Annie, Get Your Gun!

That would be my advice to Annie Leibovitz this week as she’s getting beat up by the British press over the whole Queen photo debacle. If you have been, pardon the cliche, living under a rock, here’s the rub.

Annie Leibovitz was invited to take a portrait of the Queen at Buckingham Palace recently and was looking for the shot. She asked her majesty if she could dejewel–that is, take off the crown, for a less dressy look. Translated into photospeak: she just wanted more of a candid, real shot of the Queen, looking not so formal. After that incident it was reported that the Queen was a bit perturbed at American Annie and marched out of the session in a huff. That was later retracted by the BBC, who said she never actually left the room by was visibly annoyed and refused to take off the crown.

Whatever the truth, the British press would have you believe that Leibovitz asked the Queen to disrobe by the nasty coverage that ensued. Tabloid after tabloid made the photographer out to be some sort of scofflaw for asking such a forbidden question.

I mean, really. You’re telling me that the royal whatevers had no knowledge of the kind of work Annie does? As it is, I’m sure Leibovitz had to hold back from asking what she really wanted, because of manners and all, because the real photo would be a nude of the woman who has reigned for 56 years….Can you seen it? A blow-up on the cover of Vanity Fair of Queen E lounging on some royal piece of Buck furniture, drapped with an diamond-encrusted velvet throw with nothing but her birthday suit on. I mean, have we ever even see an elbow? But all Annie asked was to see the top of the Queen’s head.

I am rather appalled by the UK papers like the Telegraph, Evening Standard, Birmingham Evening Mail and Daily Mail. Those “publications” decided they would challenge Annie’s talent and the premise of photography as art, as a result of the visit. I thought the articles were really shallow and narrow-minded and displayed the writers’ ignorance on the subject of art, photography and Leibovitz herself. Either that, or they are a strange example of the loyalty British men have for their No. 1 mum.

Although no one really explained why Annie’s question was so egregious, one journalist did quote Shakespeare’s reason:

“My crown is in my heart, not on my head; Not decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen: my crown is called content” (Henry VI, Part III).

If your country is in your heart at all times, then why not take the crown off?

Particularly hilarious were the tabolids’ depictions of the photographer as some kind of controlling, conceited wretch who always gets what she wants. First of all, I’ve met the Leibovitz and she is a quiet, disarming, slight figure….bright, creative and insecure. Second, Annie’s questions and the chances she takes is what makes her one of the best photographers of our time.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 4:26 pm and is filed under Alysha Sideman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.