What Remains

Having seen a lot of Sally Mann's work and researched her on my own a bit, seeing and hearing her talk about her work really pulls it all together. I really respect that what she does with her art "makes sense" when you look at her life and who she is. It's incredible that she takes pictures of "things that are close to her," and that the things that are close to her are intense and captivating.
I value Mann's idea of photographing the things close to her because the way in which she handles her craft and artistic vision don't stop at documentation, but I think really capture something beyond the half a second it takes to click a shutter button. While her idea of what to photograph resonates with me, I think it's a little bit incongruous how much modeling and specific poses she subjects her subjects to.
Her relationship with her subjects and her thoughts surrounding that relationship really intrigued me. When I take my camera out with me and see someone or something I want to shoot, I'm always asking "is this ok?" Are there reasons it's not ok? How much can "for the sake of art" justify, and when does it cross the border into exploitation? Mann asked if it was fair to ask her husband to pose. She knows he'll say yes, but does that make it ok.
Watching the documentary I was struck by mann's lifestyle. I know that she has done very well for herself, but it seems as though she has lived a fairly priveleged life, and I wonder how she feels about it and what difference it makes.