Twitter Blasts Photographer Annie Leibovitz For Dimly Lit Portraits of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz is under fire on social media for the dimly lit portraits she took of United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for Vogue.

The newest Supreme Court Justice made her debut in Vogue and had her photos taken by the renowned portrait photographer known for capturing celebrities in intimate settings.

On Tuesday, Leibovitz shared a few of her portraits of Jackson for Vogue on Twitter and received mixed reviews from observers who felt like they were dimly lit.

United States Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2022 / For @voguemagazine pic.twitter.com/5jMI3KwIbc

— Annie Leibovitz (@annieleibovitz) August 16, 2022

“The lighting should have been better. Much better,” one user wrote.

“First photo makes her look fearful and intimidated (and the lighting makes her hard to see),” added someone else.

It didn’t even take Black Twitter to point out Leibovitz’s history of taking poorly lit photos of people of color.

“You can hardly see her. Please learn to light darker complexions properly,” one Twitter user said.

https://twitter.com/ACNMtell/status/1559593713399119872?s=20&t=fHlHNglby08Ro686r9tn-w

Once Black Twitter got involved, they roasted Leibovitz for her current and past dimly lit portraits of Black women.

“Annie Leibovitz will pay for her crimes,” one user wrote.

https://twitter.com/iamlexstylz/status/1559705902554529792?s=20&t=2z-B7Wwsi0lBmSz7dWUIfw

“Guess which one is from Annie Leibovitz,” added Ernest Owens, editor-at-large at Philadelphia Magazine, who compared two portraits of Viola Davis.

Guess which one is from Annie Leibovitz.

HINT: It's not the glowing one of Viola Davis being photographed with care, love, and consideration for her beautiful dark skin.

It's 2022 and we shouldn't be having this conversation anymore. pic.twitter.com/6wt5FIXi1W

— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 17, 2022

One person called out Leibovitz and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour for committing crimes against the portrayal of Black women in the magazine.

Annie Leibovitz and Anna Wintour will one day pay for the crimes they’ve committed against Black women photographed in Vogue. https://t.co/A6ZSPbo7Xm

— Evette Dionne (@freeblackgirl) August 17, 2022

Leibovitz is no stranger to backlash over her photos. She recently faced scrutiny after photographing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and first lady Olena Zelenska for a digital issue of Vogue, Artforum reported.

In July 2020, Leibovitz was shamed for her portraits of Simone Biles for Vogue with one white Twitter user asking why Vogue couldn’t hire a Black photographer who wouldn’t miss the mark.

“I adore Simone Biles and am thrilled she’s on this cover…but I hate these photos,” they tweeted. “I hate the toning, I hate how predictable they are, I hate the social crop here (wtf?) and I super hate that Vogue couldn’t be bothered to hire a Black photographer.”

https://twitter.com/MorriganMcC/status/1281323606270717952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1281323606270717952%7Ctwgr%5E35d6a36233bb4c09bf3097e0486406348ec2a543%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblavity.com%2Fwhat-was-the-reason-photographer-called-out-for-wack-portraits-of-ketanji-brown-jackson

Despite the continued criticism against Leibovitz’s portraits of Black women, she still secures the high-paying gigs from Vogue.