My 2 previous photo shoots showed different portrayals of women being merged together in order to challenge the stereotypical view ingrained into society of what a woman should look like. It became clear that gender identity and the loss of identity were 2 themes that began to overlap while I was exploring gender identity. This is because there is such a typical outlook on genders, that it almost feels like since everyone is viewed the same there is no individuality, which I think would be interesting to explore through lack of identity.For this reason I have decided that I would also try to incorporate the theme of loss of identity into my project, and link it in with gender identity.. An example of a photographer that I though related to both of these themes is Francesca Woodman.

Francesca Woodman

Woodman was a female photographer who produced many  photographs that showed either herself or other female models. A majority of her images show the models all blurred, in almost a ghost-like way, due to her use of long exposure. The models in her images appear to almost be dissolving into their surroundings. Woodman questioned concepts of the self, identity and body image through her-mostly- black and white images that were taken between 1972 and 1981.

Mood Board

Mind Map

Analysing

Technical

This image is in black and white and seems to have been taken using a slow shutter speed, as the image is blurry as there is quite a high level of brightness in certain parts of the image.

Visual

In this image we see a blurred female figure, wearing a white dress who appears to have been twirling round due to the ghost-like outcome. The surroundings look quite old and unperfect as there are several cracks in the wall.

Conceptual

I think that this is a very powerful image. The fact that the woman is wearing minimal clothing and is lacking accessories conveys the concept of loss of identity. Because she is portrayed very simplistically, it could suggest the lack of the female’s identity. There is also a lot of empty space around the model, which could symbolise emptiness within, and it could also suggest that she feels as if she doesn’t belong since as the slow shutter speed almost makes it look like she’s disappearing from the scene. This could be a way of conveying the model of photographers feelings.

 

 

 

Technical

This image is displayed in black and white, and appears to be taken outdoors.

visual

In this image we see a mirror with a women’s back being reflected on it. The mirror seems to be being held by the same figure or another figure who’s dressed the same. The background of the image suggests that it was taken outdoors due to the tree in the background.

conceptual

When I see this image, I think that it conveys a theme of self-displacement. I like how Woodman has utilised a mirror within the image as a mirror is an item usually associated with personality and confidence. However, in this image Woodman has used it to portray the exact opposite as it shows lack of confidence and self-consciousness as we cannot see a face in the mirror. The photographer has also used very minimal and simplistic clothing on the model which also shows self-displacement as it’s simple and conveys no identity.