Photography: Analyzing Lesser, Mann and More

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Wendy Lesser’s “Mulberry Street Café” portrays a young girl that is believably judging the mature men situated on all sides of her (Atwan 240). At Caffe Bella Napoli, an Italian style eatery, the young girl signifies the only adolescent and female in the photo. She has situated herself on the side of the café and seems to be examining all of the activities happening in and around her. With her arm to her mouth as if she is biting her nails, she is seemingly non-existent to the crowd. For instance, she seems to be dejected, wondering to herself, “Am I stuck here forever?” seeing as she is the only female and youngling around (Atwan 240). However, it’s impossible to know what she’s actually feeling but one can concur that she is analyzing those around her based on her posture. On the other hand, Sally Mann concentrated her camera on her daughter Jessie as she gracefully holds a candy cigarette in her hand. In this shot, Jessie is the center of attention, where the young girl in the café is a lone spectator. The selected works diverge into two types, candid and staged photography, candid exhibiting a true appearance and staged portraying simulated appearances, both capturing the initial message that the photographer intended. Both photos and characters contain comparable similarities and differences and one can discuss the improvement that a photographer may make in order to get their point across more thoroughly.

Staged photos diminish the originality of a photo where spontaneous photographs do the exact opposite. When no one is controlling the actions of the main subject, it is staged, and the person photographed shows no true feelings as to how they wish to be presented. Sally Mann’s photograph seems more staged as her daughter l...

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...conceptions about a character in a photograph. This being so, Mann and Lesser both captured the characters of two young girls, similar and different in many ways. In the end, both are seen in their unique lifestyles, one exposed to a provocative world, and one exposed to the emptiness of it. Both photographers use different methods to develop a personality for their main subject, and it is difficult to fully recognize the true messages designed for each photograph.

Works Cited

Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. 3rd. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.

Makrakis, Tassos. “Differences Between Candid Photography and Professional Photographic Portraits” Articlesbase. 05 Mar. 2009.

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