Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life (1990-2005)

Have you ever wondered how you've come to like or love a certain photographer? 

Being a photography enthusiast, I have always wondered why I've come to love my favorite photographers--and there are only a few.  And no, it's not because I'm an enthusiast that I've set a high standard. There are no high standards at all.  In fact, I realized that when it comes to loving a photographer's work of art, I only look for one thing. A soul.

There are a lot of great photographers.  But there are a few who capture photographs with soul and one of them is Annie Leibovitz. 

I've come to know her thru her photographs of Queen Elizabeth II, the Obama family, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Demi Moore when she was pregnant (her nude photo in Vanity Fair that came out in 1991).  

I've always admired her work because (1) she's one of the most trusted photographers of well-known people; (2) there's always something breathtaking about her photographs and (3) her photos have soul.

On our 4th wedding anniversary (20 January 2011), the Husband and I decided to celebrate the day by indulging in our love for photography.  We are very lucky that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney is exhibiting Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005.  It was an opportunity to get to know Annie Leibovitz and her work.  The exhibition showed photographs of her family, her travels, her triumphs and sorrow.  Other than showing some of her most unforgettable work with well-known celebrities, the photographs were a record of some of the most personal moments of her life.  It was a very engaging and lovely collection. 

This is my most (super-duper) favorite photograph of hers.  It was a photo of her deceased lover, Susan.  The photo was captioned "Susan Sontag at Petra, Jordan 1994".  This photograph spoke volumes to me.  When I saw this photograph, I was unable to move my feet and just kept staring at it.  It almost moved me to tears.  In this photograph, it somehow tells me how big the world is out there.  How there are so much more to discover, to feel, to love, to share.  After seeing all the photographs in the exhibition, I went back to this photograph one more time and look at it again before we left.  One day, I'll have a copy of this photograph hanging on a wall of our future home.  Someday.

There will never be an exhibition without the book.  Most of the photos found in the exhibition are in this 3-kilo book (yes, it was that heavy, I weighed it!) which serves as a souvenir to all who have seen her exhibition and a learning tool for enthusiasts like me.  It is available at the MCA souvenir shop for AUD$85.00

The exhibition brought together almost 200 photographs and you need about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of viewing her photographs. 

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990–2005 
Organised by the Brooklyn Museum,
19 November 2010– 27 March 2011
 
Admission $15, concessions $10
MCA Members free
Children 12 years and under free
Family (2 adults and 3 children aged 13-17) $40
 
Click HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS