A Photographer's Life 1990-2005 is a complex set of images taken by Annie Leibovitz. For Leibovitz the book represents a way to cope with the death of both her father and her lover, Susan Sontag. It is a large and deeply personal set of images that spanned traumatic family events and love lost. Famous for her commercial portraits of Michael Jordan, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, and Bruce Springstein, Leibovitz uses a variety of techniques in this book, ranging from snap shots to well composed images filled with set lighting.
I have a strong appreciation for the book's layout, from single images spread over two pages to small scans of medium format slides applied directly to the page. One of my favorite compositions was a contact sheet of her daughter as she ran around on a spring day.
In the end, though, the layout of the book was chaotic. Though this did convey the complexity of a photographer's entire life, and not just one body of work, it was a huge distraction. Annie Leibovitz's tried to portray her grief through this layout; it conveys chaos and a sense of despaire. She was thinking more about herself than what viewers would think as they flipped through the book. A page depicting a deeply haunting scene from Rwanda, would be followed by a portrait. Leibovitz could have solved this chaos with some organization, quite possibly through chapters from year to year and strict chronology or even better, the separation of editorial, personal, and commercial work. I personally would have preferred to see her photos divided in accordance to subject matter, which I think would strengthen the essence of her work.

When I got the book I was surprised by the size and how heavy it felt in my hands. I was even more surprised with the work inside. Annie offers us, the viewers, a very nice conception about photography when she does not separate her family and friends'pictures from her professional assignments. It's all part of her life - It might get confusing at first but as you leaf through the book you start assimilating more and more of her conception - The pictures do give you feelings, after all, that's what photography is all about. Love the book.Great work.

It's likely the first time you browse through A Photographer's Life, you will use it as a peeping tom would use a window, as a voyeur, looking in on the lives of famous people -- and perhaps that's the intention. But then, go back and gaze at the photos as art, looking for the lighting, the mood, the context. Leibovitz's photos of herself are almost too revealing, but use them as the introduction to herself as she intended. The photos she took for Rolling Stone of rock stars and politicians are as rich as the articles for which her photos were shot. Read them as you would the article itself. You will learn much.

I was very excited to win this book as a prize for a photo contest tied to the Annie Liebowitz exhibit in SF, CA. My photo was related to families. I acknowledge the other reviewers. The graphic layout of the photos reduced the value of her beautiful work. This book is important. It's production should have accorded it the same treatment. Who was in charge of its publication? Was Annie consulted? I can't imagine it. Actually it would make me feel better to think that she wasn't included in the approval cycle; how could you do this to yourself?

A beautiful and touching collection of her life and friends in her own words------photography. I have her first book and this one is just as great. A beautiful, interesting coffee table book. Every time you look through it you see it again differently.