Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005

padu

It's showing now here on the San Diego Museum of Art. I went yesterday and I liked. I didn't care much about the small B&W photos about her personal life with Susan Sontag, but I liked most of her professional photos.

Here's my general impressions, in no particular order:
- You become a very popular photographer (artist), then, even your mediocre pieces become art.
- People will find meaning on your mediocre pieces of art, just to look intelectual
- 4x5 and large format is the way to go when you're talking about BIG enlargements.

I took a notepad and make a few notes while I was browsing the pictures, here are they, unedited:

1-Norman Schwarzkopf: 35mm?
2-Tony Kushner: What type of border, why?
3-Monument Valley, 93: Why so big? What's special?
4-What's up with the borders?
5-Charles Austin, 96: liked it
6-My Mother, 97: liked it
7-Sam's Point Preserve, 99: liked it


Some explanations:
1-That was a big portrait of norman schwarzkopf, with details way beyond 35mm resolving capacity. Although, a bit of film edges was showing on the portrait (which was the case for a lot of her pictures) and that one seemed like 35mm border (instead of 4x5 sheet film of other pictures). I'd be reeeally surprised learning that it was indeed 35mm.
2 and 4-Lot's of photos with polaroid type edges... catch my attention to why
3-I've seen lots of photos of monument valley, this one is out of focus and enlarged from bottom to top of the wall. Nothing special from a photographic standpoint, so I got curious to why that particular photo was enlarged to be that big


Cheers, and if you've seen this exhibit, please leave your comments!

claudermilk

Thanks for reminding me of the exhibit. Now I have two photo exhibits to visit (Bowers up in Santa Ana has an Ansel Adams exhibit going).

Time for another Balboa Park trip.