In the news this week, from The ROOT: “Esteemed Vogue photographer Annie Leibovitz is under fire again for her latest portraits of a Black woman. Last week, the former Rolling Stone journalist shared her pictures of Ketanji Brown Jackson—who made history by becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court—posing by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
However, critics—consisting mostly of Black women—quickly noted how poor the lighting was in the pictures and how it wasn’t properly suited for Brown’s darker skin tone. Leibovitz has been critiqued for her past portraits of dark-skinned Black women including her 2020 Vogue cover images of Simone Biles as well as her Vanity Fair portraits of Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o.”
What do you think? Is the portrait up to standards? Whose standards should apply? Could other photographers, especially of color, be considered for these jobs?
I get the idea behind the Lincoln photo. but why is KBJ in the shadows while he is lit in the center? He looms and she looks almost intimidated. I would far rather see her be much more the focus!
Is it time for a different photographer to get a shot? Personally, I would say yes. Sorry, Annie.
Annie Leibovitz may be an icon, but these portraits just don’t measure up. KBJ deserves better. I don’t know enough about the industry to know whether there are photographers of color that might do better, but I’d like to see someone give it a try.
It is a beautiful portrait of a determined woman posed against a background of black, something she has been dealing with all her life. She will do well.