientists and inventors were just beginning to understand the concepts of filtered light. Since then, we have seen the invention of the camera, the invention of color photography, and the invention of the digital camera and the world of pixels. These inventions have revolutionized photography, and created more than just simple freeze frames of history. Today the world of photography has gone digital in every way. From digital cameras, to digital computerized enhancements, to digital editing software.

In this digital age it is rare to see a photographer whom develops his or her own film, and the computer process of printing seems to have taken over the photography scene. With this taking place it seems just about anyone can create a great picture, which leaves the integrity of the art form in question. Is a computerized photo really a great piece of art, or what constitutes a true photographer? The way to find the answer is not a simple one, but one may consider these elements. What portion of the photo was created by the photographers’ skill and knowledge of the camera? Was the photo digitally enhanced? These questions can help to generate a standard for photography and separate the everyday camera owner from the true artist.

So the next time you see a great photo, ask follow the standard, and ask yourself: was this created by a tech-savy joe, or a great artist?

Photos from:

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http://img.webring.com/r/r/retrocameras/logo

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