Some lessons from Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz flew into town this morning to drop by her exhibition, A Photographer’s Life 1990-2005, at the Museum of Contemporary Art and to fulfil some promotional responsibilities (not that this was necessary as the show has been declared the museum’s most popular ticketed event ever).

I got to spend an hour or so this afternoon touring the exhibition with the photographer herself but in that time she could barely scratch the surface. Annecdotes and backstories from the forty year career of a woman who has shot everyone who’s anyone would take a hefty tome to accommodate. I hope that one day she writes it.

Three things Leibovitz said stood out for me in particular.

In speaking about the circumstances that led to her photographing Queen Elizabeth II in 2007, Leibovitz mentioned how she had years earlier been working on a project in which she wanted to include the Queen and had sent in the appropriate request but alas it was declined. Until five years had passed, that is, when the Royal Palace was looking to commission a portrait of the Queen and called Leibovitz simply because they remembered her asking five years before (although I dare say her portfolio played some part). So you should never not ask, says Leobovitz, regardless of how unlikely you think your chances.

Leibovitz thinks that nine out of ten people dislike being photographed. It can be an understandably unpleasant experience, but in occupying the side of the camera that we do, this can be quickly forgotten. In saying this, she reminds us of what is possibly the key quality of the portrait photographer: not skilled lighting or composition as much as people skills and being able to quickly establish a rapport. Charisma and charm are two of the most underrated photographic techniques.

Leibovitz also spoke about the important distinction between her work and her personal life and explained that during her youth she’d spent her days moving endlessly from assignment to assignment until she realised there was nothing much in between. So she set out to rectify this (she now has three kids). That’s a thought that might strike a chord with some readers of this blog. Most of us tend to consider photography a lifestyle more than a job, and we all know those photographers who would rather take a camera to church than risk missing a moment. They give their all to their work, so much so that their life contains little else. Leibovitz is reminding us about work-life balance.

So there you have it: some food for thought from one of the most accomplished names in our industry. They’re notions that all have little directly to do with making pictures but might improve yours anyway.