Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz  (born October 2, 1949) is a noted American portrait photographer whose style is marked by a close collaboration between the photographer and the subject.
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz was one of six children and a military brat; her father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and the family moved frequently when she was young. Leibovitz's mother was a modern dance instructor. In high school, she became interested in various artistic endeavors, and began to write and play music. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute. She became interested in photography after taking pictures on a trip to visit her family in Japan. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while she worked various jobs, including a stint on a kibbutz in Israel for several months in 1969.

When Leibovitz returned to America in 1970, she became involved with Rolling Stone magazine, which had launched a short time before. In 1973, publisher Jann Wenner named Leibovitz chief photographer of the magazine, and she remained with the magazine until 1983. Her intimate portraits of celebrities helped define the look of the magazine. In 1975, Leibovitz served as a concert-tour photographer for The Rolling Stones's Tour of the Americas. Since 1983, Leibovitz has worked as a featured portrait photographer for Vanity Fair.

Leibovitz had a close romantic relationship with noted writer and essayist Susan Sontag. They met in 1989, when both had already established notability in their careers. Leibovitz has suggested that Sontag mentored her and constructively criticized her work.

Biographical information from Wikipedia