For my first photo-shoot, I will be focusing on the liberation of male gender stereotypes and roles. I have decided to dedicate a photo-shoot to this, as I think including both male and female stereotypes, and struggles related to the pressure of abiding to a strict “gender model”. In being able to showcase men breaking from the gender norms of being strong, unemotional, adventurous and competitive, I will be able to show a new perspective, where men are presented as being delicate and emotional human beings, and are not confined to the characteristics that society has laid out for them. For this photo-shoot, I will take a lot of inspiration from photographer Phoebe Jane Barrett, as in her work she portrays the delicate, emotional side of men, and draws attention to the unrealistic belief that all men must be emotionally detached and constantly strong in order to qualify as having masculinity. In taking inspiration from Barrett, I will be showing contrast between stereotypical femininity and masculinity in my work, and will be highlighting this contrast through overt and obvious visual examples, such as placing a masculine object/action/concept directly next to a feminine one, or merging the two together.
I have decided to take the approach of merging together both feminine and masculine traits in an obvious but thought provoking manner, and in order to do so, I will be using a male subject, and will be placing him in stereotypically feminine situations and scenarios, all the while keeping his identity hidden from view. In doing this, the viewer will be forced to only consider the contrast between the male model and feminine activity/scene, and will only be able to develop an opinion on the actions themselves, rather than the identity of the subject. Removing the identity of the subject also allows for the conclusions that the viewer develops, to be generalized to all individuals and scenarios in which there is a contrast between the stereotypical “gender” of a specific activity/scene/scenario, rather than focusing on the identity and individual scenario that the subject is in.
I have produced a mood-board in order to collect some of my ideas for my 1st photo-shoot:
Since the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839, photography has allowed the photographer to present concepts, ideas and remarks on society through a single visual image. The context and concept behind photographs has become increasingly more important as the public’s understanding of political, social and environmental struggles has improved, and photography helps to portray a deeper meaning and understanding of society’s problems. The presentation of gender roles and stereotypes has been a popular concept within art and photography throughout the history of both art forms, but it is only recently that artists have begun to directly challenge these stereotypes in their work. The deeply ingrained gender stereotypes found in society, some more subtle than others, have been present throughout history, and society’s views throughout history have developed and changed. In my personal study I wish to be able to show these changes and developments in gender stereotypes through the 20th and 21st century, and show how as we have progressed as a society into the modern world, our ideas about having strict and rigid gender stereotypes, roles and ideals has changes, and having these clear roles has become less important, yet evidence for stereotyping still remains. Out of the many artists who study gender stereotypes in their work, I have chosen to focus on photographers Cindy Sherman and Phoebe Jane Barrett, who both present gender roles in the 21st century, but with very different takes and approaches. I have chosen to study these artists, because I believe both Barrett and Sherman convey strong context and meaning through their images, while at the same time producing work that really engages the viewer, and allows for a dialogue to be opened about the way that society and the media portrays versions of both men and women, that are not true to real life, thus forcing people to adopt stereotypical behaviour in order to fit in to a social norm. Sherman specifically comments on the fact that her work is meant to represent the issues with the presentation of women in media as a whole, and therefore attempts to mask her own identity in order to allow the concept to be generalised to women more widely. Although she uses self-portraits to present her work, she believes “It’s about obscuring my identity, erasing or obliterating myself. It’s not fantasy or pretending or narcissism. It’s not about me.” (O’Hagan, S. 2019). In order to compare these two artists, I will need to find both similarities, such as the concept of drawing attention to gender stereotypes and their presentation, and differences, such as their different visual portrayals of these stereotypes and the way in which they approach their work. Both artists approach towards challenging historically rigid and strict gender roles and stereotypes can be seen as an attempt to redefine what society sees as acceptable for each gender, and bending the rules in order to allow individuals to express themselves freely without being judged. Phoebe Jane Barrett acknowledges the consequences of these strict barriers to individual expression, and her quote, “I wish that gender created less of a divide between people“…
Bibliography: Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. (2019), Photography Decoded. London: Octopus Publishing House
Key Quotes:
“If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what does that say about the value of the photograph as a reflection of reality?” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019: 17)
“under what circumstances are these images to be trusted as real?” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 17)
“The daguerreotype had the aspirations to both the realistic and the theatrical, as well as the commercial” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 17)
“the process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, a landscape, an object or a scene with our cameras: we choose a portrait or landscape format” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 18)
“what are the differences between reality and witness and points of view?” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 18)
“the binding principle of photography, however, remains its relationship to reality, especially when at question is documentary photography or a picture in the news media” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 18)
“from Daguerre’s age to ours, photography has undergone a transformation, not only technologically but conceptually” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 18)
“it has gradually taken on an ever more ambiguous, complicated and fraught character as our ability to modify and share images has exponentially increased” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019; 18)
Liberationand Occupation: My personal study is based around the theme of “occupation and liberation”. I have personally interpreted this theme in a historical context, whereby I will be investigating the way gender stereotypes have evolved and developed over the years (from the mid 20th century to now), and therefore will be identifying the differences between the past (where gender roles and stereotypes were more pronounced and conservative – occupation) and now (where gender roles and stereotypes are becoming more fluid and liberal, with focus being drawn towards an individuals personal goals and expression, rather than their gender – liberation)
Gender: My personal study will be focusing on gender roles, and the stereotypes that society labels both men and women with. My work will focus on giving examples of where gender roles are abided to, and where they are challenged, and the difference in the viewers opinions towards these 2 ends of the spectrum.
Stereotypes: I will focus on identifying and presenting well known gender stereotypes in an overt, obvious way, as to allow the viewers of my work to clearly identify these stereotypes, and possibly relate to witnessing/experiencing these stereotypes, therefore allowing them to relate more to the work.
Phoebe Jane Barrett: Barrett’s work focuses on the concept of breaking the stereotype of men having no emotions, with their masculinity being the main focus of their personalities. I will be taking inspiration from Barrett’s presentation of men as just as emotional and human as women, in order to reflect the harmful gender stereotypes that men face (that are perhaps less spoken about), in my own work.
Cindy Sherman: Cindy’s work focuses on creating bold an loud images, that represent the absurdity of how women are portrayed in the media. I feel that her work is extremely identifiable, and I have taken inspiration from her bold style.
“Compare how Phoebe Jane Barrett and Cindy Sherman challenge gender stereotypes in their work“
How do photographers such as Phoebe Jane Barrett and Cindy Shermanchallenge stereotypical gender roles in their work?”
“How is masculinity and femininity portrayed in the work of Cindy Sherman and Phoebe Jane Barrett?”
“Compare how Cindy Sherman presents women in her photography with how Helmut Newton presents women in his photography”
Barbara Kruger: Kruger’s work directly tackles the concept of stereotypes (specifically gender stereotypes, politics and economics), and the behavior of consumerism. She incorporates text over the top of original media images (therefore following the lines of post-modernism by using multiple mediums), and shows the context, concepts and ideas behind her images using a bold and catchy approach (using short, memorable slogans to make the viewer consider the meaning of the image)
Time period: Late 20th century
Key characteristics/conventions: Postmodernism focuses on the context behind images, rather than the physical structure or representation of the subjects themselves. The idea matters more than the work itself, allowing the photographer room for a lot of creative artistic freedom when it comes to the subjects, framing and overall layout of the image in a unique way, allowing the artist to mold the image to their own taste and belief. Post-modernist artwork is often produced for the novelty factor, allowing the viewer to enjoy a visually pleasing experience (incorporating bold colours, shapes, and wild concepts). Post-modernist artists therefore often create “entertainment products”, meant to entertain the viewer, while subtly hinting at a deeper context/meaning.
Cindy Sherman: Sherman’s work focuses on creating a satire/parody of female stereotypes in the media. She creates characters and portrays herself as these exaggerated figures, posing in self portraits that draw the attention of the viewer through the use of bold colours and exaggerated features. Sherman’s work challenges the presentation of women in the media, and forces the viewer to consider the ridiculous way in which many women have their features exaggerated and portrayed in social media.
Methods/techniques/processes: Incorporating elements of popular culture as the subject of the image, making use of eclecticism (using a range of sources to take inspiration/ideas from), using collaboration (multiple people working together to focus on the collective effort rather than an individuals contributions to an image), emphasizes context and concept in the subjects, rather than the physical objects, makes use of multimedia (using different medium in order to express an idea)
William Eggleston: Eggleston focuses heavily on snapshot photography, creating examples and anecdotes of a still frame of a relatable, everyday life scenes. Eggleston tends to focus on a single moment or detail, such as a facial expression, single person, or dingle object, and frames this detail with the rest of the image, using bold colouring to draw attention to the images and create contrast. His images, although seemingly simple, convey a snapshot of a relatable aspect of everyday life, something that many people can relate to, and by focusing on a single detail, offers a new perspective on an otherwise mundane scene, allowing for the viewer to see the beauty of a scene that otherwise would be regarded as boring, and would be dismissed in seconds in real life.
Artists associated: Andreas Gursky, Jeff Wall, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Cindy Sherman
Plan a response: Make use of popular culture, politics, history, social issues – use this as the context for the image – make use of a range of sources (e.g take inspiration from post-modernist artists and influences), make use of multimedia (e.g text within the image), all aspects linked together to portray a concept/emphasize the context/background of the subjects in the image, rather than just the appearance/use subjects themselves.
Andreas Gursky: Known for his large scale, digitally manipulated images, Gursky focuses on portraying as large an image as possible, incorporating a huge amount of detail and wide scale imagery into a single scene, to give the viewer the impression that they themselves are surrounded by the image. Gursky’s photography makes use of identifiable, every day objects, and blows them up to such a large scale, that the viewer begins to focus more on the geometry and shape of the image; focusing on the lines, sizes, shapes and angles of the image. This in turn allows for the viewer to see both sides of the image; they are able to admire the complexity and detail of the image, while also appreciating the simplicity of the lines, shapes and form of the image.
MODERNISM
Ansel Adams: Adams approached his work with the desire to create landscape imagery that would have the same influence on a viewer as poetry or music, mirroring the same level of contemplation, nostalgia and sentiment that these forms of art can have on a person. Adam’s work focuses on the impressiveness of landscape photography, where he takes aerial images of mountain ranges and landscapes. These images emphasise the magnificence of the setting itself, while also complimenting the keen eye and skill of the artist.
Time period: Late 19th to early 20th century
Key characteristics/conventions: Modernism as a whole was a broad movement, encompassing many avant-garde-isms (new and experimental ideas) of the early 20th century. Modernism rejected the concepts of past movements such as naturalism, classicism and academicism, and instead moved towards new, more experimental methods of art production. Modernism as a concept saw the photographer/artist as a genius, and modernism imagery was used to show the skill and ability of the artist through showing what they could create with their hands. Modernism was very visually based, with the detail and visual brilliance of the image itself being the main focal point of the image, and the concept and context behind it being slightly less important.
Margaret Bourke-White: White is best known for the modernist images she took documenting the major events of WW2, and her documentation on the social an political events of the time had its own striking style, making use of photography as a way to document in a photo-journalistic way. White travelled the world documenting social issues, and in doing so was able to create an in-depth, visual representation of social and political events around the world, while also focusing on the physical representation of these events in the image, making sure to incorporate texture, shape and pattern into her work.
Methods/techniques/processes: The development of photography saw photojournalism being seen as a form of modernity, with photography being used to document for the purpose of advertising and wide scale viewing by the public. Modernism as a movement in the photography world focused on the creation of sharp, detailed images, with the camera being used as a technical object to record images, rather than being obscured. There was great emphasis on the formal qualities of modernist photography, such as perspective, depth, light, focus, shadow and lines. The overall desire of the photographer was to take a visually “perfect” picture.
Paul Strand: Strand is best known for his pictoralist work (a movement included in the modernist movement). Strands work is meant to appear as if time has been frozen in a moment, with the viewer looking into the lives/life of the subject in that specific moment in time. Strand believe that artwork should be able to engage the viewer, and encourage them to consider spiritual and social aspects of their lives. Strands work often makes use of portraits of subjects from the shoulders up, allowing their facial expression and clothing to reinforce who they are and what they are experiencing, but leaving much of the true meaning of the photograph up to the interpretation of the viewer.
Artists associated: Paul Strand, Eadweard J. Muybridge, Margareth Bourke, Ansel Adams, Walker Evans
Plan a response: Modernist photography focuses on portraying the artist as a genius, and emphasizes their skill and ability. Therefore, the photographer would focus on taking images that would really draw the attention of any viewer, focusing on the detail within an image, and making sure that the image is original and beautiful in its nature. The camera should be used using a tripod to increase the level of detail in the image, and subjects should be chosen based on their symmetry, bold shapes, and colour contrast. The photographer could edit the final image and turn it grey-scale, and in doing so the contrast of the image, and the use of shadows and tone is emphasized.
Eadweard J. Muybridge: Muybridge was a photographer active in the late 19th century, and helped pave the way for motion photography and motion picture projection. Today, Muybridge’s work is considered the forefather of the modern motion picture, and therefore his new style of photography, and the technique of capturing still images in order to showcase motion, helped to push the 19th century towards the new and experimental movement of modernism.
A bibliography must be included within an essay that includes quotes from artists, in order to reference the books from which the quotes are originally taken from, and to allow readers of the essay to 1) validate the quote using the original text and 2) find out more about an artist/quote that they like. The bibliography is found at the end of an academic essay and contains the detail of every book, website, video and source of quotes used in the essay. The Harvard system of referencing is commonly used to reference source material, and the details are ordered as follows:
Surname, first initial. (year of publication). Title of book, place of publication: Publishing company.
for example, in order to reference from the book Camera Lucida, the following reference would be used:
Bibliography: Barthes, R. (1993), Camera Lucida. London: Vintage Books
During the essay, when a quote is used, the page number of the book is referenced after the quote itself, in order for the reader to distinguish between different volumes of the same book, and to allow them to quickly flip to the exact page of the original source containing the exact quote. This is done as following:
‘Hence I could not accede to that notion which is so convenient when we want to talk history, culture, aesthetics – that notion known as an artists style.‘ (Barthes 1993; 18)
The Harvard system of referencing is universal in the academic world, and is the most popular method for referencing original source material in essays.
Helmut Newton was an Australian-German fashion photographer working through the mid to late 20th century, who helped to reshape fashion photography, and redefine the way women were portrayed in fashion. Newton had a huge influence on the increase in provocative and daring fashion photography, paving the way for the more modern and well recognised themes found in the fashion industry. Newton was one of the first photographers to suggest that fashion photography did not have to be bland and boring, and instead he was able to bring more life to his work, allowing for the human condition to be more intimately expressed through photography, bringing a layer of context to work which had once only included visual, repetitive ideas.
Helmut Newton Photography
Newton brought a more daring approach to fashion photography, creating more tableaux images in his work in order to portray a sense of realism and movement in his work, and to allow the viewer to relate more to the model in the image, while also admiring the concept and style shown within the image itself.
In his work, Newton shows his subjects in more provocative stances and poses, bringing the theme of desire to his work and presenting female sexuality in a more free and alive manner. Newton was one of the first photographers to convey female sexuality and desirability in the fashion industry, and often worked with his models in real settings in order to create a sense of reality and reliability with the image. Newton believed that “A woman does not live in front of a white paper” when referencing the bland and boring nature of studio photography, and implied the importance of more journalistic photography, where the image can seem more real and human. Newton expressed that “My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain”, therefore showing that his imagery is made to entertain and draw the attention of the viewer to the physical appearance of the model in the image, and therefore model is presented as being closer and more relatable to the viewer, rather than distant.
The above image, taken by Newton, was produced in order to focus on the model as a person, rather than just a body presenting fashion. The above image was made with the idea that the model herself would be the focus of the image, and this particular image presents the model in a more sexualised way, breaking the past stereotype of the age where fashion photography used women as models for the clothing they were wearing, creating a distance between subject and viewer, and depersonalising the model herself. In this image, the slightly more sexualised pose of the model draws attention to the model herself, and the presentation of her with a cigarette makes the model more relatable to the viewer. Having the background of the image as a real life street rather than a blank studio background is one of the most noticeable differences, in comparison to fashion photography of the past. The use of a real background allows for the model to be placed in a relatable environment, and reduces the detachment between the image and the viewer.
Fashion photography by Edward Steichen
Fashion photography by Helmut Newton
The 2 images above can be compared to see the difference in the way the women in the photographs are presented and treated. To the left, photographer Edward Steichen takes a traditional approach towards photographing the women, with their clothing as the central focus point, the women are simply present as a pretty face, and are positioned as being submissive and meek within the image, with their personalities and appearances presenting as unimportant and mild. This approach to photographing women in photography was replaced by photographers such as Newton, who’s work, (as seen on the right) took a much more bold and brash approach towards photographing women, with the models presenting their personality and sexuality through the image, and at the same time rebelling against the stereotypes of women being mild-mannered and submissive.
Overall, Helmet Newton was extremely influential in the movement of fashion photography from presenting women as depersonalized, meek models, towards presenting woman as assertive, self-confident individuals with independent personalities and dominant features. This move paved the way for allowing women to have their sexuality more freely expressed through photography, and paved the way for modern fashion photography in which women are often presented as individuals and are presented as lively, present and striking.
Cindy Sherman is an American photographer, who’s work consists solely of self portraits, which she used to depict her own imagined characters, each with their own exaggerated and stereotypical features. Sherman’s work presents as a commentary on cultural stereotypes of women in media and society. Sherman herself states that “I think my work has often been about how women are portrayed in the media”.
Cindy Sherman, 2000
Sherman’s work is bold, and the use of bright colours and the presentation of caricatures, in which Sherman creates a character and emphasizes all of their facial features in order to present a more cartoon-ish and extreme version of the stereotypes of a woman, meant to force the viewer to consider the influences and effects of stereotypes and expectations on women, and the way that women are presented in the media. Sherman claims that her desire to dress up and create characters out of herself was born from her anxiety about not being able to fit into her own family as a child, and the way she changed herself to fit what she believed her family wanted of her, she states, “I thought: if you don’t like me like this maybe you will like me like this? With curly hair? Or like this?”. Here, it is clear that her observation of being able to change ones self to suit the desire of those in society, began at a young age, and her desire to portray the way that media and society stereotypes women is a project that is personal to her.
Cindy Sherman, 2003
The above image stands out immediately to viewers due to the bold colours. The bright background (meant to represent a sunset or sunrise) draws immediate attention of the viewer, and the positioning of the subject (Cindy) directly in front of the camera, making eye contact with the viewer allows the viewer to feel directly involved and part of the image. In the image, Cindy presents herself as an over the top example of a female tourist, with dark tan, heavy makeup and clearly visible tan lines. For this image, Cindy is accentuating the stereotypical features of a tourist women, and in doing so creates an almost satirical example of what society and the media portrays as a stereotypical female, while also forcing the viewer to recognise the fact that the image is a parody, and therefore challenge their view on women in the media.
Overall, Sherman’s work focuses heavily on drawing attention to the stereotypes of women in the media, and creates a parody of these stereotypes using her own imaginary characters, where she is able to form over exaggerated, almost disturbing versions of the stereotypes that women are often presented as. Sherman’s work is heavily influenced by personal identity, and the way that people display themselves to others while hiding their true self (a concept also found in the media), and Sherman was heavily influenced by her own experiences of wanting to alter her identity to fit her family, society and the worlds view on who and what she should be. A concept faced by many women throughout their lives.
Julia Margaret Cameron: Cameron used a soft focus in her images in order to create an overall dream-like appearance in her images, and is well known as one of the most influential portrait photographers of the 19th century. Her delicate and whimsical portraits of women and children placed the unconscious mind, dreams and imagination at the forefront of her images, and are often based on illustrative allegories or have religious undertones/meanings.
Time period : 1880s – 1920s
Key characteristics/ conventions :Pictorialism focuses on the beauty of the subject and the perfection of the composition, rather than the accurate documentation of the true, real world. Pictorialism often takes inspiration from works of literature, fair-tales and stories, incorporating a sense of dream-like wonder and spirituality into images in order to create a photograph that is visually, as well as contextually, interesting.
Sally Mann: Mann takes advantage of pictorialism in order to use her own personal experiences to create images which follow key elements of the movement closely. Mann focuses on the editing process of her photos, layering over the top of the images to create disturbed or washed out effects which bring the context of the image to the forefront of the viewers mind, forcing them to question why the image has been edited or disturbed in that way.
Methods/ techniques/ processes: Making pictures that resemble paintings by manipulating images in the darkroom, scratching and marking prints to imitate canvas texture, and using soft focus, often basing the image on allegorical and spiritual subject matter.
Frederick H. Evans: Evans was a member of the photographers association, The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring. The Linked Ring was a photographic society that sought to prove that photography was as much an art form as it was a science, and supported photography as a fine art. The society held exhibitions in which they rejected the notion of the technical approach of contemporary photography.
Artists associated: Julia Margaret Cameron, Peter Henry Emerson, The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring, Sally Mann
Plan a response: In order to create a piece of work that reflects the key elements of pictorialism, the editing of the photograph must be carefully planned and developed, and the subjects within the frame of the image may have a spiritual or religious meaning. Edits to the image itself should involve scratching an marking layers of the image, and there should be a reduction in harsh formal lines and tones in the final image, as to reflect the softness of many images found in pictorialism.
Peter Henry Emerson: Emerson was of the belief that cameras should be used to depict and document people as they were in real life, and should not follow the themes of posed scenes such as tableaux. Although Emerson believed that cameras should be used to document reality, the overall aesthetic of his images ran parallel with the ideals of pictorialism, with his images focusing on the beauty and composition of the subject matter.
REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Walker Evans: Evans focuses on documenting the lives of working class society in America, and took inspiration from a range of other documentary photographers and artists. Evans work gives an intimate view into the lives of people that the viewers otherwise would not get a chance to meet or understand, and presents their lives, flaws and all, in a bare and stark manner, allowing the viewer to compare their own lives with that of the subjects in the images.
Time period: 1930’s – present
Key characteristics/ conventions : Straight photography relies on the cameras ability to produce detailed and sharp images that reflect the reality of the subject they are shooting. These images are often left un-edited, and with very little manipulation, in order to emphasise the real beauty and form of the subjects. The photographer is able to visualise the final image though encountering a scene they wish to photograph, and therefore the camera is used as a method of saving that scene, the exact way it was originally seen and experienced by the artist. Straight photography is able to capture a true moment in time, and reflect it accurately and realistically the viewers.
Jacob Riis: Riis documented the harsh reality of immigrants living in poverty in the slums of New York City during the late 19th century, providing the first real documentation of these people, and the upsetting truth of the areas of New York that had never received acknowledgement from the public before. Riis work can be seen as some of the first straight photography, where upsetting, real scenes of poverty were documented without censoring or being hidden/manipulated.
Methods/ techniques/ processes: Straight photography focuses on the cameras ability to show tone, form, focus, detail and contrast. The main aspect of taking the photograph involves the photographer first experiencing the scene, and visualising the image before it is taken. Straight photography relies on the photographers ability to decide on a time, place and subject matter that they wish to document, and therefore takes into account the wishes and observation abilities of the artist. Subjects can vary to encompass things that the photographer finds beautiful, important or rare, and therefore straight photography is often a reflection of the photographers own taste in what they believe to be an appropriate subject for their concept.
Paul Strand: Strand, while also well known for his modernism work, can also be classed as contributing work in the category of straight photography. Strands straight photography work looks into the environments of everyday life, using cities, streets, machines and people to express social reform, and to give a detailed documentation of current life.
Artists associated: Walker Evans, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Jacob Riis
Plan a response: Straight photography relies on the artists ability to see and observe a scene which they believe to be an important representation of an idea or social/political problem, and through the medium of photography, they are able to document the scene. Therefore straight photography relies on an idea being developed from the observation of a scene, and as this movement does not rely on the editing/manipulation of the image, it is important for the person taking the image to focus on the technical aspects of the camera, ensuring the IOS, focus and shutter-speed of the camera is appropriately set, and that the shadows, tones, time of day and shapes of the scene itself is all appropriate, and will reflect the natural beauty of the scenes without the need for enhancement.
Alfred Stieglitz: Stieglitz‘s later work moves away from pictorialism, and further towards straight photography, in which his work depicts the truth of the modern world through the use of sharp focus and a high level of contrast. Stieglitz helped to drive the movement of the time from pictorialism, towards modernism (such as straight photography).
