Documentary Photography- Sally Mann

Sally Mann (born 1951) is an American photographer, best known for her large black-and-white photographs—at first of her young children, then later of landscapes suggesting decay and death.

Candy cigarette- 1989 taken from the series- immediate family, is an image of one of her family with a serious expression on her face posing with a candy cigarette, this gives a really interesting documentary shot as the shot is of her smoking which comes across realistic and yet it is not real, the photographer has shot this to illustrate the taboo topic. The composition of the shot is really interesting as it is a portrait made up of 3 different children,  I like how the main subject is turned to the camera and is really bright and light in tone because of her dress and hair colour and the other two subjects are not turned to the camera and are darker in tone and more out of focus. The natural lighting gives a really airy and natural effect to the image and helps to bring out the main subject in tone.

This image is of one of Mann's family, with a nose bleed, this image shows graphic realism which makes it a great documentary piece, shows off the reality of young boys as they are always playing rough and getting bloody and bruised, Mann shoots this truthfully to show off the nature of youth. I love the lighting in this picture as it looks natural and really illuminates the main subjects face, the cropping of this image shows off all the features of the two boys which makes the shot, for example they are both wearing stripy tops, the angle is great as it shows of all the features of the composition, the tone of this picture is quite similar throughout because of the lighting this helps to add tones only in the needed place in order to bring out the definition of the boys.

In shooting naked children, Mann was showing off the reality of youth as, the way the two girls are either side of the boy and are leaning in  to him as though they respect him sort of shows off the humour in children and the self- discovery they are making in terms of sexuality and innocence; this image portrays this really well as the two girls are not bothered in the slightest that they are both topless this makes for a very real revealing documentary shot. The natural low-level lighting shot shows of the skin tone in all 3 children really well, this makes for quite a clear warm feeling image. The crop is perfect in showing off all that is needed being the three of them and the backdrop behind them.