When it comes to emotive imagery, the deeply personal black and white photography of Sally Mann remains influential and inspirational. With so many of us drawing ideas and motivation from personal life, today’s featured video provides an interesting dive into what we can learn from one of America’s most renowned photographers.

In her video above, Tatiana Hopper examines the intimacy that Sally Mann portrayed in some of her best known work, and what we can learn from them. Mann’s photography is a striking amalgamation of emotional themes. The best known of these are family, desire, memory and mortality. These, in turn, led Hopper to share her thoughts and realizations on the candidness of her subjects, as well as the complex psyche encompassing her work.

As with most projects anchored on personal life, the works that Hopper highlighted focus on the “depth of her land and the people that inhabit it.” As Sally Mann herself noted, the photos in her groundbreaking yet controversial book Immediate Family (1992) are both intimate and ordinary. However, they open a window into her family life — something that became even more unique with her own perspectives as a mother.

Are you also deeply inspired or influenced by Sally Mann and her photography? Are there any photographers whose work you find just as compelling? Share it with us in the comments below, or in our group discussion if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!