Monday, April 27, 2015
Exposure
Read the Sally Mann article on Blackboard and comment on the relationship between Mann's intention in her photographs of her children and the public's perception of what she represented in them. Would you self-censor your work, not photographing something or someone in a certain way because of what your viewer might think? If you are familiar with Robert Mapplethorpe's graphic sexual images, you might comment on those as well.
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I don't think Sally Mann did anything wrong by showing photographs of her children naked but only because she asked them if it was okay first. If she hadn't asked them about their preferences of which photos could be displayed publicly and which couldn't then that'd be a completely different story. She also waited until they were older and understood more about media and society. I personally would have done the same thing as Sally Mann and asked whoever the photos were of if they cared if they went public. If they said they didn't want them to be shown then I would definitely respect their wishes.
ReplyDeleteThe people who argued against Sally Mann should really be mad at the disgusting people who look at her photos as child pornography. They're the people who we should be concerned about. We shouldn't have to live in a world where we have to sensor every little thing for fear of what creepy and disgusting people might do with those images.
I think the way Sally Mann approached her project was done appropriately on her part. In the article, Mann mentions how she asked her children if there were any pictures taken of them they felt uncomfortable with, which in the end would not be included in "Immediate Family". Her son Emmett not liking the one himself, only to find it too dorky. This seems to show she wanted to 100% respect the decisions he children were making on selection.
ReplyDeleteCensoring work is something hard to consider. There are websites anyone can join and upload their own work to, with the main intention for pornographic viewing. If there are any images I create I feel have something that is NSFW (not safe for work) about them, I normally like to make it clear to the viewers that what they are about to view could make them uncomfortable. This is normally done with a filter that blocks out the image in question, leaving it only a "click away" from viewing.
The Sally Mann article has made me really think about how there will always be different opinions when it comes to artwork. Being an artist, this is something I deal with most of the time. To one person, my artwork could be the best there ever was! To another, this same piece of artwork could be total crap! This is what being in an art field is all about. It allows you to create something you want to create and are passionate about regardless of how your viewers will see it as. If you always worry about how your viewers will react, you won’t be able explore anything through your artwork.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think Sally Mann approached this situation in a reasonable manner. It is very clear that Sally Mann’s children were in her best interest, as she wouldn’t continue on photographing or use certain photographs of them if they weren’t ok with it. I can understand how some people may not be pleased with these images as some are of naked children after all. It does present a question of “consent” considering these children were at a young enough age where they could possible not fully understand their mother’s full intention. However, I think Sally went about this in a positive way and it’s evident through her photographs that her children were just on board with this idea as she was. There are so many other people who abuse this subject matter and shouldn’t be said to be on the same level as Sally Mann.
I personally love Sally Mann's work, so I try to be supportive of conflicts like that, on the side of the photographer, but I find it hard to be like that myself. Photographing people a lot, I always try to get the "prettiest" angles and pick the most flatterting of those photos in the end, but that's not really true to life. And on top of that, I have a habit of clearing skin and whitening teeth and sometimes smoothing clothes and things like that. I think it's sort of me self-censoring, even relatively casual photos, because I don't want friends or my models to be upset with how they look in my photos and projects. I'm often concerned with the subject's opinion of the final work, moreso than a regular viewer who would see the final image no matter how I decide it should look.
ReplyDeleteI personally love Sally Mann's work, so I try to be supportive of conflicts like that, on the side of the photographer, but I find it hard to be like that myself. Photographing people a lot, I always try to get the "prettiest" angles and pick the most flatterting of those photos in the end, but that's not really true to life. And on top of that, I have a habit of clearing skin and whitening teeth and sometimes smoothing clothes and things like that. I think it's sort of me self-censoring, even relatively casual photos, because I don't want friends or my models to be upset with how they look in my photos and projects. I'm often concerned with the subject's opinion of the final work, moreso than a regular viewer who would see the final image no matter how I decide it should look.
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was really interesting because Sally Mann was talking about how her kids were involved in the process from start to finish. I think this is awesome because most photographers don't allow their subjects to engage with the work let alone a parent allowing her kids to help make final decisions on these masterpieces. It shows how much respect Mann actually has for her children and the way she values their opinion is apparent.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if i would truly ever censor my own work, but at the same time if I took a beautiful image that misrepresented my subject matter in a damaging way; then i could say i would leave that image out of whatever hypothetical project i was working on.