The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is intensifying in the United States, affecting industries. Recently, the spearhead pointed to the photography circle, and the famous Anne Leibovitz was actually dissed!
When it comes to Anne Leibowitz, photography enthusiasts are familiar with it. Anne Leibovitz is one of the world's highest paid photographers, and her lenses document the trends of the times. In 2005, American Photography magazine named her "the single most influential photographer still shooting today"; in 2006, the American Magazine Association selected the best cover photos in 40 years, the top two John Lennon kissed Yoko Ono's "Rolling Stone" cover, vanity fair Demi Moore's pregnancy nude photos were all from her hands; she was also a three-time american photograph of "100 people with significant influence in the field of photography". Celebrities of all stripes are eager to be "fiddled" by Anne Leibovitz's footage, and as long as she is out of the horse, any star willingly takes off her clothes.
So why did Anne Leibowitz come under fire? This has to start with Vogue magazine, which has always used white models, and there are only a few black models or celebrities who have appeared on the cover of Vogue. Some time ago, a "VogueChallenge" topic also emerged on foreign social media, and many black models, stylists, fashion photographers, netizens, etc. have published their own "Vogue" covers on social media, showing black fashion creativity and fashion concepts, hoping that the fashion industry can give blacks more opportunities. As the topic of "VogueChallenge" quickly became popular on the Internet, there were many unofficial "Vogue" covers, and zhang Zhang was a high-level fashion blockbuster.
Not only did Vogue's official website report on it, but it also invited Anne Leibovitz to shoot the august issue cover for the world-famous black gymnast Simone Biles. This time, however, it aroused strong dissatisfaction among the majority of anti-racists.
On the cover of Vogue's August issue, Simone Biers wears orange leggings, shows her enviable back muscles against a golden background and dim lighting, and contains other photos of her life.
Other photos in the text
However, after the relevant photos and articles were published on vogue's official website, the photographer's choice and photo style were immediately attacked by many parties, including Morrigan McCarthy, a photo editor at The New York Times, and Polly Irungu, founder of Black Women Photographers. Critics argue that Anne Leibowitz's poor lighting technique makes Simone Beers' skin appear dull and stiff, like "putting on preservatives," and say Vogue should consider hiring black photographers because they would know better how to light up for blacks. Some netizens even edited and modified the original photo, showing what they thought was the right way to retouch black people.
Pictures edited by netizens
At the same time, there are also some netizens and photographers who speak out for Anne Leibowitz. They believe that the photographs have an oil-inspired texture, not because they are not aware of the black skin color characteristics, but because the way they were taken may have come from Anne Leibowitz's artistic inspiration, and she had her own ideas when she lit them. Because these photos need to be combined with the article, the article describes "Larry Nassar, as the team doctor of the American Gymnastics Team, was sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a number of athletes, including Simone Beers", and the overall style is serious, so darker photos are needed.
Supporter voices
The controversy surrounding Simone Beers' cover photo has been divided, and Anne Leibowitz, a top photographer, has previously taken portraits of Black people such as Morgan Freeman, Rihanna, and Obama, and has received high praise. The cover of Vogue's August issue alone would be too absolute to conclude that Anne Leibovitz did not know how to photograph black people.
Now, whenever a controversial event involves people of color, the public's attitude is more sensitive and critical than in the past, and in the long run, it may make some photographers feel timid about the subject matter, peace & love is the true meaning of life.
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