Photography of Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey

           I know people who vehemently oppose posed photography because they think it’s fake. Annie Leibovitz would disagree. To Annie Leibovitz, I believe posing a photo is an art form about trying catch a glimpse into the person one is photographing. The most interesting thing that stood out to me about her is that she denies having brilliant ideas, she says they are stupid, very simple ideas. Regardless, she has the confidence to carry through with these ideas, and an amazing eye.

          The first photo of Annie Leibovitz I want to show is a portrait that despite its simplicity, stands out to me as beautiful and insightful. One characteristic of her style is that it’s often very flashy or dramatic, and always posed. The second photo I chose exemplifies this. It’s beautiful and fun to look at and to try find or create hidden meaning.

              James Nachtwey is famous for his poignant war photos. These are photos of what’s really happening in this world, and he is tries to make points about the importance of peace. I chose the above photo because of the impact it had on me, and likely has had on others as well. When I was studying journalism in high school, his quote, “If it’s not good enough, you’re not close enough” had a large impact on me. I took it literally as well as figuratively. Instead of relying on my camera’s zoom function, I always got right into the middle of the action. By doing this, I was able to understand the people’s feelings who I was photographing. I never went as far as James Nachtwey though. I must admit, even though James Nachtwey has the best intentions, I think he may be a little too insensitive to the people he’s photographing at times. He tries to be respectful, but because he makes his living photographing other people’s suffering, I imagine it’s hard on him and those being photographed. I understand people want their story told, but I know how it feels to be photographed in a miserable situation (I was infinitely frustrated by the photographer at the scene of the car accident that disabled my mother).

           The type of things Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey photograph are opposites, but their photos are both dramatic and inspiring with the ability to make an impact on the observer.

Sources for photos, from top to bottom:

http://www.google.co.jp/imglanding?q=annie+leibovitz&um=1&hl=en&biw=1090&bih=698&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=wjnCZrgZ1B1tWM:&imgrefurl=http://behindblondiepark.com/2009/09/08/photographer-leibovitz-could-lose-portfolio-due-to-debt/&imgurl=http://behindblondiepark.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/annie_leibovitz_jude_law.jpg&ei=CPaCTdL2JIPEvQO_k9HUCA&zoom=1&w=1200&h=813&iact=rc&oei=5vWCTfy-DITEcMTbgYQD&page=4&tbnh=117&tbnw=169&start=67&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:67

http://www.google.co.jp/imglanding?q=annie+leibovitz+best&um=1&hl=en&biw=1090&bih=698&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=Y3ejROOaZ61FBM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fashion-lifestyle.net/photography_en_broi15&imgurl=http://www.fashion-lifestyle.net/images/broi15/2_Valchitsata.jpg&ei=i_WCTdnXIIHcvwOUtezaCA&zoom=1&w=500&h=333&iact=rc&oei=L_WCTabnBYe8cLrTyJ0D&page=4&tbnh=103&tbnw=154&start=67&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:67

http://www.google.co.jp/imglanding?q=James+Nachtwey&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=q3gHgnH_f-Kj5M:&imgrefurl=http://whatstheuse.tumblr.com/page/15&imgurl=http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lb19sm81Q01qc21cto1_500.jpg&ei=8_aCTfuCK4m3cOak2J0D&zoom=1&w=420&h=283&iact=hc&oei=8_aCTfuCK4m3cOak2J0D&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=211&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&biw=1090&bih=698