Professional Photographer Digital Sample : 2
CONTACT SHEET What’s New, Events, Hot Products, Great Ideas, Etc. Visionary New York Times best-selling author and photographer Anne Geddes will be speaking at Imaging USA 2009, being held in Phoenix, January 11 to 13. The Australian photographer became an international phenomenon in the 1990s with her remarkable images of babies. Geddes’ latest book, “A Labor of Love” (Andrews McMeel Publishing), is a personal account of her life, from her childhood on a 26,000- acre cattle ranch in North Queensland, to teaching herself photography in her mid- 20s, to embarking on the 25-year career that brought her international renown. ©Roy Emerson downunder A evening with Anne Geddes announced for Imaging USA 2009 BY LORNA GENTRY
Visionary Down Under
LORNA GENTRY
New York Times best-selling author and photographer Anne Geddes will be speaking at Imaging USA 2009, being held in Phoenix, January 11 to 13.
The Australian photographer became an international phenomenon in the 1990s with her remarkable images of babies. Geddes’ latest book, “A Labor of Love” (Andrews McMeel Publishing), is a personal account of her life, from her childhood on a 26,000- acre cattle ranch in North Queensland, to teaching herself photography in her mid- 20s, to embarking on the 25-year career that brought her international renown.
Geddes’ work has been published in 83 countries; worldwide book sales exceed 18 million copies in 24 languages. A Geddes photograph is instantly recognizable. Her unique perspective enthralled international audiences, and revolutionized children’s portraiture.
But Geddes’ success didn’t happen over night. Early on, when she approached a London publisher, she was summarily rejected.
In an interview with Seattle Times book critic John Marshall, Geddes said the publisher told her, “If I can give you some advice, just photographing babies is never going to work for you. You need to broaden your portfolio to include adults and animals.” Years later, the chagrinned editor would confess it was a bit like turning down the Beatles. Indeed, the Anne Geddes brand has become a global business empire. Her images appear on an array of products, including stationery, greeting cards, toys, photo albums, watches, even wallpaper and dishes. She also designs clothing for infants and toddlers, and last year introduced maternity T-shirts. More than 3 million people visit Geddes’ Web site, www.annegeddes.com, annually to shop and read her blog, where she reinforces the message behind her work: Protect, nurture and love.
“For me, a photograph constitutes art when viewers are awakened to an idea or visual experience they might not have had otherwise, helping them to see their world afresh and sometimes in a totally different way,” Geddes says. “The essence of a great child portrait is, for me, that the magic and the intangible individual energy of that child at that particular age are captured. And with a child, the magic or energy is always in the eyes.
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