Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey: A Comparison

Annie Leibovitz and James Nachtwey have both captured the world through their lenses in exciting and groundbreaking ways. For them, photography is a way of life. James has never married or had children, and Annie once described her dedication as a "life through a lens." But the differences between their styles is striking: one inspires through creativity, and the other observes the world as it happens. Their realms of experience are as diverse as can be, nearly.  Both have incredible talent, and seem to have had a calling to practice photography.

         

                                  Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz                                                 James Nachtwey

          (borrowed from http://fataculture.wordpress.com/tag/weekend-attractions/)          (http://look3.org/exhibits/gallery-exhibits/)

Let's start first by comparing their biographies. Leibovitz was born in 1949, and Nachtwey was born in 1948. They both studied art in college: Annie studied painting but found her interests in photography soon thereafter. James Nachtwey studied Art History and soon after decided to dedicate his life to the documentation of war and its effects on the common people of the world.

Where Leibovitz would take control, Natchwey would rather let events unfold naturally. He has photographed war and war atrocities from Sudan to Indonesia.  The grievous nature of his work is exemplified by his website, http://www.jamesnachtwey.com — a simple gray background, with a large quote prominently displayed, stating

"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."

Annie has worked for The Rolling Stones Magazine and Vanity Fair, among others, and has kept a good deal of control over her images. However, both photographers stress becoming a part of the scene and communing with their subjects. Rapport is vital to a good photograph. Annie, though, wouldn't be hesitant to recommend a different pose, or to change the lighting or location slightly to suit her needs for the picture. It is her attention to detail and deep consideration of her ideas that has made her so successful, in my opinion. Just take a look at some of the portrait work she's done over the years.

(http://teresalamarquesa.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/annie-leibovitz/)           (http://www.charitybuzz.com/celebrities/12/catalog_items/79843)

Her work captures people and exemplifies personalities in such a powerful and moving way. And the scenes look very relaxed and natural usually, despite being heavily planned.

James Nachtwey works quite the opposite way, and prefers to get close to the action without interfering. He becomes a seamless part of the scene and gives a world voice to those who might not otherwise have one. His work is primarily in Black and White, and always strikes me as being very clear and monumental.

And to me, his pictures always require a caption because the story behind the photo is so important. For Leibovitz photos, the picture often stands for itself because the explanation isn't necessarily historically significant or the subjects are celebrities and thus in the common knowledge.

Rwanda, 1994 - Survivor of Hutu death camp.

(http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/)

Chechnya, 1996 - Chechen rebel fighting along the front line against the Russian army.

(http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/)

Both photographers have put themselves in harm's way, but to me Nachtwey seems moreso in his pursuits, to me. He lives simply and has literally seen fellow photographers be shot and killed next to him while on the front lines of some skirmish or uprising. Leibovitz traveled with the Rolling Stones and participated in their partying - drugs, and the like - but I haven't read anything about her covering war.

I could keep going on, but I will suffice it at that. The images produced by Leibovitz capture your imagination, excite you, and inspire in you something great and fantastic. Her portraits are sometimes dark and can also show you the deeper side of people's lives. In her early years she captured many important images, including the one of John Lennon hours before his death.

Nachtwey's images reveal a world torn by war, but he remains uncynical in his thinking - he believes we can do better in this world than we are. His images, to me, are meant as a call to action, a realization of the terrible poverty that still exists in this world that many are not exposed to themselves. If you don't know what's happening in the world, then how can you change it?
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Addendum: 3/31/10

As visual anthropologists, we can learn much from the work of Annie and James. While much of Annie's work is guided by her hand, she manages to capture the essence of the person being photographed. It is with her suggestions and advice that the subject can express themselves in front of the camera. Often, people put on a "camera face" or similar false personality in front of the camera. It is up to the photographer to ease the subject out of that false personality and reveal the true person underneath. James Nachtwey's work is very in-the-moment and striking. From him, we can learn to be at the center of the action and not be hesitant about photographing what we see. Also, we know that Nacthwey talks to his subjects about his work and establishes a rapport with them. By speaking to your subject and getting to know them better, you will put them at ease and they will understand your reasons for photographing them. They will begin to relax and treat you less like an outsider. By understanding your subject, likewise, you will be able to photograph them better by knowing where to take them, how to pose, etc. It becomes a two-way street - a communication between photographer and subject.

That's it and good luck!

Tyler

Portrait of a Japanese Family

Two weeks ago, fate led me to meet a Japanese college student while I was at Round One Arcade. Since that time, we have been to Kyoto for sightseeing twice and have become very close friends.

On Friday, I was invited to his Grandparent's home for dinner. They prepared a wide selection of food for us - sushi, sashimi, chicken wings, potato salad, miso soup with pork, and beef. It was immense, and I regretted eating onigiri an hour before, as I couldn't finish all of the delicious food.

His grandparents were not quite what I was expecting. His grandmother reminded me a lot of my babysitter's mother from childhood - she looked rather Western in her clothing and appearance to me. She spoke a lot more than her husband did. No one here spoke English. I didn't get to see them much at first though, because they didn't eat dinner with us - they went upstairs while we ate. I was confused, and still am at the moment. I thought they were going to eat with us. There was certainly enough food!

This was taken very casually, with virtually no posing or pre-planning. What I love about this photo is the contrast between young and old - the grandparents are not smiling, and standing as they normally would. The two younger guys, though, are smiling and posing for the camera. I think it stems from olden days when cameras were less common, and even perhaps when you had to stand still for photos so they wouldn't blur.


As a parting gift, she gave me a Nagano guidebook (I'm headed there this weekend), and a box of sweets. I was so grateful. I will be sending them a return gift soon.


Tyler

Neighborhood Hirakata - 枚方市の近所

Today, I took my bike and started heading down nearby streets, in search of understanding my neighborhood.

My travels took my down a street, which quickly turned into a footpath after a block. While riding, I came across this rice field here:

This is a common sight in neighborhoods in Japan. Any spot of unused land is cultivated to grow a crop, usually rice. The shapes are sometimes irregular and match the terrain; you can find triangle shaped ones sometimes.

The homes in this area are very nice, especially when you comparea it to the area just south of my Seminar House. The people here must be very wealthy indeed to afford such large homes. Their family names are written in Kanji on a black placard by the front gate, as seen here:

Neighborhoods are well marked here, as well. Each new neighborhood has a sign posted nearby on a telephone pole. I saw two different neighborhoods on my way around, and they were only a few blocks large.

 

I will leave you with a panoramas of the immediate vicinity around my Seminar House. There's a beautiful park, and in this shot you can see the numerous cars waiting for the parking.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

 

Tyler

Early Impressions of Japan

I came to Japan during the Summer of 2008 for two weeks, on a program known as "Wings of Rotary." I was appointed "Student Leader" for the trip, as I had some Japanese knowledge already. I was going into my 3rd semester of college at that time.

That trip was my first real impression of Japan. It was golden, and I saw this beautiful country through rose-colored glasses. It was so beautiful.

My first impressions were of a few things: vending machines, transit, and of course, toilet seats.

In Narita airport, I noticed the numerous vending machines in the terminals. They serve a myriad of drinks, some hot and some cold. They are called jidouhanbaiki, or "automated selling machine." The kanji are fun too - 自動販売機. It's one of my favorite Japanese words.

My first was a small, indestructable can of grape-flavored drink with a popular Japanese cartoon character on it. To choose a can, just insert your coins and press the button below the drink of your choice. The blue labels indicate the drink is served cold; red labels are for hot drinks.

The transit system here is incredible, especially compared to Oklahoma and America. I learned how to purchase train tickets two weeks ago when I had to get to my hotel in Dotonbori. The machines look like this:

You figure out where you're going and then see how much it costs. Then you get a ticket worth that much money. You deposit the ticket into the check-in lanes usually nearby the machines. It takes your ticket in, punches it, and opens the gates for you to go through. The transit system is used by everyone - it's relatively inexpensive and pretty fast. I was amazed at how punctual all the trains are here - they don't waste time or become late for anything. Just incredible. I've used them many times now. Girls fall asleep on them - I was also amazed at that. If it's not crowded, the safety level is super high. You don't have to worry about anything. People commonly doze off on these trains.

The toilet seats are fast becoming one of my favorite things about Japan. At my seminar house, our toilets are electric and include a warmed seat, bidet, deodorizer, and a "rushing water" sound that provides some white noise if you want it. It has pressure and volume control too. Can you believe it? It's so neat. The toilets in Japan are almost always made of plastic.

That does it for my first post. Hope you enjoyed reading.


Tyler