As I explained within the photography style of self-portraiture, identity is a key, if not the main focus or theme within all portraiture photographs. Portrait photographs for commercial use are used to talk about a persons personality and life, in other words their identity. As well as portraiture photographs being used in this way within media, identity has developed to be a big and fascinating genre in photography. Photographers are developing ways in which they can portray identity through the use of digital manipulation and using programs such as photoshop to create serial images to reflect a persons identity.

The main themes relating to identity which are displayed through photography are, gender, culture, social, geographical, lack of / loss of identity.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is one’s personal experience of one’s own gender. Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth, or can differ from it completely. Some people that are assigned as being a male at birth believe that they were meant to be a female or simply do not feel like a male. This is how gender identity can differ with assigned sex at birth and is what some photographers explore and present through their photography. Gender identity allows photographers to express ones identity for how they feel it to be, whether it be a female trapped inside a males body or a male that feels like he is a male.

Cultural Identity

Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person’s self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.

Geographical Identity

Geographical identity relates to an individual or group’s sense of attachment to the country, region, city, or village in which they live. Often photographers will photograph people in locations within their region which clearly indicates where they are from for example, if it was a photo in France, the Eiffel Tower would be a good subject to use as a background as it is very relatable to France. Or the photo would include objects which further identity where the person is from.

Lack Of Identity

Lack of identity relates to a person that feels like they’ve lost their personality and belonging in a community. It can relate to how a person is feeling and the fact they don’t feel wanted or cared about in anyones opinion. It has a strong link to depression in the sense they don’t feel like they are themselves anymore and therefore suffer saddening consequences.