sallymannishness

I recently got inspired by the work of Sally Mann. I have seen her photos before, but had never really studied them and her technique. Her work "Immediate Family" resonated with the heart of moments I desire to freeze in time. And I really felt her words when she said, "If I could be said to have any kind of aesthetic, it’s sort of a magpie aesthetic- I just go and I pick up whatever is around. If you think about it, the children were there, so I took pictures of my children. It’s not that I’m interested in children that much or photographing them- it’s just that they were there..."

I found some older photos that came to mind as I looked at her work. Hers is more of an art in the sense that she seems to relish in the process (she works with a large format camera and still develops and prints in a dark room). I wish I enjoyed the process more, but truth be told I am ridiculously impatient in the matters of art, which is why I chose photography (and thank goodness the digital camera came in the picture around the time I started shooting). However, I think we all must challenge ourselves in whatever medium we choose and one challenge I give myself in the process of shooting is that my photos are to remain uncropped post-shooting, UNLESS, that is, there is something small that is distracting from the subject OR if the photo is crooked (because I HATE unintentional crooked photos!!!).

So here's to Sally Mann--thanks for the inspiration!







2 comments:

  1. i love that you took a second look at your work to find the hidden gems, and gems they are. Every single one of these images is awesome. It's a refreshing thing to look at your work differently.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Thanks Janet! Your words are so encouraging, as I find your photos stunning and as I have said before, quite inspirational. Thanks for taking a look and yes, so refreshing to look at old photos through a different "lens." ha! :) Ciao and a presto!

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