TIME Magazine Interviews: Annie Leibovitz

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/5aw4jp
Her celebrity portraits for magazines from Rolling Stone to Vogue have become cultural icons. Annie Leibovitz answers reader questions here

[@justintylercarey]

She's incredible. I'm comforted by the fact that she's not a verbal communicator; she communicates through an internal recognition of beauty. Notice how she's not overbearing in word-choice. She uses "simple", "strength", and "beautiful" frequently. I'm the same way, I can write my thoughts out in a strongly worded manner, but whenever I have to verbally describe my art, I have trouble doing it improvisationally. She's a genius, and it really is "exclusive to her eyes". Words can't describe it.

[@clevm002]

HEr work is way way to amazing... Its like... speachless

[@billybergendahl3515]

Having dabbled in photography myself I do find her intriguing.

[@TIME]

Hi there! 10 Questions is a TIME Magazine series - there are 10 Questions included in the print version, but only a sampling of questions in the videos to keep the run times brief.

[@littleaustinhippie]

thats what makes her not only a real person, but a art genius.

[@lemonsnlimes333]

admiration, inspiration, fascination.

[@taragolden]

what amazing inspirational work..

[@Dreadfultime]

i love how she looks... she works every day to make huge celebrities look good, and she clearly does not give a fuck bout her looks. she knows that her work is about a constructed image, but her self is about just being a human being

[@aarongluzman]

Comprehension... A passion to convey... Striking feeling of... Luxurious, silky & lavish... Her eyes performed countless miracles... Grasp strength... Power to spin dreams... ©...Aronne

[@goneplacebo]

Miley is too young to comprehend the beauty and oportunity to be photographed by such an amaizing genius as Annie.

[@justintylercarey]

That is absolutely not true whatsoever. You don't just point and click to take a photograph. If it were that simple, everyone could do it. It involves elements of light, contrast, line, movement, composition, depth of field, texture, symmetry, pattern -- all that's essential in drawing, painting, sculpting. They're two different types of art. Some people have a propensity towards one or the other, or both equally. Then there's editing, which is a skill within itself; both inborn and learned.

[@70mjc]

Justin Carey inborn= innate***

[@JuliaCherPhotography]

What people put on pedestal today they will trash tomorrow. One thing they will never take away from the artist is his TALENT.

[@paulashowen]

I loved the Mley Cyrus work of art! It was an amazing photo, as are all of Annie Leibovit's work.

[@hastinmy]

nice to meet you

[@justintylercarey]

Annie has captured some of the most iconic photographs of all time... I'm very particular about the authenticity of artists - in the sense that I don't necessarily buy into the "abstractedness" concept of "art". (You know, the kind that takes no skill whatsoever.) Annie has skill and she has a keen eye for line, repetition, filling-the-frame, and all forms of beauty. Just because she captured a controversial picture of a media-unfriendly teenager, doesn't mean she isn't any good.

[@bungi98]

I like Leibovitz's work, and I can understand why some might not like Terry Richardson's work, but I think even objectively someone has to respect the scope and multi-layered nature of LaChapelle's work, it simultaneous condemns and condones pop-culture in a huge colour-saturated sureal tour de force, few other artists have such visual intensity, coupled with interesting concepts.

[@justintylercarey]

She doesn't simply "record". Have you ever had any experience in photography, or have you even ever witnessed Annie's work ethic? Photography, as well as any type of art, is identified with "sending a message" or creating an emotional connection between subject and audience. Show me a Leibovitz photograph and I'll tell you a million things about it. I'm not a photography fanatic. I paint, draw, photograph, sculpt, write. You can't simply delineate one art form another, unless it's BAD.

[@alexalexisalexy]

@911insidejo8 It's OK to think like you do, you have no concept of how difficult it is to design a lighting setup on the level that Annie does. You are what modern society calls "a hater". If you understood what the word genius actually meant, you might understand why the term fits Annie perfectly. She's a master of her craft and has created some of the most amazing portraiture in the history of modern photography.

[@latecia1]

i have it same.more i am working visualy,the less iam articulate,esspecialy in other languages heh. trying to get use to it

[@krakkajackson]

How much?

[@SufferInJuly]

Anne was Andy in 1971.

[@911insidejo8]

@AlboEcoSkit ...well your comments are insightful and interesting and I appreciate them. My comments (admittedly) reflect a commoner's unaffected superficial impression. On the other hand, a bird's eye view of an artist (or someone anointed as such) by such a person sometimes invites a much-needed re-evaluation. Or maybe they're a testament to the plight of the underappreciated (though obviously well-paid) artist.

[@jeffwalsh]

Interesting stuff... any reason why this doesn't have 10 questions? I counted six?

[@fyonista]

How do you?

[@MISSEDHERSIR]

I have a question, How does a famous photographer squander so much money?

[@lepadus7926]

Creative people aren’t very good with money, and people that a good with money aren’t very creative artistically.

[@911insidejo8]

@JinglerWannabe ...I agree, what a damn joke. I saw an exhibit of some of her photos and it was like big deal, anyone could have taken the same damn pictures. For some reason, she fell into favor with someone who had some pull and that was all she wrote. Now she's hailed as some sort of genius, I just don't get it.

[@AlboEcoSkit]

@vcat27 bungi98 answered LaChapelle's work nicely. as for Richardson, he produces photos that no on else can or will. he evokes a mood and a certain character from his subjects, unsettling or disturbing as the final results may be. his stark white, flash-flooded photographs strike some as "amateur," but it's just simply not. it's an intentional aesthetic that he's adapted for himself that serves the same purpose as Richard Avedon's blank, white backgrounds. it's bare and confrontational.

[@weldx]

so closed minded person ^^ if photography is not art so what is it? if you said that photography is not art because of we take pictures with a "machine" that we called camera ,how about writting? with what you write your idea on your head ? pencil? pen? or even a machine called computer ? and how did you print it?you are useing a "machine" to publish and CREATE your work ,so why does it matter? that what you caled "machine" is just a MEDIA not an IDEA.

[@Jordy125]

But if she's talented and she gets the most effective shots, who gives a shit about her finances? she's fantastic, i love her pictures.

[@Ellajames__]

miley does appreciate her

[@gamulea]

In fact it's pretty easy once you've really learned the craft. It's second nature. It's gettin' fuckin' hard only when it comes to do it better than anybody else who uses a camera.

[@preston8836]

This is perhaps the best description of photography I've heard, taking a photo is easy, taking it better than everyone else, that's difficult

[@teenonator]

I saw the picture, I thought it was Jimmie Dale Gilmore "All right, it's fucking zero. Are you happy, you crazy fuck?" "

[@AdamCharlton]

is it just me, or does she look like jeff goldblum?

[@patoloco40]

She looks like Richard Gere wearing a wig

[@anitasseo]

was she HS Thompson´s girlfriend?

[@AlboEcoSkit]

@911insidejo8 I admit I don't like quite a few of her photos, but her style isn't quite what I'd call "evocative." Some of her best work does have a certain mood to it, but I don't believe she's famous for creating immersive images that take you through a variety of emotions. She's an artist who's made some beautiful photos of celebrities. Her cinematic compositions, lighting and use of props define her style. But she's not a fine art photographer.

[@canturgan]

She's the one that isn't easy to work with, not the other way around. I'd hate to work for her.

[@911insidejo8]

@AlboEcoSkit ...well I'm not going to deny I know little about photography. Art is subjective, however, and I have seen more evocative photos in my family scrap book. All this hoopla over someone taking pictures just reminds me of the emperor's new clothes. Someone said she was an artist and that became the groupthink soundbite that no-one dares question.

[@annie1999na]

jag hetter annie:)

[@angusbeef524]

My question would be” what is it like playing the part of Bill Gates in the real world”

[@AlboEcoSkit]

@911insidejo8 someone clearly doesn't understand photography

[@nbspublish5758]

And here's a music story about my former friend.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIbPpmWje85ohcU

[@911insidejo8]

@goneplacebo...lol, genius?? I wouldn't go that far, she snaps pictures, how is that genius? It's not as if she was an architect, sculptor or painter. Yeah, she might have some creative vision of how she wants to capture her subjects as far as the background is concerned, but big deal I don't know, apparently someone with pull just decided they were going to make a big name of her and that's what happened and like Andy Warhal (although clearly more talented), laughs all the way to the bank

[@sew_gal7340]

I'm shocked that i find Annie a very boring personality, her photos are mesmerizing and i expected her to be as deep and profound as the images but she comes off very rehearsed and "correct"...interesting. Just my opinion.

[@XavierLoquesea]

portrays me naked, when you want, I'm here, art is never a mistake, people are just stupid.

[@blackxthink]

@ohnoithinkihateyou Continue to shoot jpeg and stay unknown. LOL

[@MJLionnavy]

maybe... how would you feel if an immaure girl gets criticized about something you did together, with her parents agreement, and suddenly she comes up with and excuse and says it's all your fault?

[@bungi98]

David LaChapelle hates her lol

[@YCDPKLD]

Oh my god its not that big of a deal lol why are we always perverting everything? sometimes things are bad, but this fear is obsessive. i dont even feel anything sexual about it.

[@imperialpilotx]

Is she suffering from carpathian kitten loss?

[@MarcJayCruz]

@acybersleuth66 What really is a minor? People between the ages of 12-20 have been fighting and dying in wars for over 5,000 years and suddenly in the last 40 years we label anyone under 18 a minor? Miley is not a little kid, and bottom line is that there is no nudity. That debate is about as pointless and as dumb as prohibiting alcohol to servicemen who are 18years old. We let them die for our country but we don't let them have a drink because they are under 21? Lame.

[@truface007]

Would Dali Lama advice Sri Lankan Buddist monk to stay away from Racist act on Tamils.

[@13fullofjasmine]

@911insidejo8 maybe you just don't appreciate art.. try taking pictures yourself and let's see how it goes.

[@robertbates6249]

it's a camera. Paint my portrait and that is art

[@markl2757]

Annie is a trainee.

[@tlcdogspa5512]

"DON"T YOU KNOW WHO I AM??????!!!!!!!" meh

[@JamesTKirkCobain]

She owns THREE townhouses in Manhattan. a townhouse which is an entire building, and all I keep hearing about is how in debt this broad is. Hey HELLO, maybe it`s time to sell?

[@dennisterrell9763]

Bill Gates as a Trans.

[@MJLionnavy]

How the hell does art could be a huge mistake. "A photo like that", what do you mean?, first of all, the photo wasn't sexual or something... oh, yeah, the thing about her back, well, just for you to know: humans are born NAKED, and she wasn't totally, anyway.

[@darknight4518]

Because there are a lot of conservative people who believes that this photo was ofensive xd

[@JinglerWannabe]

I'm not impressed with the woman. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time many years ago. Many of us are outstanding photographers. And, our work and love for the art will never gain the recognition that we would hope. However, the love is what counts. Just like writing lyrics with gorgeous melodies, most of us will never be heard. IT'S WHO YOU KNOW IN SOCIETY THAT MAKES A PERSON A SUCCESS. Not the actual talent.

[@cm2dude]

THAT'S NO LADY, THAT'S A MAN.

[@thisgame2]

im a real artist , fuck photagraphy