Last night I watched a documentary about Annie Leibovitz … perhaps the most famous portrait photographer of our time. I think this is an important documentary for all photographers to see. My favorite part was when several people were commenting that Annie, unlike most photographers, is able to capture someone’s essence. Annie responded that she doesn’t believe anyone can capture a person’s essence … that our lives are more complicated than what any photo will ever show. That people, by nature, are always performing for the camera. That although a photographer might be good at capturing those in-between moments and personality … a single frame will never explain/capture one’s true and full essence.
I loved hearing that. And I especially love how it came from a photography master. Annie believes in the power of photography … she agonizes over her shoots and takes her responsibility as a portrait photographer more seriously than almost anybody. And yet she recognizes that we are all so much more than a single frame or even a series of frames. But that doesn’t stop her from trying to capture a slice of one’s essence. And that’s what I always hope to do as well — to capture those fractions of a second that show slices of people’s essences. Slices of the movement inside all of us.
Can you tell I LOVE taking photos of people laughing and having their hair blowing in the wind? I love those captures because they are honest … and full of life.
