For my 2nd photo shoot I wanted to something that contrasted with the 1st. I wanted this to represent a more masculine female identity. So for this I will have my model pose in a less feminine way. In contrast to the 1st I will not have my model wearing any sort of feminine clothing (skirt), or makeup. Instead I will have her wear trousers and  baggy cardigan as it’s plain clothing that isn’t usually associated with typical females in the media.

Contact sheets

Best outcomes

Analysing

 Technical

In this image the model is positioned in the centre of the spotlight in front of a white back drop.

Visual

In this image we see the same model from the previous photo shoot. This time she is dressed in black jeans, a black cardigan and white trainers. She’s sat on a stool with her left leg hanging off, and her left leg folded inwards. Her back is also slightly slouched so her arms can support her leg.

Conceptual

I think that this photo is quite effective in showing that there are variations of what people see as the “typical women”. In this image the model is wearing a lot of black, which typically isn’t a colour associated with femininity. The model is also posed in way that could be typically associated with “masculinity” as she is slightly slouching. Her long hair is also tied back  to make it less obvious, as long hair can often be associated with femininity.

Technical

In this image, the model is situated in the studio with a spot light positioned in front of her.

Visual

In the photo, we can see a female model wearing an over sized black cardigan, black jeans, a white top and white trainers. She is posed sitting on the ground with both her hands outstretched behind her.

Conceptual

This image, similar to the one above is effective in showing an opposite view to stereotypical dressed up females in the media. Here, the model is wearing dark and less feminine clothing. I especially like how in this image her posing is quite relaxed, as this is not normally seen in the media, such as magazine covers.

For my first photo shoot I will be photographing the individual as how the “modern day women”. I will be using how women are portrayed in the modern day media as inspiration. Below is my mood board and mind map and planning, in order for me to achieve the stereotypical vision in my images.I plan to have my model dressed up in typical “feminine clothing”, something like a dress or a skirt.

Mood board

Mind Map

Contact sheet

Successful outcomes

Editing

Analysing

Technical

This image was taken in a studio with a white background and a spotlight placed in front of my model.

Visual

In this image we see a female posed in the centre of a spotlight. She is wearing a black top and also a pink skirt. She is posing with her left hand rested on her hip, and her right hand is held up to her face as she laughs.

Concept

I wanted this photo shoot to represent a very typical type of feminine woman. By having the model wear a pink skirt- and matching scrunchie on her wrist- I think this is conveyed as pink could be considered a stereotypical colour associated with women. The choice of a skirt was also intentional as it is a clothing item traditionally worn by females. The pose is also helpful in conveying a “feminine” vibe as the hand on the hip can be seen as a typical female pose, and the hand near the mouth while she’s laughing can make the model seem quite delicate, which is also a stereotypical feminine trait.

Technical

This photo was taken in the studio with a spotlight.

Visual

This image shows a female with her body sideways to the camera, and with her face looking directly into the lens. Her hands are neatly by her side and her hair has been flipped back, and the photo shows it moving in mid air as its pushed backwards.

Concept

Similar to the last image, this photo conveys stereotypical feminine traits. As I’ve mentioned previously, I used the colour pink, to represent femininity, as it is typically a colour associated with females. However, whats different with this image is that the model is posing with another “feminine pose”, as it is one where her long hair attracts a lot of attention. I think this pose is effective in showing typical femininity as long hair is a stereotypical image that can be associated with girls.

Sarah Maple was born in 1985 to an Iranian Muslim mother, and a Christian father. Most of her work stems from her mixed cultural upbringing, and challenges the traditional social role of women, and also concepts of religion. Some of Maple’s work can be viewed as controversial as she’s pictured herself doing things such as smoking in a hijab.

Mood board

Mind Map

Analysing

Context

This is an image from Sarah Maple’s Disney Princess series.

Visual

In this image we see 3 people in what seems to be a scientific lab setting. ” of the people are in the background and the third person is in the centre of the frame dressed as snow white while handling a beaker.

Concept

I think this image is very powerful in breaking gender stereotype perceptions. This image shows a Disney princess in what could be considered a very professional and respected job role. By having a stereotypical female, who’s wearing a dress, and makeup taking on the role of a princess Maple is trying to convey the fact that females are fully able to be in respected job roles.

Analysing

Context

This is a mixed media art piece, Created by Maple then photographed by her.

Visual

This image shows a white lampshade in the shape of a female body, with the message “women are no longer viewed as objects” written on it in a black pen.

Concept

This image is very powerful in conveying Maple’s opinion on the female body. Although the message written on the lampshade says that women are no longer viewed as objects, this image suggests that she doesn’t think that’s true. This is due to the fact that the message is literally written on a lampshade, which is an object, in the shape of a female body. I think this is a very interesting image as the artist has contradicted herself in order to gained the viewers attention, in order for them to understand the concept of the sculpture.

Gender identity is described as being one’s perception of their own gender. This can be the same, or can also differ from one’s assigned sex at birth.  In today’s society it is relatively agreed on that children form their own personal gender identity by age 3, and they are able to do things such as choose toys that are considered “appropriate” for the gender they identify with. This shows how we live in a society where genders can still be stereotyped to the point where children who see themselves as being females choose to play with dolls, and children who see themselves as being males choose to play with toy cars.

In this day and age, I believe that it’s more acceptable than it used to be to do and wear things that a few years ago would be deemed as “not appropriate” for the sex you were. For example, until 1993, Women weren’t allowed to wear trousers on the U.S. Senate floor as trousers were considered “menswear” and In 2003, male employees received paid statutory paternity leave for the first time as taking care of  children was seen as “women’s work”.

Although, advances to break gender stereotypes have been made in the past few years there are definitely many stereotypes that are deeply rooted into society, which I think would be very interesting to explore for the theme “identity and place”.  For this project I will be focusing specifically on the female gender. Most of this project will focuses on challenging stereotypical views that society may have of females.

Mood Board

Mind Map

Identity and place

I would describe identity as being a person’s personality and character, but i can also involve a person’s gender,geographical location, political views and social standing. Identity also encompasses one’s culture and this can be influenced depending on someone’s social or geographical location, or their place. 

Mind map

Mood Board

After looking at the work of Peter Kennard, I was inspired to also make montages that express my opinions and views on political matters that are currently happening in the world.

This photo montage about Brexit. In the background I put an image of anti-brexit protesters, and covered it with an image of Theresa May, a faded EU flag and newspaper headlines. The fact that the protesters are being covered by the other layers, symbolises how their views are being neglected and not particularly cared about. The faded EU flag is symbolic in showing how, little by little, Britain is no longer fully part of the European Union and continues to make plans to leave. The particular image of May that I chose, displays her looking rather confused and not particularly sure in what shes doing as this represents that fact that some people view her as not being a good enough leader to take Britain out of the EU on successful terms as the the UK’s economy and social stability may be effected by the decision for Britain to leave the EU. The newspaper headings contrast hugely with the expression on May’s face, as 2 of them show quotes where she sounds like a strong, and capable leader. This contrast represents the fact that many people are divided on whether or not Brexit is a positive thing or not. The third newspaper headline is a negative one showing the other side of the argument.

For this next photo montage I wanted to do something more creative and fun. For this montage I used an image i took of someone sitting down, and i also used a picture I took of the same model’s arm. I duplicated the arm several times and changed the colours. I then used a galaxy background from google. There is no specific underlying concept within this image, but i think its a very interesting montage just because it looks very unusual and unrealistic.

Peter Kennard

Peter Kennard is an artist who was born and is based in London, who create photo montages. He is especially known for being involved in the Anti-Vietnam war movement and for being in favor of Nuclear Disarmament. Most of his photo montages are based on his political views and also on problems in society.

Mood board

Analysing

Context

This photo montage was first seen in the Guardian on the 13th November, 1989.

Visual

In this image, we can see two hands shaking through a wall. Where but the hands are joined. The wall appears to be breaking.

Technical

This montages was created by placing prints and ink on card.

Conceptual

This is one of my favorite montages by Kennard as it conveys a very happy feeling. This image was published 4 days after the Berlin Wall began falling. Both the hands shaking from each side is symbolic in showing how West and East Germany were finally going to be united again. I believe that this shows that Kennard feels that’s it was a good thing that they were no longer going to be separated as he portrays their connection with a handshake, which is a peaceful and positive connection between two people.

Analysing

Context

This montage was published in the socialist challenge on the 31st December 1977.

Visual

In this photo, we can see a close up image of a man who’s mouth is being covered with  piece of fabric what has the soviet Russian flag on it. The fabric gag is being held by 2 hands, but the body or face of the person isn’t seen.

Technical

This montages was printed onto card

Conceptual

During the time this montage was made, Russia and the entire USSR was under the rule of a communist government. During this time a lot of people’s thoughts and feelings were suppressed due to heavy government restrictions on freedom of speech. This is shown through the montage very literally, and the gag with the soviet flag on it is seen as stopping the man from talking.

What are photo montages?

Photo montages are images created by manipulating pictures in a way where images may be overlapping or rearranged.  If done by hand it will probably involve cutting and sticking, however photo montages can also be done through certain computer soft wares,like Photoshop.

History of photo montages

Historically, photo montages were used as a way to express people’s views on politics. Photo montages were used in 1915 in protests against World War 1, then it became a popular technique for surrealist artists who are  artists who make art that shows the thoughts of the unconscious  mind. Their work is usually very imaginative and creative. For this reason, photo montages became popular within them as it allows them to create pieces that are based on their imagination.

Mood Board

Mind Map

For my attempt at tableaux vivant photography i decided to re create a scene from the film “mean Girls”.  The film follows a character named Cady Heron who was educated in Africa by her scientist parents. When they move to Illinois she experiences public high school, and befriends a group of girls -Regina, Karen and Gretchen- who are names “The Plastics”. Cady soon realises how the group of girls got their nicknames. This film was released in 2004, and depicts a stereotypical picture of how girls act. I chose to recreate a scene from this film as there are many interesting concepts and also because this film represents teenage girl culture.

Each main character in the movie have their own personalities and characteristics, yet they are also very alike due to the underlying theme of conformity. Below is a mind map where I have analysed each main character, along with their personalities, and also themes and concepts:

Mind map

Mood Board

This is a mood board of screenshots from “mean Girls”. This mood board has helped show how the colour pink, is very symbolic throughout the movie. I appears many times, and seems to symbolism femininity and womanliness for the characters in the film. As it seems to very important throughout the movie, I will make sure to incorporate the colour into my final piece.

Image I’m recreating

Context

This screenshot was at a part of the film where all the girls went shopping at the mall.

Technical

It is clear to see that the 4 characters are the main focus of the photograph, as they are all pictured in the middle of the frame. It is also sharp and in focus

Visual

I like how they’re all wearing pink, as it’s very bright and attractive to the eye. I also makes them stand out among everyone else in the background. It is also very aesthetically pleasing how each of the characters’ outfits complement each other well as it makes the image go together well. All of the characters also have different expressions and body poses, which adds interest as there’s more diversity within the image.

Concept

I chose to recreate this image because it is very rich in themes and underlying concepts. Firstly, you can clearly tell that there’s a lot of pink in this image. The reason there is much of this colour within this scene is because the colour pink represents femininity throughout the film, as it’s a colour stereotypically associated with females. Secondly, it’s clear that there is a hierarchy within the friendship between the girls. You can see that (from left to right) Cady, Karen and Gretchen are all posed staring directly at Regina (far right) as if she is very important, meaning that he hold great power and authority within the group. You can also tell that there is an underlying theme of conformity, is can clearly be seen through the fact that there all dressed in the same colour as if it brings them all comfort to look similar and not stand out.

It is also important how each of their poses represent their personality.  Cady (left) is stood with her arms tightly folded, showing she is feeling quite self conscious trying to fit in with the rest of the girls. Another way we can tell she is feeling self conscience is by the fact that she is not particularly engaging with the other girls, instead she is looking away with a rather anxious look on her face. She’s also stood and the end of the group of girls which represents how she feels quite distanced and different from the rest of the girls. This is also seen through her choice in shirt. Although it is pink, like the clothes of the rest of the girls, Cady is wearing what could be considered a stereotypically masculine choice of shirt, which further shows although she is trying to be like the other girls she is not 100% comfortable dressing stereotypically “girly”.  Karen (second from the left) Is stood at the end of the original groups of girls (excluding Cady) which shows how she is the “sheep” of her group due to her not being as “socially bright” and relying on the rest of the girls as an example on how she should behave. She has also got quite a blank expression on her face which further portrays her as being the “stupid” member of the group. Gretchen (third from the left) is standing very close to Regina – the groups’ leader- and she is also staring very intensely at her. This symbolises Gretchen’s desire to please Regina and it also shows the characters desire for praise from Regina. Lastly, Regina (Right) is the character who has the most attention in the image. This is achieved by a combination of many things. For example, all the other characters are looking at her which shows her importance in the group, and she also seems the boldest and most confident as she has a very happy expression on her face and seems care free as she talks on the phone.

Photo shoot plan

For my recreation of the image I will take my image in a part of the school where there is a large window so it best resembles the background of the original image. I will also have 4 models each specifically assigned to represent each character. With the help of my models, we have also decided on the appropriate clothing which resembles each of their specific character the best. For the photo shoot, I plan on using a soft box light to make sure that my image has a bright undertone to it like the original photograph, and also so the quality is sharp and so the picture is clear. To get the image accurate, I’ll also be getting my images to use props like a coffee cup and a phone.

Contact Sheet

Best outcomes

I cropped both of these images and added a slight vignette to the outside of both images to make it look more like a film scene. I decided to choose the first image as my best final outcome because it was brighter as I used a soft box light, and I thought that it had more of a similar tone to the original image.

Best edited outcome

Visual

Visually, I have made sure to position my models as close to the original image as possible. I also made sure to use a background as similar as possible to the background of the original image also. I chose to add a slight pink tint to this image using light room as pink was a very meaningful colour throughout the film. This is also the reason why my models worse pink close in in the photo shoot. The image also turned out very clear and sharp, which was due to the soft box light I used in the photoshoot

Concept

I wanted to make sure the models I chose for each character represented the concepts and individual personalities of the original characters from the film. I made sure that the model on the left, playing Cady, was wearing Jeans and a pink shirt as the jeans and the plain pink shirt represents how she was attempting to appear like the other girls yet she still didn’t feel comfortable doing so. On the other hand, my model on the far right was wearing the most pink out of all the models as it represented the original character’s status within the film. As she was the most important character in the group, she was also the one who wore the most pink.

Comparison between the original image and my final outcome