A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005

Photo courtesy of: Temple.edu

Recently, I was able to take a look at Annie Leibovitz's book entitled: A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, which is a remarkable portfolio depicting her life. The book is hefty so I advise you to sit at a desk before opening it. I don't know exactly how much it weighs, but according to Amazon.com, it will ship at about 8.25 lbs.

The book is amazing.
Photo courtesy of: USA Today.com


In art history classes, I've learned about Leibovitz through slideshow images and viewing parts of a documentary about her. She has taken photos of numerous celebrities and well-known figures in varying poses and juxtapositions. The creative process is interesting because she gives an opportunity to the individual to make a statement.

She describes her childhood, growing up with a family that always moved around. The majority of her time was spent living in the car and taking photos wherever she went. Her work often included honest and vulnerable or witty and whimsical subject matter.

One image, which was not included in the book, was the 1980 photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The photo was taken a few hours before Lennon died. In the photo, Ono was clothed while Lennon was nude and curled up next her. The image was used as the cover for Rolling Stone and no other words were written on the magazine's cover. It truly was a shock for everyone.

Leibovitz included images of her childhood, family, friends, her own three children and other photos rarely seen by the public. She also included her personal accounts with the death of her lover Susan Sontag and her father.

Leibovitz still does photography for various magazines and is renowned for her work. Most people consider it an honor to be have a photograph taken of themselves by her. I definitely recommend this book in order to understand her life and work better. It may be expensive to buy, but at least check it out at the local library or bookstore like Barnes & Nobles or Borders.

Afterwards, you won't view the world the same way, because Leibovitz is showing it in a different lens.

Someone is always watching. Always.

On Tuesday, we had another in-class guest speaker for the online journalism class. Rosemary Chase, a copyright officer, gave great information about citing sources online. I found it interesting when she said, "The newspaper is not all facts, it is an expression of the facts." Also, I never stopped to think that teachers playing movies would be an issue for copyright infringement. I remember back in elementary, middle and high school when teachers would just run movies all day if nothing was planned. I guess we should all take a look at our education system anyway.

The main points from her presentation were to cite sources and to understand that other companies and organizations want traffic on their sites instead of yours. A major mistake is not citing images, which should be done right under or next to the image in a caption, so that the citation is visible wherever it goes. It was great information and I felt as though it should be included in English courses as part of the GMU Honor Code because some students feel that a reference or bibliography page might be enough.

Mason students enjoy the day off.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The snow was lovely today. While watching the four local news stations (ABC7, NBC4, CBS9, and FOX5) simultaneously, I hoped to see George Mason University closed for the day. Luckily, it was but it did not stop my planned agenda. On Wednesdays, I have a lengthy sculpture class, which I thoroughly enjoy. However, today was an exception as I hauled snow in every direction I could. My mom runs a daycare so the saying goes: "If you can make it to our street, we're open."

Easier said than done.

All the main roads are clear except for water pipe leaks here and there. I live in an area where there are either children sledding or senior citizens hoping for someone to check on them. It is more dangerous leaving my driveway, court and the streets leading upwards to Annandale Rd. Whenever the snow plow shows up, it happens to push the snow straight into our driveway and reverses out.

The entire morning I was excited to catch an episode of Ellen, but was saddened to see she was replaced by President George W. Bush. I needed to get a newsletter printed at FedEx Kinko's as well as purchase some art supplies to mount my graphic design project due on Thursday. A quick graphic design lesson: the FedEx logo is widely popular because of the hidden arrow pointing to the right in between the letter E and x. Cool, huh? Photo courtesy of: FedEx.com.

Tom Green's work in the FAB

Another artist to check out is: Tom Green, which is featured in the Fine Arts Gallery on the main floor of the GMU Fine Arts Building. His work entitled, "Inventory: Paintings from 1997-2006" feature large scale paintings based on sketchbook drawings. However, once you walk into the gallery, the images will seem like bizarre cave paintings or alien symbols. His work is detailed and vivid in color, which appeals to the eye and causes an overwhelming emotion. The image to the left is entitled, "FIRST ONE," 2001, 17" x 122," acrylic on canvas.

Green is a professor at the Corcoran School of Art. Walter Kravitz, who is the gallery director for the department of Art and Visual Technology, wrote a section on Green. He has known Green for 25 years and said, "For many years he has been inspiring his students to gain a fuller and clearer understanding of their own personal prosody in visual form; but aslo what it means to be an artist inlery director for the today's complex landscape." The other work on the right is entitled, "TRICKSTER VIBE," 1998, 71" x 62," acrylic on canvas.

If you look closely at this painting, you notice the two rectangular comparisons. Both sides feature windows looking out, possibly to the sky meeting at the horizon line with the ocean. The left side displays a stone frame while the right side displays a create with animorphic parts. It is a review of the opening and closing actions we face.

I thought it was cool when I walked into the gallery just for a look during a break in my sculpture class. The work is definitely worth a second look so try to catch a glimpse of Green's work, which will be featured until Wednesday, February 21. Other gallery spaces on campus are the 123 Gallery in the Johnson Center, the Fine Arts Building Alcove, the PhotoSpace area in Innovation Hall and the Mason Hall Atrium.