The Art of Reportage

The sweet and strong touch of Leibovitz's finger is something hard to dislike.
The truth in her works is simply -wow- and beyond all the idealism and theoreticism of the critics, I believe Annie's photos hit the viewer directly in his deepest feelings.
If we consider her opera omnia we can feel the presence of Annie not just as a photographer, a detached and scientific eye, but we can feel she's living the moment.  She's part of the photo even if we can't see her, and this feeling is what keeps us focused on her work and make us feel part of that.
In her work we can see how influencing has been her college of art, in fact pictorialism is the essence of her whole work: the magnificence in the representation of her subject makes it iconic, no matter if the viewer knows it or not.

Her first period has been marked from the the huge character of Jann Wenner, co-founder and publisher of Rolling Stone. This part of her career is made of vitalism and presence. She's following on tour and the best musicians of the time and in her photos we can visualize her as part of the big party. She's friend with her subjects and her reportage becomes more intimate and special.
The turning point of her career is the photo that changed her life is when in 1980 she took the portrait of Lennon and Ono, with John nude and curled around Yoko fully dressed; few hours after this photo Lennon was shot dead. This incredible picture becomes more iconic than all other Annie's photos. The fetal position of Lennon seems to mark, unintentionally, the bitter nearness between life and death.
After this period Annie starts working also for the biggest fashion magazine in the US and in Europe and her style becomes even more pictorialist; the scene is no more free and true, it's a set that Leibovitz - with her stunning skills - gives life to.
Her punchy but gentle point of view is what made her one of the best photographers still alive, and this made her work more than reportage, it becomes art. 
She puts her soul in her work: as she told the Times "this is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it". That's why we feel intimate her pictures, a rare beauty of our time.

Annie Leibovitz (2004). A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005.

Annie Leibovitz (1983). Annie Leibovitz: Photographs.

Gail Buckland (2009). Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History, 1955-Present.

Rachel Somerstein. (2008). Life Through A Lens. Available: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/