At Twelve: Portraits of Young Women
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Book Reviews of At Twelve: Portraits of Young Women
Book Review: At Twelve
Summary: 4 Stars
At age twelve Anne Frank wrote, "Who would ever think that so much can go on in the soul of a young girl?" Frank was a young Jewish girl living in a time of war, facing the terror of Nazis and concentration camps, all the while trying to understand her growing body and preteen hormones. Of course we should understand the turmoil her soul was dealing with every day. But, what of young girls now? Surely they can't complain in comparison. Sally Mann would disagree.
In Rockbridge County, Virginia, where Mann spent her childhood, she captures the spirit of the only girl on the boy's team, the embarrassment of a new set of braces, as well as the tragedy of teen pregnancy, harassment, child neglect, and poverty. Alongside her black and white portraits, Mann tells the stories of these young women and her own personal experiences with them and their families. The feeling she has for her subjects is made clear in her photographs.
Above all, Sally Mann's book At Twelve portrays lovely, strong women. The lighting is often soft, but the focus is always direct. There are few sources of light that are diffused through a window or stream through some trees, always falling on the subject. Without inviting politics or bitterness into her photographs, Mann captures the difficult truth of growing up, a truth unchanged by time, or place, or background.
Book Review: thoughtful, moving photos of young women
Summary: 4 Stars
I just check this book out of the library and was immediately drawn to and moved by it. I think Mann does an excellent job of capturing the essence of her subjects--in part, I believe--because she is making images in her own community: she knows, loves, and lives among these people.
The images are well composed, but often subtle: it may be hard to catch the placement of a branch or pool of light, or the use of selective focus that offsets or compliments the subjects.
I also enjoy that she writes about what went into taking some of these images: about placing a young woman while her whole extended family watched; or that for some subjects, she hung out with them, going for drives, sometimes not even thinking about photographing. (I believe that Sally Mann graduated with a degree in English or writing, and it certainly shows in how well she writes about her love of community, about sense of place and her work.)
Of course, I disagree with some of the harshest reviews here; not only do I like these images and think they are well crafted, but at one point I found myself thinking--if I took the time to study these images, it would go a long way to improving my own portrait photography. What higher compliment could one give another photographer?
David
Book Review: Empowering and Groundbreaking
Summary: 4 Stars
Mann has focused on a segment of our society that is often ignored, the 12 year old girl. This is especially important work in light of the fact that most girls suffer a dramatic loss of self esteem around the age of 12. More importantly, Mann's photographs reveal the intelligence, intensity, depth, and diversity in girls whom most regard as merely young and silly. Portraits, such as these that reveal so much about the subjects, are extremely interesting. Further, the fact that the subjects consist of a largely invisible segment of society makes the book groundbreaking. In honoring and respecting these girls as worthy subjects of fine art, Mann empowers all girls as well as the viewer.Book Review: The lady of young portait photography
Summary: 4 Stars
Sally Mann has a way of bringing out the beauty of a young lady through her black and white photography. Sally Mann is like the lady of Jock Sturgis, in which they are both masters of their craft. They bring out the beauty of the subject through the use of the black and white film and through the use of shadows and natural sunlight. This book is good, but I did expect more portraits.Book Review: Nice photography
Summary: 4 Stars
I found the technical aspect of this work to very pleasing. I don't find the composition itself to be as good Sturges, but all in all this is a nice piece of work. that being said, I do really like Sally Mann's work. This particular material was not as compelling to me as some of her other work.