Annie Leibovitz and James Natchwey

Annie Leibovitz and James Natchwey are both very talented photographers that are famous in their both respective fields of photography. Leibovitz is well known for her photography of famous celebrities and vanity fair art, while Natchey is well known for his famous war photography of various wars and poverty from all around the world. Leibovitz photography is more artificial in a way that it is very pretty, and pop culture related. Natchwey’s photography is more natural and he uses black and white for his pictures. Both artists’ uses several different techniques in their photography to portray what they want convey to their audience. However there are a few similarities in the tactics that these photographers do to get the images they want to capture.



Leibovitz in this photo uses an array of bold lighting to compliment her model’s dress and pose and in a way in which she blurs the image of the background behind her in such a dramatic way, so that the focus of the picture is on the model and her appearance. The background colors is a very earthy brown and yellow which is very appealing and classic to the setting of the picture, but is not such a bold color as to over compliment or clash with the model and her outfit. The model’s dress in this photograph is very flashy and yet very elegant which draws out and creates a certain type of illusion of the model’s personality to the audience, which then the observer’s attention draws to her first before the rest of the picture. The model herself is very relaxed but not overly-posed, as if this shot was taken right before the curtains had closed down. However, even though the model is the main focus of the picture, her face is not directly facing the camera, which ironically plays off with her surroundings and makes the picture in itself seem more natural, more open to herself and her setting which makes it more appealing to the observer’s eye. Leibovitz photograph seems to capture the essence of elegancy and fame, and creates such a rich and famous attitude and personality to the extent that people will be in awe of the beauty of the star, her appearance, her richness, her outfit and yet also leaves enough to the imagination to them, so that they would wonder what is she looking at, what kind of person she is and where this photo had taken place.



The people’s faces in Natchwey’s photograph cannot be seen but the point of the picture is more than understood. It is clear that these two men are suffering from poverty and malnutrition. The use of this photo being in black and white to me seems to make the image more intense and raw as appose to it simply being put in color. The black and white brings out the important aspect of the point of the picture as to dramatize and highlight the important parts of the picture in such a way that the observer cannot miss. The man showering in this picture is doing so in a way that majority of us who are privileged are very used to, however, not in his certain condition. Natchwey in this photo captures a very malnourished man showering, briefly nude but with sadly all of his bones in perfect vision for the observer to see. He didn’t need to capture him stretching or doing something that would emphasize his state of being, but something more natural which makes the picture more powerful. He also didn’t have to capture the men’s faces but the emotion is evident in the picture without it because capturing the man’s state of being is louder than words. The other man in the wheelchair next to him with the man’s hand on his head action is not quiet clear, but Natchwey captures this moment in such a way, that it leaves the obvserver to question what exactly is going on in this picture. Is it a clinic? Is that man a doctor or a nurse that is helping the other man? All of this is something that Natchwey leaves up to the audience to figure out.

Annie Leibovitz and James Natchwey similarities are that they are very hands on with their work. Leibovitz when taking pictures blends in with the crowd of people she is taking pictures of and, takes so many random pictures of them doing natural things that through the course of the day, they don’t even realize they are getting photographed. While Natchwey because of his setting doesn’t necessarily blend in with the people around him, but more like respectfully shoots quietly in, out, and around the situation. Both photographers capture and emphasizes to the full extent their respective fields of work through their photographs. Annie Leibovitz captures the glamour and beauty which speaks to you when you look at her pictures while James Natchwey’s photos does the same but with the different type of message.

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are

my testimony. The events I have recorded should

not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

-James Nachtwey-

(quote taken from: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://s45.radikal.ru/i107/0812/28/7f3a84182470.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.graf.ge/lofiversion/index.php/t361.html&usg=__xFVWV3MHFlfrBXcrv7bkWPfTK6k=&h=363&w=539&sz=40&hl=en&start=229&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=YIJvUliakvHEuM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djames%2Bnachtwey%26start%3D216%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26channel%3Ds%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1)