Annie Leibovitz, Spencer W. Kimball and Nike

On Monday night, I had the good fortune to be invited to a presentation by world-renowned-photogapher Annie Leibovitz in San Francisco. She read from her new book titled "Annie Leibovitz at Work." As she read, several of her photographs were projected in the theater, and the overall effect was like tagging along with her on a tour of her life. Not surprisingly, her tale, like that of many phenomenally successful people, had striking elements of chance, but when asked what she attributed her success to, she said "it's work" and "you just have to do it." She apologized for sounding like a Nike commercial, and I couldn't help but remember the first person I knew who espoused that slogan was the President of the Mormon church when I was growing up -- Spencer W. Kimball. In fact, long before Nike splashed the slogan around the world, he claimed it as a personal motto, and had it modeled into a plaque that sat on his desk. It's safe to say that there are few things in life as different as Annie Leibovitz, Spencer W. Kimball and the Nike corporation, so I'm impressed that they all three emphasized the message "do it."

As a photographer myself, one of the things that impressed me most about Annie Leibovitz's presentation was her pictures of the queen. She only had 25 minutes, and took four different poses with varying attire, and no "costume changes," just a progressive unlayering of very formal attire. To do that, I assume takes considerable preparation, and a readiness to "just do it" when the subject arrives.

Before going to the presentation, I thought Annie Leibovitz was someone with good skills that got lucky. After all, there are many, many skilled photographers in the world who never get noticed, never get the chance to shoot for an up-and-coming national magazine, never get the chance to travel with the Rolling Stones, and never make it big. After seeing her presentation, and hearing her advice, I think I'm a little more humbled and chastened. Though it's easy to say "just do it," it's much harder to actually live by that creed on a daily basis. Perhaps I should give her, and many other "famous pros" more of a break, and recognize that working hard has it's rewards too. Put another way, if you've got the skills, and are ready to work hard, one "big break" is probably all you need, and that's not too much for any of us to expect over a lifetime.