Famous Photographer #26: Sally Mann

Sally Mann is known for her large black and white photos. She primarily shot her children, but later too pictures of landscapes. Mann worked as a photographer at Washington and Lee University after she graduated from Hollins College. She got her first one-woman exhibition in 1977 for the photographs she took of the University's construction. Mann is best known for her series called Immediate Family. It was published in 1992. It consists of black and white pictures of her children. The book touches a variety of themes such as childhood themes (dressing up, napping, and playing board games), and much darker themes (injury, loneliness, and death). There was a huge amount of controversy over this book because it was seen as child pornography. The New Republic considered it "one of the great photograph books of our time," despite all the criticism it received.