And how they capture the world
Photography is an exacting art form. It requires an incredible eye for detail and the ability to capture the subject in exactly the correct frame. Photographs offer us a glimpse into the world of others, and the possibilities are endless.
ELYSIAN aims to inspire its readers by sharing the stories and work of accomplished women, so we picked four artists’ publications that will provoke the imagination:
Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz is known for her iconic portrait photography, including the final portrait of John Lennon, taken the day of his assassination, and the controversial nude cover shoot of then-pregnant Demi Moore. When staging her photographs, she works with the subject to capture their personalities. This 27-inch book is one of only 10,000 signed copies, includes more than 250 photographs and is available in different covers. (Buy her 2005-2016 portrait collection on Amazon.)
Claiborne Swanson Frank: American Beauty
Claiborne Swanson Frank is a photographer and stylist who started her career at Vogue. After leaving her position to pursue a serious career in photography, she published American Beauty in 2012, her debut work. Her notable portrait work celebrates the beauty, grace and poise of women around the country. (Buy a collection of her work at ralphlauren.com.)
Cindy Sherman: The Complete Untitled Film Stills
Cindy Sherman is an award-winning photographer and film director, best known for her portrait work which explores a number of concepts. This collection, inspired by women’s roles in cinema, explores cliché and femininity in the late 1970s. She stopped, she explained, when she ran out of stereotypes. (Buy the collection on Amazon.)
Dorothea Lange: 500 FSA Photographs
Dorothea Lange is arguably the most famous female photographer in American history, known most for her Depression-era work such as the iconic 1936 photograph, “Migrant Mother.” Her work offers an bleak yet striking insight into the lives of the American people in the 1930s. It certainly offers good food for thought on a rainy day. (Buy the collection on Amazon.)