{"id":134134,"date":"2025-11-11T14:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/134134\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:44:07","slug":"our-verdict-on-annie-leibovitzs-timothee-chalamet-photos-in-vogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/134134\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Verdict on Annie Leibovitz\u2019s Timothee Chalamet Photos in Vogue"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Annie Leibovitz \/ Vogue <\/p>\n

Annie Leibovitz has once again been attracting plenty of criticism <\/a> this week after her photos of actor Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet graced the pages of Vogue magazine\u2019s December edition<\/a>. But is any of it justified? PetaPixel writers have their say. <\/p>\n

Reaction is Overblown Jeremy Gray <\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see why Annie Leibovitz\u2019s latest Vogue photo shoot with Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet is polarizing. The photos are heavily stylized, bold, and unlike what you\u2019ll see just about anywhere else.<\/p>\n

Not that Leibovitz needs anyone\u2019s approval or validation, but I do think that the negative reaction, primarily among Chalamet\u2019s fervent supporters, is overblown. I suppose some people just want celebrities to be photographed in the most flattering way possible, but that\u2019s dreadfully boring and ultimately just commercial work, not necessarily art. If Chalamet\u2019s many fans want to see him looking his best, there are plenty of places for them to see portraits like that. What Leibovitz offers people like Chalamet is a chance to be part of the photographic art-making process itself and be more than just a portrait subject.<\/p>\n

In Chalamet\u2019s Instagram post<\/a>, where predominantly negative comments and reactions scroll seemingly endlessly, the actor reflects positively upon the three-day photoshoot at Michael Heizer\u2019s land art sculpture, City, describing Leibovitz via emoji as \u201cthe GOAT,\u201d or \u201cgreatest of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether that is true or not, that Leibovitz is really the greatest photographer of all time, she undoubtedly does interesting things that most other photographers wouldn\u2019t. Armed with big budgets, a large team of stylists and creative minds, and collaborators like Chalamet, Leibovitz can create visually striking work that, at the very least, moves the cultural needle. Sometimes it even goes beyond that and elevates the art form itself.<\/p>\n

Do I like all of Leibovitz\u2019s photos of Chalamet? No, certainly not. But I do love some of them, and that\u2019s something very difficult to achieve when a photographer plays it safe. I\u2019m thrilled that Leibovitz has the resources to roll the dice, even if I\u2019m not always enamored by the results. The photography world would be a much more vibrant place if everyone with a camera and a vision had the same freedom she does.<\/p>\n

Master of Her Craft Jaron Schneider <\/p>\n

Based on my last assessment of Leibovitz\u2019s work<\/a>, I think you would make the assumption I would be just as critical of this set of photos. Quite the opposite, as I think these are downright fantastic from a \u201cwhat are the goals of these photos?\u201d perspective.<\/p>\n

Leibovitz understands the mission. Vogue\u2019s goal is to sell magazines and drive traffic, and what better way for a photographer to do that than to stand out from the masses of magazines all running the same photos on every cover. Annie took Vogue\u2019s mission to heart and is crushing it. When you see a newsstand, I guarantee you\u2019re immediately looking at that weird blue galaxy with Chalamet\u2019s early-90s aesthetic standing on top of it. I think it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

I also think it\u2019s important to talk about this idea that it\u2019s time to let a younger photographer have a shot at a Vogue feature. While I think that\u2019s definitely worthwhile, I also don\u2019t think it\u2019s time for Leibovitz to just hang it up.<\/p>\n

Any young photographer who would theoretically be given this assignment would never even dream of doing that back-of-the-head shot that is in this series. That\u2019s what makes Annie great. She\u2019s willing to try, and even highlight, a photo no one else would even dare take. I am sorry, but that\u2019s downright brave.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m beginning to respect Annie in the same way I respect and love Picasso. Earlier in both their careers, they mastered their craft. They then spent a large chunk of their lives playing with their art and making something new, different, or arresting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child,\u201d Picasso once said.<\/p>\n

Leibovitz is fully embracing this kind of thinking, and I have to admit, I\u2019m looking forward to her next series.<\/p>\n

This is Leibovitz\u2019s World, We\u2019re Just Living in It Matt Growcoot <\/p>\n

Once again the losers, lightweights, and lemons come crawling out from their hiding places to criticize the world\u2019s greatest living photographer. It\u2019s starting to feel predictable at this point: Vogue edition drops, Leibovitz\u2019s work is all over it, cue the sound of a thousand trolls hammering on their keyboards. <\/p>\n

Vogue must simply love working with Leibovitz and all the buzz that it brings. To borrow a comment from PetaPixel reader Gordon Bunker, who quoted Oscar Wilde on yesterday\u2019s article<\/a>: \u201cThe only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.\u201d <\/p>\n

Granted, Chalamet\u2019s appearance on the cover of Vogue was always going to set tongues wagging since, A), it is unusual for a man to be the cover star, and B), it\u2019s Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, arguably the most important movie star in the world who\u2019s upcoming film Marty Supreme has the power to make or break Hollywood\u2019s so far disastrous 2025. Therefore, it is obvious that Vogue would call up its most important, most visionary photographer. <\/p>\n

Is the front cover a little kooky? Yes, it absolutely is. But it also communicates just how big a star Chalamet is. As for the photos taken at Michael Heizer\u2019s land art sculpture City in the Nevada desert, I think they are stunning. Leibovitz is smartly playing on what Chalamet, the actor, is best known for: his role in the Dune series. <\/p>\n

Despite being well into her eighth decade, Leibovitz is still taking chances, pushing boundaries, nestling herself in people\u2019s consciousness. This is what great artists do. She is not only an inspiration \u2014 but a credit to the entire photography industry. <\/p>\n