Sally Mann Candy Cigarette Analysis Essay

Candy Cigarette by Sally Mann Candy Cigarette by Sally Mann is a part of one of her first collections of artwork called “Immediate Family”. In this collection she posed her own children in different ways capturing the beauty of their adolescence and purity throughout their childhood. Mann uses her own kids Emmet, Jessie and Virginia throughout this collection and in this specific photo to help capture another moment in their childhood. In the photo her daughter, Jessie, postpones whatever she was doing with her siblings and poses for the camera holding a candy cigarette in between her fingers, appearing to be much older than she actually is. However, the way Mann takes her photos differs from how most photographers in the late 1980’s would,

Because Mann uses an older camera lense for a more dramatic and vintage look, light hits the photo in different ways than a newer camera would. Even though Mann has the photo set in black and white it is most likely that Jessie’s hair is a lighter brown or blonde color and that her dress is a cream or white color. The light is hitting Jessie on the top of the head and extends down her arms and onto her dress which helps accentuate the importance of her being in the photo and makes the audience question her importance. The majority of the photograph is dimly lit but Jessie because of the fairness of her skin and the lightness of her dress. However, the darkness of the photograph around Jessie gives the impression that there is something mischievous going on around her, but gives Jessie a more angelic and calming look. When Mann decided to brighten Jessie but give her surroundings a dimmer color she gives the atmosphere a dramatic touch. Seeing that Jessie is lighter than all the rest of the background makes the audience focus on her, grasp all of the small details about her and analyze what is really the significance of her holding a candy