Annie Leibovitz - prima donna or talent supremo?

Annie Leibovitz has a reputation of being a difficult photographer to work with – both as an assistant and as a client. If you are her assistant, you’d better be fast on your feet and mind, and be as much of a perfectionist as she is, or risk being railed at.

If you are her client, Annie will not yell (at you). But you just might, when you see the bills that she chalks up per assignment. Being the perfectionist that she is, Annie Leibovitz has unfortunately gained the reputation of a budget buster by insisting on the best for every shoot.

In this video you can see the locations and equipment she brings for an otherwise low-budget editorial shoot for Vogue magazine. And as Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine puts it aptly, that Annie “drives them crazy” since “budget is not something entirely in Anna’s consciousness”.

But Anna concludes that “but it’s worth it because at the end of the day, she gives you an image that nobody else can.” That’s Annie Leibovitz for you!

Time magazine interview with Annie Leibovitz

As one of the most famous and prolific photographers today, Annie Leibovitz is no stranger to controversies and criticisms. Her recent financial crisis and troubles with lawsuits made Leibovitz an easy target for even more flak, but there is no taking away her genius in making iconic photos of her subjects. With a huge and successful body of work, Annie Leibovitz had always put tremendous pressure on herself to excel and push the envelope even further. Here's a short interview by Time magazine with Annie Leibovitz...