Annie Leibovitz’s Portraits illustrates the circular, insular role of fame. Many of her photos are interesting not because of the technical or artistic skill evident in the image but because the subject is a person of renown. A photo of a professional woman standing in an office with her back to the camera would be worth only a passing glance in most instances. If the person is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the office is in the White House, as is the case here, the interest value of the photo increases exponentially. Many of Leibovitz’s portraits in this book are mildly interesting because of the identity of the subject, but Leibovitz was permitted or invited to take the photo because she is an acclaimed photographer.

Most of the images in “Annie Leibovitz: Portraits” are technically sound but few are genuinely creative. An exception is the photograph of George Clooney which tells a mysterious story that harkens back to the late 19th-century approach of the Pictorialists. Most of the photos are rendered in dull, muddled shades of green and brown, and dim lighting. The result is both depressing and rather boring.

From an acclaimed photographer like Leibovitz, I was hoping for photos that reveal something about the inner character or genuine personality of the subject. Examples of the greatness I was looking for include are Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Woman,” Yousuf Karsh’s photograph of Winston Churchill, Steve McCurry’s “The Afgan Girl,” and Philippe Halsman’s photograph of Salvadore Dali.

As in Leibovitz’s earlier book, many of the photos in this book are rendered in a large format that spreads across two pages with a large crevice down the middle of the image. “Butchered” is the word that comes to mind when viewing the images presented in this manner. It would have been far better to reduce the size of the images and present each on a single page.

I recommend skipping the 6-page introduction which is little more than a collection of clichés and pseudo-philosophical prattle masquerading as wisdom. It takes only a few minutes to read, but those minutes would be better spent brushing your teeth.

I recommend skipping this book. ( )