Annie Leibovitz

This photo is of Meryl Streep and the thing that I find most striking about this image is the fact that she is tugging her skin away from her face whilst maintaining a normal facial expression. The shot is a medium close up with Meryl Streep who is wearing eye make up that emphasises her eyes, giving direct address, this gives us a much more personal view on the actress and the fact that she is tugging at her face could signify that her face is adaptable to the characters that she plays in the movies that she stars in or if the image was used for an interview in a magazine it could also signify her pulling off a mask to reveal the real her. The background is dark and simple and makes her stand out, she is wearing a plain white shirt that does not detract from the background so our focus is till on the image, this image has a broad depth of focus and the lighting is very subtle and creates a warming tone.

The actor featured in this photograph is Leonardo DiCaprio who has a swan hooked around his neck which could instantly establish a bond or connection that he shares with it/animal kingdom in general. The swan stands out greatly as it is white and DiCaprio’s jumper is black and so they compliment each other, the swan makes him stand out and he makes the swan stand out. The rest of the image is of the swans natural habitat, it is dark and portrayed in a black and white filter which makes the image very simplistic, which could mean that it is maybe trying to get one simple message across without being too complex and flashy and I believe this message is to save our environment and its inhabitants as Leonardo DiCaprio is holding the swan in a protective way. He is giving the audience direct address which is made clear by the rule of third that is clearly used in this photograph to draw attention to his face and, in particular, his eyes. The image has a relatively narrow depth of field which draws more attention to Leonardo DiCaprio and the swan, the lighting also helps this as it is on them both, making them stand out and adding contrast.

This photo is of Cate Blanchett and is what I believe to symbolise the two faces of drama, the laughing side and the sad side, which are the faces that Cate Blanchett are pulling in this photograph and since she is an actress herself, the connection can be easily made. The shots used are close ups and emphasise the faces to add extra effect, the background is also simple as to not take any attention away from the faces with a broad depth of field. Annie Leibovitz’s images are generally used in magazines so if this image was used in a magazine I believe it would be used to illustrate Cate Blanchett’s different sides of living, all the happy points and all the sad, making the photograph carry a much more personal meaning.

The theme of fantasy is very apparent in this image of Annie Leibovitz because as it can clearly be seen there are fictional figures such as mermaids and merman swimming around in the ocean. The scene has a prominent blue colour scheme as it is set in the ocean and like the opposite image, it reflects an atmosphere of peacefulness due to the simple colours used and the position of the characters in the scene, with the merman appearing to be gracefully swimming close by to the mermaid who is sat on a rock and staring at what I presume to be the surface. This could have a meaningful reason behind it and I interpret that meaning to be that she is staring at the surface wondering what is beyond it, kind of like how we wonder what is beyond the great depths of the ocean and that is why I love this picture so much, as it makes us wonder.

This is my favourite photo of Annie Leibovitz as the woman featured in the picture is Rihanna and she is my favourite celebrity and so this makes me connect with the image a lot more than I would have if it would have been an image of somebody else. This is hugely effective as Annie Leibovitz can now connect to a wide audience as she uses well known celebrities in her photos and this also adds value to them for the people who like the celebrities that they see in the image. This image of Rihanna is rather bright and relaxing, she appears to be jumping on the beach in the sun and the whole scene of it seems very tranquil and beautiful as it looks like she has no worries or problems and would rather just let them all go and enjoy herself in life.