Reaction Paper 6 - Melissa

Melissa Ann Pinney

If I could describe Photographer Melissa Ann Pinney in one would it would be, real! The work that she does and the reality that she captures in her pictures is absolutely amazing. She concentrates on the identity of women from their childhood through puberty as well as into old age. One of the biggest things that I have captured from looking at her work is that she focuses on the girls faces’ as they continue to grow and mature. Looking up more about her I found a quote from her that states, “I learned early on that girls had to fight for most everything: to get and keep one’s share, for credit or recognition, to state one’s view of things..”. This quote really inspires me because it is SO true! It is through her photography that she expresses her knowledge. She doesn’t only portray a particular ethnic background or a certain social economic status, she depicts all colors, sizes, economic powers and all parts of society. She also captures many emotions in her pictures, from the look in the girls eyes, to their body language, the expressions on their face and by the environment that is around them tells a lot about where they come from as well as the props that are in the pictures. One of my favorite pictures is in the “Girls Ascending” Tab on her website, and it is picture three, of the little girl climbing on the fence. I guess it reminds me a lot of myself when I was little, climbing on anything and everything that I could, and also I grew up at softball games and sporting events because of my dad. Also the picture of the African teens showering, one is short and bigger, the other two are tall and skinny. I believe that this shows the reality of teens and the different shapes and sizes that we all come in. I think any teen would be inspired by looking at her photographs because it would maybe make them realize that you don’t have to be the stereotypical teen, tall skinny perfect hair to be beautiful. To me if you can accept the imperfections and the flaws about love your self, you are the most beautiful person ever.