Anne Geddes

Most people long map out their careers before they even begin it. Others simply thrust themselves into whatever career they feel passionate about at the moment. The rest suddenly find their ‘calling’ one day and pursue it. You can compare Anne Geddes situation to this. It may be difficult for some people to believe that one of the most renowned photographers didn’t even consider the profession until she was twenty five.

Born in Queensland, Austrailia in September of 1956, Anne Geddes love of babies started at a young age and continued on into adulthood. When Anne became a photographer, she wanted to create her own style. At the time, she didn’t know what that style was. She began doing portraiture and it slowly drew her to the challenges of creating human images. In most of her work, babies and young children are dressed up as fictional characters or animals. These images are what she is best known for.

If you look closely you’ll notice a pattern in Geddes work. She is fond of using repetition and adding a substantial amount of rhythm in her photographs. In her work, the children and their characters are always the emphasis focus. This is obviously intentional and the premise of the photos. The children are suppose to catch your eye and fascinate. Her photograph known as ‘Mediterranean Pots ‘, however, is an example of how little attention she pays to elements like color. Overall, I believe the element that gives her work the best appeal is balance. If her work was uneven, it wouldn’t look as pleasant. Geddes fanatics probably would dispute that comment, but I stand by my analysis.

Either way, Anne was especially good at promoting her artwork. This helped her on her way during her growing popularity. As her audience grew, she began publishing books that eventually grossed over twelve million copies worldwide. She later founded three companies that also help to promote her work. Her success contributed to the success of other companies. For example, the publishing company that published her many books.

I would only idealize Geddes because she helped so many struggling businesses. However, in relation to her work, I feel almost indifferent. Sure the work is beautiful and it’s very inspiring, but what else? I do recognize that it was magnificent how she was able to capture the elements so well without any formal training. By all means, Anne Geddes is an inspiration… just not to me.