Portrait Photography Sally Mann Portrait Photography

How does she communicate emotion without showing the subject’s face?

What would change if the boys were evenly balanced, without a bloody nose? What is achieved by having the boys’ hands touching? What would change if the background were light?

What is Mann doing with focus here? How would you describe the mood in this picture? Is it “flattering”…what is the goal of this photograph?

Do her photos challenge or support the “myth” of the innocence of childhood?

Sally Mann’s black and white photos of her children at various ages are beautiful pictures. Yet there is a certain level of discomfort involved when it comes to viewing them. The expressions in these children’s eyes are intense, revealing strength of character. Mann’s work has been described as controversial, with accusations from the right, which are then shot down by those who champion her artistic integrity. Mann started photographing her children as infants and her work chronicles their growing up, with rural Virginia a lush, earthy backdrop. Over the years, Mann’s focus swept slowly from her children to the land that surrounded them, so embracing the later photographs feels less of an invasion of privacy. Still, interesting to contemplate the roles of mother, artist, chronicler and photographer, and one’s own role as a viewer.

Title: Candy Cigarette As an artist, what is your social responsibility?

Describe Mann’s use of light and dark… Of soft focus… Of “posed” shots… …is there a place for “posed” candid portraits in your work?

What is Mann saying about the relationship between the two people? What’s the “story” of the photograph?

How does Mann play with your perceptions of intimacy here? What was the actual moment that she captured?

This is one of her “self” portraits, from when she was 12. What is she trying to say about teen rebellion?

How does this photo from Mrs. H’s collection reflect the influence of Sally Mann?