I once saw Sally Mann speak at Stanford, and although I've had the pleasure of meeting many exceptional photographers over the years, I think she stands out even among such illustrious company. For one thing, she wields language like a weapon -- sharp and to the point. Every statement has the edge of conviction and inevitability, like that's the only way things could be. But what she argues for is complexity, for layered readings of simple things, for the "mendacity" (ambiguity, to us regular folks) of photography. With that in mind, view these images from her Deep South series which are printed from wet plate, or Collodion, negatives that she made in the back of a van converted into a traveling darkroom, much like a 19th century photographer would have done during the Civil War:
Maybe I've been worrying too much about the impending election and all of the hate and bitterness that's floating around right now. It occurs to me that, like the scar on that tree, some wounds don't heal easily.
And also, I really, really, love those pictures.