SJOTIME PHOTOGRAPHY

 

Amanda and Her Cousin Amy

Mary Ellen Mark

North Carolina 1990

Silver Gelatin Print

 

Mary Ellen Mark is a famous photographer who is known to capture shots of the "unfamous" people in society. Although she does work with celebrities and is on scene for movies such as Alice and Wonderland starring Johnny Depp, she prefers to shoot those in society who are not celebrities. Her goal is to shoot people who are on the fringes of society who struggle with society. For this picture, Mark was asked by LIFE magazine to take some shots at a school for children that have problems. Roughly 20 students attended the school and their problems ranged from mild behavior instability to severe schizophrenia. Her favorite student was the girl smoking in the photograph, Amanda. Amanda was 9 years old at the time and was intelligent, but very naughty. Mark was so infatuated with Amanda that she visited her and her family one day. Amanda's cousin Amy came over to play and every 45 min, Amanda would take a cigarette break. As Mark was leaving, she caught the two young girls swimming and took this shot.

 

This is a very provocative photograph and that is what caught my eye in the first place. Obviously, this girl is very young, but her attitude and adult like posture make her look so mature. Her posture and the way she holds the cigarette is very mature in the fact that she knows how to hold the cigarette and to blow the smoke out of her mouth. It looks like she is wearing makeup, indicating she acts way older than she should for only being 9 years old. Mark said that Amanda was the boss at home and told her mother what to do. This attitude is seen directly from Amanda's gaze. Mark captured the lack of innocence of this young girl when most photographers would capture the innocence of adolescence. It seems that Amy, in the background, is the representation of what children should be. She is swimming, and is not too concerned with her swimming suit. Amanda is more dressed for the part which makes her look like she is trying to look appealing to older people. Overall, this is a photograph that is unusual because it captures an action looked down upon by society. Children should not act in this fashion and it is a rare occurrence, but once again society does not see everything that goes on in the world.