Say Cheese

I love photography. In high school when I found my parents old Nikon collecting dust in their closet I begged them to fix it and let me take classes. And, of course, I got what I wanted. I loved discovering what I could do and what everything meant. After a while I took a darkroom class, and I liked that even more. Seeing the image come to life is amazing. But, when I went to BYU I was saddened to discover that the only photography classes offered were for photography majors.

This past weekend I went to DC for a quick visit. Proving that it’s easier to get to DC than Brooklyn, I finally went to see the Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 exhibit (It was organized by the Brooklyn Museum and opened there almost a year ago, but I never made it over to see the show.) Annie Leibovitz is known for her celebrity portraits; she’s worked for Rolling Stones, Vanity Fair, Vogue, numerous advertising campaigns, etc. Here are two of my favorites of her well-known photos.

Nicole Kidman for Vogue


She recently shot a series of celebrity advertisements for Disney. This is Scarlet Johansson as Cinderella fleeing the ball.


Two of my friends, Karen and Mel, are taking a photography class right now. I must admit every time I hear them talk about it I get jealous. I miss it. I gave my Nikon N80 to my little sister so she could take a photography class, and well, I never use it because it requires me developing film! Maybe one day I’ll breakdown and buy a DSLR, but I just found out some exciting news. I get to loan a Nikon D40 for a little while! I’m so excited!

And while I'm sharing celebrity photos I love here are two more.
I can't find the original shot that I love from this - the one I like is in black and white and there are more flashes going off in the background. Now I realize I'll never be Angelina and Brad on the red carpet at Cannes, but there is something I just love about this shots from behind with all the lights and the sexy, romantic arms crossed pose. Maybe one day I'll stage a bunch of photographers for a shot like this :)


And this one is technically a screenshot, but I still love it. Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is one of my favorite spots in the city, and I love this shot looking through the arcade - especially with the misty rain in the background.


One day I'll take a class again. Now I'm just waiting for my D40 to show up!