Annie Leibovitz talks photography, legacy in advance of visit to Nashville

• Over her long, influential career, photographer Annie Leibovitz has amassed an extraordinary body of work.
• Among her most iconic images are her classic shoots for Rolling Stone, including the last photo of John Lennon with Yoko Ono, taken just hours before he was assassinated.
• Her 2008 book, "Annie Leibovitz at Work" (Phaidon), offers a window into how and why she does what she does.
• On Tuesday, Schermerhorn Symphony Center welcomes the photographer for an exclusive discussion about her work in conjunction with the re-release of the book.

Over her long, influential career, Annie Leibovitz has amassed an extraordinary body of work.  Between her years at Rolling Stone magazine, Vanity Fair and Vogue, her independent projects and nine published books, she has taken untold photographs, a substantial portion of which are among the 21st century’s most memorable portraits of the who’s-who in art, entertainment and politics. 

Earlier this month, Phaidon Press released a revised and expanded edition of her popular book, "Annie Leibovitz at Work," originally published in 2008 and recently out of print.  The book offers a window into how and why she does what she does, delving into the stories and processes behind some of her best-known images, from Richard Nixon’s final flight, her classic Rolling Stones shoots and intimate portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, to the last photo of John Lennon with Yoko Ono, taken just hours before he was assassinated. 

As part of a live tour in conjunction with the re-release of "At Work," the Schermerhorn Symphony Center welcomes the legendary photographer on Thursday evening for an exclusive discussion about her work, techniques, and love of books.

Did you mean for this book to be a kind of guidebook for photographers?  

Yes.  This book can definitely serve as a primer for young photographers.  It goes through several of my images and creative ideas that helped me learn about taking photographs and was specifically inspired by Ansel Adams’ book "Examples," where he took a case study approach to explaining how he made 40 of his most iconic photographs.  I wanted to do something similar to that, though on a smaller scale. I started out focusing on just 10 of my best photographs, but it ultimately turned into a much bigger "little book," so to speak.  And honestly, I wrote it in part so that I don’t have to answer certain questions anymore! It’s kind of a silly thing, but I took inspiration from David Letterman’s old Top Ten List segment. In the back of the book, I even included an actual list of answers to the top 10 questions I get asked the most.

What work have you previously done in Nashville?  

I did a book called "American Music" in 2003, and I spent a lot of time in Nashville and did these incredible family portraits with the Cashes — Rosanne, June Carter and Johnny, towards the end of his life.  I’ve also done portraits with Emmylou Harris — I just love her — Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Nicole Kidman and Jack White. Nashville’s a great town, there’s a lot going on here.

Thinking about all the images you’ve taken as a cohesive body of work — what do you think is the bigger story there?   

Having done this work for almost 50 years at this point, I think the strength of my work is the chronicle of it, which has accumulated over time and, for better or for worse, become history.  I don’t have just one image or another that stands out. It’s overwhelming to me, actually, when I look at all of the images I’ve taken. I love what I do, and I feel very responsible to continue it as long as I can.  I feel like I could do this until I drop.

How does your work with magazines compete with your own creative impulses?  

I am a huge fan of photography, I love it.  And although I also love working for magazines, it requires me to collaborate with a lot of other people, and sometimes there are lots of agendas that aren’t along my lines.  I often do shoots that are more like small movies — lots of production — so every now and then, I go out with a single camera and do my own work. You don’t stop seeing, you know, especially once you’ve been a photographer for so long.  Because it feels right to me, I’ve been working very hard to do more shoots along those lines, in a very stripped down, simple way, with one assistant, one portable battery-powered light and with mainly natural light. My books also give me a chance to tell the story of my work that I see, to show you "me" and my version of the photographs.  That’s incredibly important to me.

If you go

What:  “An Evening with Annie Leibovitz”

When:  7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where:  Schermerhorn Symphony Center, One Symphony Place

Admission:  $126 for event ticket and signed copy of "Annie Leibovitz at Work"; $91 for event ticket and unsigned copy of "Annie Leibovitz at Work"; $45 for event ticket only; $35 student price for event ticket only, use code SOUNDCHECK. To purchase tickets, visit www.nashvillesymphony.org.

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