A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

This amazing photo titled “Candy Cigarette” was taken by Sally Mann in 1989. When I first saw this photograph, I was moved by the pure emotion and intensity of the girl. She seemed defiant and entrenched in feelings about herself and her right to smoke a single cigarette during some free time in a park or playground. The carefree atmosphere of the playground is pronounced by a close playmate near her and another on a ladder. She stands out among her friends, so it seems, as she smokes away, staring down the photographer as if her peaceful retreat had been disturbed.