This fall, Heritage students are receiving the opportunity to grow as young photographers, a part of a mentorship program offered through Crystal Bridges, taught by Annie Leibovitz, an extremely influential photographer of this generation. 

 During Leibovitz’s mentorship class, Beyond The Lens, teens had a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn about photography. Participants in the mentorship program get their work displayed in the studio at Crystal Bridges. Annie Leibovitz at Work is an exhibition photographed with no limitations or conditions. 

“We learned about all the different lighting to capture different emotions. We also learned about the angles of a camera to make someone look very dominant or feminine,” said Isabel Salazar (12).

Leibovitz is most known for her celebrity portraits. Before becoming a photographer, she had dreams of being an art teacher while she studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. Her love for photography grew because she took night photography classes. 

Leibovitz was hired by Rolling Stone magazine as a commercial photographer in 1970, then became the first woman to be chief photographer. She left later on and began working on her style of photography that is well known today at Vanity Fair. She still contributes to  Vanity Fair and Vogue, and has become one of the most influential photographers of our generation. 

“It’s showing us the right way to take photos, the right ways to be in the industry,” said Shelby Whitson (12).

The artwork created by the teens involved in the mentorship program will be displayed in the museum on January 28. The last day the exhibition Annie Leibotitvz at Work is open is January 29.