ABOUT ANNE

Australian photographer Anne Geddes’ imagery singularly captures the beauty, purity and vulnerability of children … embodying her deeply held belief that every child deserves to be “protected, nurtured and loved”.

In 1998, after moving to Auckland, New Zealand with her husband Kel (who launched New Zealand’s first commercial television network) Anne established her first professional studio, specializing in classic portraiture of children and families.  She continued her portraiture for the first 10 years of her now 30-year career.  In 1992 her first greeting card collection and calendar was introduced in New Zealand. Both became an instant success.

Since the release of Anne’s first calendar, her work has been coupled with the desire to give back. The Geddes Philanthropic Trust was created to raise money for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Since its inception, the Trust has designated funds from a range of Anne Geddes products totaling more than US$5.7 million, which has aided programs around the world. The upcoming 2018 calendar marks the 27th continuous edition.

In 1993, inspired by reading bedtime stories to their young daughters, Anne began to envision a fairy tale told through photography, leading to the creation of her first coffee table book “Down in the Garden”.

Published in 1996, “Down in the Garden” changed the face of children’s photography globally and launched Anne’s international career as a bestselling author. It was a New York Times Best Seller, rising to #3 and remaining on the list for three months; returning again to the list the following year. 

In 1997, Anne was awarded Lifetime Membership of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and presented the keynote address at the PPA convention in Las Vegas that year.

Also in 1997, Anne received an Honorary Fellowship with the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) in recognition of her unique style of photography and her global success. At the time accumulating the most merits ever granted to an individual photographer within the NZIPP, Anne was the first woman to earn a Fellowship from the Institute through its awards system. Today she is Patron of that same Institute.

“Until Now”, Anne’s 2nd coffee table book, was published in 1998. Printed in 8 languages, this large-format photographic retrospective was a London Sunday Times bestseller and was the #1 Bestselling Illustrated Book on the Livre Hebdo list in France. It received the “Kodak Fotobuch Preis 1998,” …  “the most prestigious award an illustrated book can receive in Germany.”

During this time, Anne was also creating her next project.  Five years in the making, Anne’s 3rd coffee table book “Pure” was a visual statement of the new directions Anne was pursuing in photography.  Published in 2002, “Pure” received international acclaim, remaining at #1 on the Barnes and Noble Best Photographic Books bestseller list for 10 weeks.

In 2004, “Miracle” … Anne’s 4th coffee table book (a collaboration with singer Celine Dion) was published simultaneously in 22 countries.  “Miracle” was a New York Times bestseller and remained on the list for six weeks. The book was also a Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly and BookSense bestseller and was awarded the “Family Choice Award” as “Best Picture Book” by the Family Magazine Group. In Germany, “Miracle” was a prestigious GEO magazine bestseller, and was also a Livre Hebdo Illustrated Books bestseller in France.

During this time, Anne was honored to be appointed a “Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit” (M.N.Z.M.) “for services to photography and the community” ...  announced as part of Queen Elizabeth II ‘s Birthday Honors List.

With the release of many books, greeting cards and calendars, Anne felt that it was time she shared her personal story. Her autobiography “A Labor of Love” was released in 2007. Published in 8 countries, “A Labor of Love” also included family snapshots, behind the scenes anecdotes and a select portfolio of never-before-published images.

In 2009, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) honored Anne with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.  Not given every year, this award is only designated on merit to a select few whose body of work has enriched professional photography. 

Inspired by the inward reflection of the creation of her autobiography, Anne began work on a new book titled “Beginnings”.  “I have always been fascinated by elements of nature at the moment of transformation” said Anne. “Babies are the human face of  ‘Beginnings’, but all of nature is caught in this insistent stream of seasons … of aging and rebirth … of concealment and bursting forth.  ‘Beginnings’ took me on a journey to explore the parallels between ourselves and other everyday miracles of nature, placing these complementary wonders side by side, in an attempt to evoke a deeper appreciation of the simple yet deceptively complex beauty of our existence”.

“Beginnings”,  Anne’s 6th coffee table book, is her most awarded to date.  “Beginnings”

was named winner in the Photography Category of the USA ‘Best Books 2011’ Awards and received the Gold Medal for Best Coffee Table Book in the 2011 American Independent Publisher Book Awards. The German edition of “Beginnings” was also the Portraits Category Winner in the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) European Photo Book of the Year 2010. “Beginnings” reached #11 on the Barnes & Noble list for Bestselling Photography Books of 2011.

In 2012 Anne announced her partnership with the United Nation’s Foundation’s  Every Woman Every ChildInitiative, which works to help make the health and welfare of women and children a global priority. Within this Initiative, Anne became the Global Advocate for the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, which aims to provide access to basic life-saving immunizations to children in the developing world.