Photo: Sally Mann

"Candy Cigarette"

1989, Gelatin Silver Print

         I am in love with so many aspects of this photograph.  The light cast on the subject separates her from the scene and draws the focus to her, this is only reinforced by the contrast between the whites in her dress and the dark of the trees and background.  I also adore the sharp focus and natural grain, indicative of film photography at the time.  The image emits a feeling of sadness, displacement and lost innocence.  While the other children are lost in their own imagination enjoying the day playing outside, the girl in the white dress has a demeanor that resembles a loss of wonder.  It is a photograph that shows a soul that has grown jaded and cold, trapped in a child's body.  She mimics a pose that tells me she's seen that same look of disenchantment before, perhaps on her mother's face, weary of life's disappointments and lost opportunities, finding solace in a long drag of her (candy) cigarette.

More of Sally Mann Here