Commentary # 35: September 2009
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Annie and the Newbies:

Very Easy Targets



September 2009

- by Craig Wassel


Annie and the Newbies? Who are they - a new band?

No. By "Annie" I mean Annie Leibovitz, and by "newbies" I mean newcomers to photography. I have been thinking about both during the past few weeks, and how they are easy targets. What do I mean by "easy targets"? Well, let's start with Annie.

For those who have not heard, Annie Leibovitz - conservatively speaking one of the highest paid photographers today and maybe even in history - is 24 million dollars in debt. That is simply an astonishing figure. How on earth could she be in such a financial bind? For some answers, as well what I find to be a fascinating glimpse into Annie's life, you can read this lengthy New York Magazine piece by Andrew Goldman (link).

My favorite photography forum linked to the New York Magazine/Goldman piece and posed the same "how could that happen" question. That link and question prompted more and longer comments on that site than I have seen in a very long time. I decided not to name the forum or link to it here as I usually would, because I found so much of the commentary so negative it left a very bad taste in my mouth. I don't ever recall ever seeing so much of that kind of dialogue there, and I also feel it reflected negatively on what is otherwise one of the very best photography forums on the net.

There was plenty of "Annie Bashing", and it ranged from criticizing her maturity and behavior to her financial decisions and actions to her skill as a photographer and - of course - her work. To me, much of it went well beyond criticism and easily reached ill spirited levels. If I were quicker to put a cliche' on it, I would say there was plenty of kicking Annie while she is down.

I am not going to do the same and attack Annie's behavior and decisions based on what the NYM/Goldman piece describes. I don't know Annie, and I just don't want to participate in that kind of dialogue. Although I admit I have never liked her photography that much, I am also honest enough to say I greatly admire her work and the name she has made for herself. That may sound contradictory, but I believe that being able to speak respectfully about another photographer regardless of how one feels about his/her style is one mark of a professional. Annie has developed a distinct style. When you see a "Leibovitz", you know it is either hers or someone emulating her. Few photographers are ever able to distinguish themselves as such and command enough to make an exceptional living.

So what do "newbie" photographers who are making nothing or close to it have to do with Annie Leibovitz who gets paid tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per assignment?

Simple.

We love to kick them, too. Okay - maybe not all of us (including me), but some really seem to get something out of it. Annie is an easy mark because she has financial distress, yet name recognition and fame that most of us do not. Newbies are easy marks because they are, well, newbies. It always puzzles me that some of us seem to reach a certain point where we forget that we were not born with nice gear and knowledge and skill and experience and worthy portfolios.

It is really too bad that many of us lack the security to treat new photographers with more respect, like the white belt is in martial arts. The white belt is the symbol of the beginner. In the purest spirit of martial arts, though, the white belt is also treated with great respect. That is because it is also the symbol of the ultimate learner, and is a reminder that even the most accomplished and skilled practitioners of the arts started off wearing white around their waists.

Likewise, a black belt means more than just skill and experience and achievement. It carries with it the responsibility of being a teacher and passing on what has been learned, and maintaining respect for those who taught you and who have a higher belt. You don't kick a white belt because you can, and you don't strike at anyone who is down regardless. To do so is seen as dishonorable.

Annie Leibovitz and "newbies" are easy targets. They are VERY easy targets, and to me it is no more honorable to take shots at them. We are all human and guilty at one time or another of taking our shots at others, but I fight that tendency in myself as hard as I can. When I say "taking shots", I don't mean constructive criticism or critique. I am talking about mean attitudes. I have said it before in other commentaries in other ways: ill spirited words about our fellow photographers tell the world much more about us than our targets.

Don't get me wrong - I am not holding Annie up as a saint anymore than I would myself; none of us is perfect. If all is accurate in the NYM/Goldman piece, Annie has faults, too, and they likely led to her financial trouble. The piece began, though, by noting Annie's Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Center of Photography in New York in May, 2009, and by quoting her. Annie said,   “ . . . Photography is not something you retire from . . . (photographers) live to a very old age (and) work until the end . . . ”

After reading that, I find it very hard not to like Annie. Her words suggest to me she is one who has photography in her soul, that she continues to look for her next subject, and that photography is the legacy she wants to create and leave. She feels she still has great work ahead of her and in her, and maybe even her best work. With the explosion of digital, there are droves of new photographers among us. I have met a few with that same passion Annie seems to have. In my eyes, that passion is the single most important trait a photographer can possess.

That passion deserves our respect, and neither Annie nor "newbies" deserve to be targets.


“ . . . Photography is not something you retire from . . . (Photographers) live to a very old age (and) work until the end . . . ”

~ Annie Leibovitz,
Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award
from the International Center of Photography, New York City
May, 2009 ~







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" . . . Annie Leibovitz and "newbies" they are easy targets . . .VERY easy targets . . . we are all human and guilty at one time or another of taking our shots at easy targets, but I fight that tendency in myself as hard as I can . . . I have said it before in other commentaries in other ways: ill spirited words about our fellow photographers tell the world much more about us than our targets . . . "





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