"[Mann's photographs] suggest that the camera is as adept at depicting the desires of the subconscious as it is in rendering the shapes of everyday life." (Andy Grundberg, The New York Times)

               Sally Mann captures the true essence of childhood in her photographs of her children. The mischievous and sly gazes suggest a sense of seductiveness as well as a portrayal of innocence. Her black and white prints have been known to be controversial to some and to others her work is praised throughout the art community and in the general public. Her images are haunting, intimate, and disturbing but at the same time leave the viewer with a sense of comfort.

               Shiva at Whistle Creek, 1992, depicts the figure of a young girl in a crouched position, holding herself together with arms embracing her knees, her hands, palm to palm, pointing downwards. Her silhouette is brought out by the light which is reflected on the water behind her.

               Mann's photographs which are produced by a one hundred year old 8" by 10" camera evoke a ghostly timelessness reminiscent of the work of early Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Her work can be seen in various catalogues entitled "Still Time", "At Twelve", and "Immediate Family". "Still Time" draws on photographs from "The Dream Sequence", "Landscapes", and "The Lewis Low Portfolio". Followed by "Portraits of Women, 1976-1977". Mann's "Platinum Prints" leads into her experiment with color photography and the Polaroid camera. Her abstract color prints are then followed by the series entitled "At Twelve: Portraits of Young Women". Within this series young girls are depicted at the brink of adolescence. They are at the age of uncertainty of self and the vulnerability of their youth. In their eyes, a sense of sorrow is seen yet an underlying feeling of strength.

               In the catalogue, "Immediate Family", Mann's own children are shown displaying the actions and freedom of childhood. In images of her son afloat in a pond to her two daughters dressed up playing mother. Mann records the impermanence of youth and through these images, the viewers develop a sense of rememberence.

               Sally Mann, a native Virginian was born in 1951 in Lexington, VA. She began studying photography at the Putney School in Vermont, She spent two years at Bennington College, graduated from Hollins College with a masters degree in writing, and returned to Virginia where she now resides.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

• Sally Mann
• Sally Mann, including an image of Emmett, Jessie and Virginia
• Sally Mann Decries The Controversies And Misconceptions Which Surround Her Work
• 'Still Time,' a photography exhibit by Sally Mann
• Sally Mann
• Sally Mann
• Sally Mann, 'Still Time'
• Sally Mann
• Still Time: Sally Mann

Photography