What is Annie Leibovitz techniques?
Annie Leibovitz’s photography techniques that will change your life!
Annie is one of the most famous American photographers of all time , she’s known for her portraits especially from celebrities, her taste in scene’s design, pose and subjects in intimate settings is one of a kind.
Her Iconic portrait belongs to the year 1980, she
Took the most iconic photograph in rock ’n’ roll history. Shot for Rolling Stone, the picture features artist Yoko Ono lying supine on a cream carpet, wearing blue jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt. Her long, dark tresses fan around her head as she turns towards her husband, John Lennon. The former, late Beatles singer is nude, curled in a fetal position around his wife. Eyes closed, he kisses her cheek and hugs her head with his arm. Exactly after this photoshoot John was shot by a jealous ex_security guard and passed away. This portrait tells so many stories about love ,lost and the final kiss .
I know you got goosebumps, but that was a true story, now today in this article you’re gonna learn some tips on photography, by Annie Leibovitz. It doesn’t matter if you own a brand new camera or just a smartphone , your life and vision is going to change so as your IG pictures.
Tip 1: Conceptual Portraits Are Dictated by the Subject
What it means, is you have to have an idea , a story behind all the materials in the scenes is a seed a precious one that becomes the final picture.The key thing about a conceptual portrait is its connection to the subject.
Many professional photographers make the mistake of trying to recycle an old idea to their current subject, rather than letting the photo opportunities present themselves naturally.
Because it does. The idea should begin with the person, not the other way around.
Tip 2: Learn From Photojournalism
You need to pay attention to the front page of the magazines or news to see what is making the picture stand out so much! Pay attention to the details and discover how the photographer
Seeing things from a different perspective and how he/ she is using the “rule of third “ , what was their concept etc.
Tip 3: Natural Light Is Your Friend
Annie is trying to use natural light, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or cloudy if it’s the golden hour or not natural light is your best friend.
Annie uses ambient light and adds a small key light on her subject, usually in the direction the natural light source is coming from.
But remember if you add too many lights around your scene,it will eventually take away what the natural light offers.
Tip 4: Travel Light
Some photographers feel more confident if they bring all their equipments to the photoshoots, but Annie keeps the circle small! You can use a travel light , Sometimes, the best photos come from the spontaneity and intimacy of working within limitations , and of course the natural light!
Tip 5: Start Work at the Beginning of the Day
Annie always start her shoots on early morning she doesn’t wait for the golden hour because she wants the soft simple light in the morning and also she has more time to work if she needs to.
Tip 6: Make Your Subjects Feel Comfortable
If you have the best equipments but a shy or uncomfortable subject is in front of you is a no match. The sound of the shoots may give anxiety to anyone!
Remember trust and respect are crucial.
Making the subject stands and stay for long hours will just make everything worse.
The way you conduct yourself will affect the photoshoot
What these three rules mean are important, for example don’t look at the picture after every shoot is rude and makes the subject nervous or frustrated unless you wanna share what you are seeing through and get their perspective as well , or if you cannot get the results you want you can reschedule the shoot, and the last one always talk to your subject about the concept they might give you some hints as well.
Tip 7: Practice With People You’re Closest To
You can always ask a family member or a friend to be your subject in this case you’ll learn faster with low risks of experimenting different settings.
Last but not least , Tip 8: Examine Old Work
Annie believes “looking back “ is indispensable and invaluable because sometimes you’ll notice an old mistake or the difference in your style and taste and ideas or maybe you used flash or other unnecessary stuff so you will learn from all your old work. Always try to seek and update your knowledge in order to be better.
Annie Leibovitz shared some of her techniques with us today , as an all time winner with 6 honorable awards from 1999 until 2018 ,she’s a Queen in her career and has gained all the respect and attention towards herself since starting her dream job, what I mean is you can do it as well, there’s no limitations to your hopes, goals and fantasies. Keep up the good work and make the great concepts by far.
