David LaChappelle and Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz
D.O.B- 02/10/1949
Place of birth- Waterbury, Connecticut, America
Occupation- Photographer

• Leibovitz is a third generation American who's parents both have Jewish heritage from both Romania and Estonia.
• Career began as a staff photographer for Rolling Stone magazine.
• Her photography style helped to form the Rolling Stone's specific distinctive style.
• She was inspired by Henri-Cartier Bresson and Robert Frank.
• Her distinctive style gained her a position to work with Vanity Fair as a photographer.

The above two images from Leibovitz's fantasy series carry connotations of surreal fantasy and both convey varying degrees of danger.  The Captain Hook image carries obvious connotations of danger however there is also something unsettling and sinister about the shoemaker image.

The above image is a glasses campaign for Prada and is an example of Leibovitz's high end add work.  The subject clothing, hand positioning and face shape provide connotations of femininity which is iterating as models are becoming more and more androgynous as time progresses in an attempt to make all styles accessible to all genders.

David Lachepelle
D.O.B- 11/03/1963
Place of birth- Hartford, Connecticut, America
Occupation- Comercial photographer, fine art photographer, director.

• Work regularly references art history.
• Work often conveys a social or political message.
• His style is described as "Kitsch Pop Surrealism".
• His first job was offered to him at 17 by Andy Warhol for Interview Magazine.
• In 1995 LaChapelle shot the first advertisement of two men kissing for Diesel which sparked a great deal of controversy due to the fact that the subjects were presented as sailors and this occurred in the don't ask don't tell movement.
• He has been influenced by Salvador Dali and Jeff Koons.

This image of Madonna carries heavy connotations of royalty such as the crown and the purple background both of which symbolise royalty as Madonna is the Queen of Pop.  Light trails or editing in post-production have been used on the crown in order to create the lines of light coming from her crown.

This image interests me due to it's understated surreal nature.  This image is not as boldly surreal as Leibovitz's images however still manages to make Katy Perry appear in a similar way to a mermaid with the blue lighting replicating the sea and her long flowing dress replicating a tail.

This image is intriguing as it is designed to look similar to an industrial factory however is comprised of hair rollers.  This shows a contrast between women and industrial work and issues involving gender equality such as equal pay and the unnecessary gendering of hobbies and professions such as beauty work.

Comparison
Annie Leibovitz and David Lachepelle are both high end photographers who work in the genre of portraiture.  Leibovitz specialises in portraiture which is styled around fairy tales particularly Disney and also focuses on advertisement for high end brands such as Prada often using famous subjects to boost the status of the brand.  David Lachepelle's photography is also largely focused around famous subjects and at times is used for advertisement however his photography is far more unorthodox than Annie Leibovitz.

Influence on my work
Leibovitz and LaChapelle have both encouraged me to further explore the use of surrealism in my work in order to make it more engaging and more specific to my personal style.  They have also shown me that whilst it is important to develop a personal style one does not always have to stick to it.