My early childhood equipped me really well for my portrait work: The quick encounter, where you are not going to know the subject for very long. These days I am much more comfortable with the fifteen minute relationship, than I am with a life long relationship.
Interpretation
Annie Leibovitz emphasizes the value of brief interactions, particularly in the context of her portrait photography.
In this quote, Annie Leibovitz reflects on how her early childhood experiences prepared her for the transient nature of portrait work. She highlights her preference for fleeting, intimate engagements with her subjects, suggesting that the essence of her art lies in capturing moments rather than developing long-term relationships. This perspective reveals a distinct understanding of connection in her field, where the depth of a short encounter can produce compelling and insightful portraits.
In practice
In a speech about art at a gallery opening, one might quote this to illustrate the beauty of candid moments.
Those who want to be serious photographers, you're really going to have to edit your work. You're going to have to understand what you're doing. You're going to have to not just shoot, shoot, shoot. To stop and look at your work is the most important thing you can do.
I was scared to do anything in the studio because it felt so claustrophobic. I wanted to be somewhere where things could happen and the subject wasn't just looking back at you.
I personally made a decision many years ago that I wanted to crawl into portraiture because it had a lot of latitude.
In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what's going on, but it's representative.
The first thing I did with my very first camera was climb Mt. Fuji. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a lesson in determination and moderation. It would be fair to ask if I took the moderation part to heart. But it certainly was a lesson in respecting your camera. If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant. There were not going to be any pictures without it.
A lot can be told from what happens in between the main moments.
I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to create a world for my characters.
To me, a building - if it's beautiful - is the love of one man, he's made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that.
The person whose work introduced me to the craft was Lorraine Hansberry. The person who taught me to love the craft was Tennessee Williams. The person who really taught me the power of the craft was August Wilson, and the person who taught me the political heft of the craft was Arthur Miller.
I'm not in any rush. I'm not somebody who, if I write a song, I get it out. That's not something I've ever really quite done.
To elevate the soul, poetry is necessary.
The great artists of the world are never Puritans, and seldom even ordinarily respectable.
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