sally mann

[moxiemylove]

Sally Mann is a contemporary photographer repeatedly charged as a professional provocateur with a camera. Her use of her children as subjects has been called pornographic and she has been threatened with the closure of exhibitions and deprivation of maternal rights.

Comments

[tesao]

yes, these photos are provocative. they are also lovely. and give you glimpses into the world of the children.

how much more provocative did i find the photos of david hamilton, who made no issue of hiding the overt sexuality of his underage barely nubile models???

and how much worse are the mothers who dress their small children in outrageously expensive sequined dresses, have their hair and makeup done by professionals, enter them into "beauty pageants" when they are less than a year old, put their photos on the internet for "sale" as child models, and very likely wind up with another murder à la jonbenet whatever her name was.

these photos by sally mann are art. thank you for posting them.

[moxiemylove]

powerful stuff to be sure

[tesao]

suk, you are an amazing person. you always make me pause and think. i need that. thank you. i'm so privileged to be your virtual friend.

[moxiemylove]

oh tesao. (tesao)

[duchess_k]

I have always been a fan of hers.

[lame_kinky]

I have been using this icon!
Her work is beautiful.

[beadblog]

I think it was photgrapher Emmet Gowan who said that if his kid was killed his first impulse would be to get the camera, when he was confronted over images of his son with an accident-bloodied nose.

Nobody goes after him for exploitation. An interesting dichotomy.

[moxiemylove]

she's quoted as saying something along the lines of..'i'm just photographing what mothers see everyday'. so yes, the parallels are there without complimentary brouhahas.

[otherzaba]

During my photo art school years, Sally Mann always managed to be a topic. And I always appreciated the controversy. For me, I just thought the contoversy kind of negated itself, and I'm left looking at images that are a little too close to idyllic fashion advertising.

[purejuice]

which is totally sexist????
no, this is a real question.

[moxiemylove]

although, advertising is based in creating lack and desire; there's something rather different & better happening in these pictures i think (or that could be my pie in the sky idealism talking). american advertising is crypto-obsessed with childhood sexuality though in an overtly exploitative way so i can see parallels and maybe what you're saying too.