Contemperary Photography Today
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Learning how to see the world through someone elses eyes is a hard thing to do. Many artists have struggled with the challenge and few have risen to the occasion of doing so. Contemporary photographers are concerned with taking photographs that reflect the social and political aspects of todays society. They do this using their own individual styles to reflect the feelings and emotions of the subject, whether it be human or nature itself.
Annie Leibovitz is influenced by her subjects. She brings out the parts of celebrities personalities that are never shown to the general public. By spending a few days learning and researching about her subjects life, then spending a day or two with her actual subject, she becomes more comfortable with the person she is photographing and them with her. By doing this she is able to accurately portray their true person. In her photo of Meryl Streep we can clearly see that it was influenced by Meryls own personality. Annie describes her experience working with Meryl Streep in an interview with Scholastic Art “She was just becoming a big starÐthey were photographing her all the time and she couldnt deal with itÐ….When she came to my studio, she said she didnt want to be anybody, all she was was an actress. I had some clowns makeup, so I said, ÐBe no one, lets try the whiteface. Thats when she started to pull her cheeks out. Its great when that stuff happens.” (Behind the Mask 2007). Annie was influenced by Meryls personality, because Meryl wanted to be “no one” which allowed Meryl to let her personality shine through, even though she was wearing a mask. This further allowed Annie leibovitz to capture a true representation of her subject. In her portrait of Bruce Springsteen, the suspended figure of rock musician in concert is dramatic by itself. When Annie Leibovitz places him in front of a closely cropped American flag however, it offers a statement on the singers frequently politically charged lyrics. In this portrait of Bruce Springsteen she vividly captures the artist behind the music and his political feelings. One of her most famous photos shows a naked John Lennon hugging his wife Yoko Ono. For the photograph Leibovitz had wanted the couple to pose together nude. Yoko Ono refused, so the picture was taken with her clothing on. “We took one Polaroid,” said Leibovitz, “and the three of us knew it was profound right away.”(Annie Leibovitz, Feature Essay). In the photograph you