The difference between great photographers and the rest of us is that for them life occurs in slow motion and without a distracting sound tract, affording them plenty of mental space and time to appraise a scene, consider camera angles, change lenses, and adjust f-stops, while the rest of us are reacting, often frantically, to the events taking place before our eyes. This detachment has earned photographer Annie Leibovitz both great acclaim and some condemnation, the latter primarily for the pictures she took, then published, of her life partner, the writer Susan Sontag, as she lay dying in 2004, which some critics found chillingly exploitive. In Leibovitz's new book, Annie Leibovitz At Work, she reveals herself not just through her pictures but, unusually for a photographer, with words. Lots of them, about things as glamorous as the famous nude sitting she did with John and Yoko, and as the mundane as how a young photographer might go about getting started (by sticking close to home and photographing the things and people you know best, such as your family). On Saturday, Leibovitz, who lives part-time in Dutchess County, will be available at two venues in the region so fans of her work can hear her speak, ask questions, and get signed copies of her book. Both bookstores request advance reservations. Oblong Books & MusicMontgomery Row (Rt. 9), Rhinebeck; 845.876,0500 Saturday, December 20, 10 - 12 Merritt Bookstore57 Front Street, Millbrook; 845.677.5857 Saturday, December 20, from 12:45
