The Journey of a Christmas Tree

Annie Leibovitz - Photographer of the Week

Annie Leibovitz was born on October 2, 1949, in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1967,  she enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute to study painting, with plans of becoming an art teacher. Instead, she fell in love with photography. 

In 1970 Leibovitz applied for a job with the “up and coming”  music magazine Rolling Stone. 

She was offered a job as a staff photographer, and within two years, at age 23, was promoted to chief photographer - a title she would hold for the next 10 years. She worked for the magazine until 1983, shooting 142 covers.

In 1975, Mick Jagger offered her a job as the official photographer for the Rolling Stones International tour. Leibovitz accepted and photographed what she called  “strung-out nights and unmade beds.”

She said that the best photographs she’s ever taken of musicians at work were done during that Rolling Stones tour and that she spent more time on it than on any other subject. Her favorite photo from the tour was the one of Mick Jagger in an elevator.

 On December 8, 1980, Leibovitz had a photo shoot with John Lennon for Rolling Stone. She had initially tried to get a picture with just Lennon alone, which is what Rolling Stone wanted, but Lennon insisted that both he and Yoko Ono be on the cover. She then tried to re-create something like the kissing scene from the Double Fantasy album cover and had John remove his clothes and curl up next to Yoko.  She said that when he curled up next to her it was very, very strong and you couldn't help but feel that he was cold and he looked like he was clinging on to her. She said it was amazing to look at the first Polaroid and that they were both very excited. John said, 'You've captured our relationship exactly. Promise me it'll be on the cover.' 
She looked him in the eye and they shook on it.“ Leibovitz was the last person to professionally photograph Lennon—he was shot and killed five hours later.

In 1983, Leibovitz left Rolling Stone and began working for the entertainment magazine Vanity Fair. With a wider array of subjects, her photographs ranged from presidents to literary icons to teen heartthrobs. 

To date, a number of Vanity Fair covers have featured Leibovitz’s stunning - and often controversial - portraits of celebrities. One of the most remembered of her covers was of Demi Moore in 1991, which at the time, it was considered shocking and morally offensive to some people. 

A few years later, the picture was held responsible for the rise of body-hugging maternity fashions. “None of this was my intention, although it’s gratifying to think that the picture helped make pregnant women feel less awkward or embarrassed about their bodies.”

In 1998, she also began working for Vogue. 

Leibovitz has been designated a Living Legend by the Library of Congress and is the recipient of many other honors, including the International Center of Photography's Lifetime Achievement Award. Exhibitions of her images have appeared at museums and galleries all over the world.

In addition to her magazine editorial work, Leibovitz has created influential advertising campaigns with award-winning portraits for American Express and the Gap. She also contributed frequently to the Got Milk? campaign.

Over the last couple years, Leibovitz has partnered with Disney to create pictures of celebrities posing as Disney characters from classic animated Disney films.

Though she is known for her portraits, she has also taken many other types of photographs. She currently has more than 70 of her photos currently on display at the National Military Park Museum and Visitors Center in Gettysburg.

Photos include the Gettysburg battlefield, Yosemite Valley, Niagara Falls, and some at the homes of important Americans, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Elvis Presley.

Leibovitz also has a collection of photographs being displayed at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, which includes 156 portraits as well as  landscapes, interiors, and objects that are personal points of interest for her.

Today Leibovitz is 63 years old and is considered one of America’s best portrait photographers. She says that what she is interested in shooting now is the landscape, pictures without people and that she wouldn’t be surprised if eventually there were no people in her pictures.

 

Photo Assignment - Home

Street lights come on to guide Witham Village residents home as a beautiful fall evening approaches.

A bike waits on a blanket of leaves for its owner to return from an early evening walk through Witham Village.

A tree standing amongst her fallen leaves is admired through the spokes of a bicycle.

On The Trail

Alsie Campbell, left, and Mary Campbell are all smiles August 28 after arriving at Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks, their final destination after hiking for two months on the Pacific Crest Trail.

On July 8th, LBCC Math Instructor Mary Campbell and her 80 year old Mother-in-law Alsie Campbell set out for a two month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was an adventure they would never forget, creating plenty of entertaining stories for them to share when it was all over.

They presented a slideshow to a packed "house" at the Benton Center on Thursday, with over 60 people in attendance. Babs Sether, a friend of Mary's who works in Admin. at the Benton Center, had heard about all the beautiful views and what all they experienced through Mary's husband, who kept friends and family updated during their trip.  Sether was one of many who were looking forward to finally seeing the photos.

Alsie, nicknamed "Greenbelt Granny," removed the green 'belt' she was wearing to demonstrate the many uses she had found for it on her trip. The scarf/bandana/belt and more was a gift from "old hiking buddies" and had a map printed on it as well. "Don't carry anything you can't use in three different ways." she said.

The Campbell's started training in January doing lots of walking and adding more and more weight to their packs as time went on, helping them to prepare for the heavy gear they'd be carrying on their hike. During their trip, Mary's backpack weighed 35-37 pounds at its heaviest, and Alsie's was 32-34 pounds, depending on how much water was in them.

Alsie has been a longtime supporter and member of Greenbelt Land Trust, a local non-profit that protects natural areas. She shared with them her plans for hiking the Oregon section of the PCT and they worked together on a fundraiser, with supporters pledging per mile that Alsie walked or simply giving donations to support her.

Over 100 people gave in Alsie's name raising over $6400 for the Greenbelt Land Trust trails fund, to help restore and rebuild trails.. "So many people were inspired because of her age, to get out, get active, and get on trails. And that's really what Greenbelt is all about." said Jessica McDonald, Greenbelt Land Trust's Development Director.

The Oregon section  of the PCT begins South of Mt. Ashland and ends 465 miles later at The Bridge of the Gods. Mary and Alsie Campbell started their journey at Siskiyou Summit and hiked between 10-12 miles a day. They were ready for anything that came their way. Often times water was 8 miles apart, and at two points it was 20 miles apart. They were very grateful for the "snow angels" who leave water on the trails where there's no water for long periods.

Their cell phones only worked from time to time at the tops of ridges, but they did carry a SPOT,  a satellite transmitter which sends messages via email including your GPS location and messages including: we're okay, need assistance, or stopping to rest.


The photos they shared included views of the beautiful scenery around them and quiet times around camp where the rested and ate before their next long haul. Marilyn Bervin, who had taken a pencil drawing class with Mary, said she just loved all the wildflower photos. The audience marveled at the beautiful wildflowers like the Orange Honeysickle, White-stemmed Fraseria, Queen Cup, and Phantom Orchid.

One of the photos they shared showed them at Skylake's Wilderness, just South of Devil's Peak, where they used walking sticks to cross a rocky, snow-covered, steep mountain. At one point, they went home for five days and waited for the snow to pass. Other times, they camped between snow piles. It would freeze at night and they'd have to wait a couple hours for the snow to thaw before they could head out.

Most of the time when it rained, they were at camp in their tents, trying to keep warm and dry, despite two leaky tents, which they had to replace. Friends and family members would bring them supplies when needed and also shared in their journey by hiking with them for short periods along the way.

Any time they camped at a lake, they tried to do laundry, although as Alsie pointed out, they didn't have any soap. "We didn't smell very good but we didn't care." joked Mary.  They tried to eat five times a day, consuming around 2500 calories. Alsie went through three pairs of shoes, but they had a safe trip, never having to break into their first-aid kit.

They put tarps up for shade on hot days, which were at times up in the 90's. They "bear-bagged" their food (rigged to store up high away from animals,) and rested when they needed to. "Any flat spots after walking 10 miles looked good to us." said Mary. 

Their photos told a story for all to enjoy and admire.

"It's very inspiring and hopeful that as you age, you can do something like that." said Gretchen Dursch, who takes an exercise class at the Benton Center. Mary Ann Matzke, another attendee, said she really liked the pictures of the trails. "You could see how they were living day to day."

At the end of their slideshow, they laughed about whether they plan to make the trip again in the future. They may not be quite ready yet but clearly they experienced an amazing adventure full of challenges and rewards. "Some of the hardest parts were so gorgeous, you didn't mind." said Mary.

For more information on Greenbelt Land Trust and to view Alsie's journal and photos from the trip, visit www.greenbeltlandtrust.org.

My Neighborhood - Photo Assignment

Built in 1888-89, the Benton County Courthouse is the oldest in Oregon still being used for its original purpose. It was named an Oregon historic site in 1968 and was nominated to the national register of historic places in 1977.

Carol Flamez and Peter Kilmer, friends of Grass Roots Books, greet trick-or-treater's on a rainy Halloween afternoon in Downtown Corvallis for the sixth year in a row.

Julyan Kasper takes a break from passing out Halloween candy to tend bar at Squirrel's Tavern in Downtown Corvallis.

Photo Assignment 4 - Petco Dog Stylist

Petco dog stylist and newlywed Corvallis resident Olivia Reynolds gives Maynard, a three-year-old Brussels Griffon, a trim. She has enjoyed her career as a groomer for four years.