CELEBRATING WOMEN

Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz discusses the updated edition of her iconic portrait collection with Newsweek

- RAMSEN SHAMON

AWARD-WINNING AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER Annie Leibovitz is known for her bold and sometimes provocative photographs. Whether capturing noteworthy celebrities, like Yoko Ono and John Lennon for the cover of Rolling Stone (taken hours before his death), Rihanna's very pregnant bejeweled body in Paris or everyday people, her images document our lives, shaping pop culture for five decades and counting.

Leibovitz's new edition of WOMEN, a project she first started in 1999, continues to celebrate their power and individuality.

The two-volume set showcases real, stripped-down portraits of powerful women and everyday women, doing what they do best—taking ownership of their lives and living it. The updated collection includes essays from Leibovitz's late partner, writer Susan Sontag; women's rights activist Gloria Steinem; and novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, featuring more than 250 portraits of women including Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Malala Yousafzai, Elizabeth Taylor, Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift.

Leibovitz spoke to Newsweek's Ramsen Shamon via Zoom from her new photography studio in New York City. This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Newsweek Why did you decide to release this second volume now?

Annie Leibovitz Hillary Clinton has a production company for making films and pieces, and one of her people reached out to me and said, “We'd really like to commemorate the WOMEN's book from 1999 that you and Susan Sontag did.” I just started to brainstorm about the whole idea and thought, well, maybe we would reissue the book from 1999 because it's out of print.