The two photographs compared in this paper will by Sally Mann's Night Blooming Cereus, 1988, with Helen Levitt's New York, 1972. While the artists both depict children as the main subjects in their work, there is a difference in visual concept between the two in their own individualize stories.
In the black and white photograph Night Blooming Cereus, one of Mann's young daughters, between the ages of nine or ten, is centered within the composition. The image is cropped; the area from just below her nose to her shoulders and upper torso is visible. Draped around her neck like a necklace or other accessory, is a stem with a closed flower bulb on each end, covering her breast. The white bulbs appear to be either wilting or were in the middle of budding. The focus is mainly on the flower necklace, leaving the girl slightly blurred and the background out of focus.
Unlike Mann's photo Levitt's New York is in color, and has two male children who appear around the ages from ten to twelve. The boys are doing a regular activity by blowing bubble balloons as they stand in front of an abandoned …show more content…
Mann is more focused on capturing her children grow up, and sharing her emotions and experiences through her vision with an audience. Her piece leaves a personal connection with subject, as if you are a parent or a sibling of the young girl, noticing her changes as she grows older because it's reminiscent of a family member taking photos of their children for memories. Levitt was intrigued of children's culture and lifestyles in the streets of New York City and her portraits make the audience seem like onlookers of the youth, rather than a personal connection. The mood of her work provides a fell of nostalgia and reminisce from being a child, and the topic of adulthood is touched in a less artistic
In the black and white photograph Night Blooming Cereus, one of Mann's young daughters, between the ages of nine or ten, is centered within the composition. The image is cropped; the area from just below her nose to her shoulders and upper torso is visible. Draped around her neck like a necklace or other accessory, is a stem with a closed flower bulb on each end, covering her breast. The white bulbs appear to be either wilting or were in the middle of budding. The focus is mainly on the flower necklace, leaving the girl slightly blurred and the background out of focus.
Unlike Mann's photo Levitt's New York is in color, and has two male children who appear around the ages from ten to twelve. The boys are doing a regular activity by blowing bubble balloons as they stand in front of an abandoned …show more content…
Mann is more focused on capturing her children grow up, and sharing her emotions and experiences through her vision with an audience. Her piece leaves a personal connection with subject, as if you are a parent or a sibling of the young girl, noticing her changes as she grows older because it's reminiscent of a family member taking photos of their children for memories. Levitt was intrigued of children's culture and lifestyles in the streets of New York City and her portraits make the audience seem like onlookers of the youth, rather than a personal connection. The mood of her work provides a fell of nostalgia and reminisce from being a child, and the topic of adulthood is touched in a less artistic