An Honest Snapshot

Photographer Sally Mann has never been one to shy away from controversy. The Virginia native's 1992 collection, "Immediate Family," gained notoriety for its nude photos of her three young children.

But her more recent work, "What Remains," takes on a different sensitive subject -- death. A new 80-minute film about Mann's daily life as an artist documents her work on the project, which includes unflinchingly honest images of death in many forms. Among them: the remains of her pet greyhound; scars on her property where a convict committed suicide; the grounds of Civil War battlefield Antietam; and decomposing human bodies at a forensics research site.

"I thought a lot about the way contemporary culture deals with death and its unwillingness to face it head on," Mann said. "And more than sex, it's now the forbidden topic. No one even wants to get old anymore."

The documentary was directed and produced by Steven Cantor, whose first short film on Mann was nominated for an Oscar in 1994. Their latest collaboration blends clips from the original film with highlights from the more than 400 hours of new footage shot over the past five years.

Mann hasn't had to leave her Lexington, Va., farm to find compelling subjects for her photos, she said.

"This area is rich with possibility," she said. "I'm doing a number of projects and I can do them all right here, because many of my themes are universal and can be realized in a small town."

These days, Mann is working on a few new projects: One is about her husband's battle with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and another is about race.

"One more prickly subject," she said with a laugh.

-- Michelle Thomas

WHAT REMAINS

Wednesday 7pm Cinemax