Woman with a Camera (Cheryl Tiegs/Olympus 2), 2008

In Woman with a Camera (Cheryl Tiegs/Olympus 2), 2008, Anne Collier transforms a seemingly simple image into a layered commentary on femininity, media, and the act of looking. The print encapsulates Collier’s ability to engage viewers with her meticulous yet evocative approach to photography. Here, she revisits an iconic advertisement featuring supermodel Cheryl Tiegs holding an Olympus camera, yet the image becomes more than an homage; it becomes a reflection on the roles and representations of women in visual culture.

Collier’s work often powerfully explores the intersections of personal and collective memory, and Woman with a Camera is no exception. By recontextualizing a familiar image from popular culture, Collier invites viewers to question the power dynamics at play in the creation and consumption of images. The photograph captures Tiegs in a moment that is both glamorous and introspective, holding the camera as if contemplating the act of photography itself. This duality – being both the subject and the observer – creates a compelling tension that draws the viewer into a deeper contemplation of the image.

Paired with the crisp clarity and vibrant color of the chromogenic print, the photograph is grounded firmly in contemporary discourse. Collier’s subjects and her precise execution reflects her deep understanding of and engagement with photography and its ongoing feminist critique. The work is a meditation on the gaze, agency, and ways in which women are framed within the photographic medium, and is celebrated for its exploration of the power of image.