Annie Leibovitz’s bold, posed portraits of pop cultural icons have made her one of the most famous photographers working today. Her intimate, stylised compositions and high-contrast palettes, which draw from influences including Richard Avedon and Henri Cartier-Bresson, lend a mythic weight to her photographs of celebrities. Her subjects have included Keith Haring, Dolly Parton, and Queen Elizabeth, many of which she captured during her tenure at publications such as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. In 1980, she famously photographed Yoko Ono and John Lennon just hours before the latter’s death. As her commercial and editorial work gained more attention, Leibovitz began to move more firmly into the realm of fine art. In 1991, she became the first woman to be granted a solo show at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. She has shown in Los Angeles, New York, and London, among other cities, and her photographs belong to the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and more. I've decided to research into Leibovitz's work as her portrait work is very professional and one of the best, I hope to be influenced by the skills and techniques she uses and why and reflect this upon my portraits in the studio. Below I shall discuss some of my personal favourite portraits of hers and the technicality of them.  

I enjoy the set up of this photograph, as the lighting is sound and professional with the use of high key lighting on the model's face. The model, Jennifer Lawerence is seen in the centre of the image with only her face and shoulder included within the shot. The image is also lit professionally as the lighting allows the model's face to be fully lit, this adds focus and definition to the model's face. Depth of field is used here to outline and define the model's face and even more so add on the idea of her being the main focus of the photograph. I enjoy the black turtle neck the model is seen wearing here, as this item of clothing contrasts with her pale complexion. The blue wallpaper captured in the background of the image contrasts nicely with the model's piercing blue eyes, which adds dimension to the photograph. The model's facial features meets the wasp aesthetic as she has prototypical  feminine features such as: her natural make-up, rosy cheeks, blue eyes and blonde hair.

I really enjoy the sleek and chic look to this photograph and the mysterious feel which is portrayed by image being captured in black and white. This is further seen by the model's serious and posed facial expression and almost moody persona by her hand placed under her face and body placed towards the right side of the photograph. I enjoy the studio lighting here and the technical skills used through the butterfly lighting, which creates shadow around the model's face creating depth and mysterious. 

I believe this photograph meets up to conventions of the female gaze. This is captured by the model posing looking away from the camera with mischievous glance on her face, her lower shoulder are also on show with a lack of clothing, her body almost seems open and facing slightly towards the camera, her hair also seems messy and perhaps played with. The use of butterfly lighting is also seen once again here, adding slight depth and shadow around the model's face and surroundings.

This portrait shows the model slightly off centre, however this aligns well with the model positioning as her shoulders are seen tilted towards the left of the image. The model's face is faced straight on towards with camera with a straight face. The depth of field here outlines the model and adds high contrast between the model's silhouette and the backdrop. The backdrop seems to be a dark green which contrasts well with the bright red the model is seen wearing. The red dress contrasts well with the red lipstick the model is seen wearing. The position of the model also emphasises her chest area and collarbones. The dark green backdrop also contrasts nicely with the green ribbons seen in the model hair. The high-key lighting here allows good composition to the image and brings out all the colour nicely which allows the bold effect to the image.