First photograph – portrait photograph of me dressed up as a male (black suit and tie, beard etc.)

Second photography – portrait photograph of me dressed up as a female (dress, makeup, skirt etc.)

Third photograph – portrait photograph of me looking in the mirror dressed as a female but the reflection shows me dressed as a male (symbolises that society perceives me as a female as I look like one, but actually I’m a man and have always been one, just never knew it yet)

Fourth photograph – portrait photograph of me wearing a mask that has gender symbols drawn all over it, signifying my struggle with gender identity

Fifth photograph – a full body photograph of myself with my face blurred and scribbled out and top surgery scars being drawn under my chest (fully clothed – scars will be drawn onto my clothing)

Sixth photograph (may or may not do) – portrait photograph of myself with the use of the shutter speed technique (displaying the overwhelming sense of defeat and it being the final image of the set to show that the entire process of figuring out who I am, has consumed me and taken away who I really am)

I would like to be able to apply these photos in a series as to give off the impression of an overwhelming process that is involved in gender identity. I would like for it to be displayed as an incredible difficult journey where it eventually gets to the stage where you no longer understand what you might be and end up giving up on figuring out who you really are. Completely wiping out your loss of identity due to so many stressful experimental scenarios.

DIAMOND CAMEOS

A diamond cameo contains a portrait displayed (commonly 4 times) in circular shapes arranged in a diamond shape. Typically, the main subject would change their composure (i.e look to the left) for each picture, it then would be arranged in such a way where each separate picture is looking the opposite way. They were common in the late 19th century and were often commissioned by wealthy, upper class people or figures of monarchy/authority. They are often very informal compared to the existing portraiture of the time, which was often very serious and formal.

HENRY MULLINS

Headshots by Mullins of both Jersey men and women were produced as vignette portraits -which was a common technique used in mid to late 19th century- they were then arranged into diamond cameos.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND HENRY MULLINS

STUDIO

In the studio we did a small shoot of passport-type images, I used these images for my diamond cameo.

First I edited the images in Lightroom- turning them to black and white and resizing them- then I exported them to Adobe Photoshop.

Using the cut out tool I cut out my main subject in a circular shape then placed and arranged them on a black background.

This is my final image, I believe it lives up to the classic definition of a diamond cameo however I decided to overlay some of the portraits to create a textured, more layered effect. I changed the images to black and white to incorporate the traditional photography of the time, where images were black and white.

Overall I like the outcome of my diamond cameo experimentation, I really like the way the subject is looking in different directions, with only one image where they are not looking at the camera. I find this composition really interesting.

Your next project will be largely based on Landscapes. We will study

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Louis Daguerre France (18 November 1787 – 10 July 1851)

Louis Daguerre was a 19th century French photographer and artist who developed the Daguerreotype process which was similar to Niépce’s ‘Heliotype’ process. Daguerreotypes used silver plated copper as it’s medium, meaning that they where unique and could not be duplicated. Daguerre was also a successful artist and, with the help of Charles Marie Bouton, developed diorama theatre in 1821. He is referred to as one of the founding fathers of photography.

examples of daguerreotype

Henry Fox-Talbot

Henry Fox-Talbot, a 19th century English inventor, scientist and photographer, invented the calotype process. This was introduced in 1841. Calotypes used paper coated in silver iodine, which made the paper more sensitive to light, and could be reproduced, as the negative medium used to produce the images was never used up. Despite the reproducibility and ease of producing the Calotype, it never became as or more popular than the Daguerreotype because the images produced weren’t as clear as Daguerreotypes and because Talbot patented the process which restricted its use.

Image juxtaposition is where two images are compared to find similarities and differences between them. An effective way of achieving this is by adjusting the composition of the photos. From first sight, there are already visible similarities and dissimilarities.

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There has clearly been some violent distortion and stretching to the models’ face in one case and head in the other. Both photos are in black and white, however one of them was taken almost a hundred years after the other.

DEADPAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Deadpan photography is considered a photo devoid of emotion. Forms of deadpan photography include passport photos – the subjects stand or sit, usually making eye contact with the camera. Rules of passport photography include no smiling, no hats, and a white background.

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THOMAS RUFF

Thomas Ruff is a contemporary German photographer and prominent member of the Düsseldorf School. His work incorporates deadpan photography, both portraits and still life. Thomas Ruff got into capturing portrait photos in 1981. He mastered the required photography technique between 1981 and 1985. Along with portrait photography, Ruff was into large format printing, producing images in large seven feet (2,1 meter) by five feet (1,5 meter). This combination helped to introduce a unique feel to the pictures.

By 1987, Thomas Ruff was well settled as a portrait photographer and in high demand. This tempted him to try other photography styles and come up with innovative photos. To do that, Thomas Ruff experimented with composite faces in 1992, assisted by Minolta Montage Unit. Then Thomas Ruff started working on 8×10 colour portraits. He took these photos against coloured backdrops. Along with that, he went ahead to capture night images and buildings as well.

I used photos from our headshots photoshoot to create a grid of deadpan photos using the passport layout inspired by Thomas Ruff’s work. I made sure all the photos included a clear background and eye contact.

Juxtaposition is positioning two images together to show contrast or similarities. this could be done by adjusting the composition, to convey the contrasts in the picture.

To juxtapose an image means to place them next to each other. When those things are notably dissimilar, the juxtaposition highlights the differences between them and creates a sense of contrast. When we get it right, that contrast can be very powerful aesthetically, conceptually or both.

these images are similar because they are take in the same place, they re dissimilar because they weren’t taken in the same time. his shows the effect of time on out island.

Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings, school events, or commercial purposes. Portraits can serve many purposes, ranging from usage on a personal web site to display in the lobby of a business.

Portrait photography has been around since Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype in 1839—the same year that Robert Cornelius aimed the camera at himself and took what is widely believed to be the first self portrait photograph ever, laying the groundwork for portrait photography to emerge as its own art form.

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History of Portrait Photography

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Portrait photography has had a long and varied history since Louis Daguerre introduced the photographic process in 1839. In that same year, Robert Cornelius produced what’s considered the first photographic self-portrait. Photography has served many purposes, mainly to commemorate occasions and periods in history.

In 1839, Robert Cornelius, who was a pioneer of photography, was able to make the first ever portrait or photograph of a person. He did so by setting a camera in the back of his dad’s gas lamp-importing business on Chestnut Street in the centre of the city of Philadelphia.

Edwin H. Land

Edwin Herbert Land was an American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. He invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, a practical system of in-camera instant photography, and the retinex theory of color vision, among other things.

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On 21 February 1947, Edwin Land demonstrated his one-step instant camera and film at a meeting of the Optical Society of America. Less than two years later the Polaroid Camera Model 95 and Type 40 Land film were on sale at the Jordan Marsh department store in downtown Boston at a cost of $89.75: it weighed 4 lb.

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Here I have compared one image of Luke Fowler’s with another image of Claude Cahun, to make this process easier we discussed these images in class and which aspects of each are similar and different. I have created a table below using the information discussed and laid it out clearly and in preparation to fully compare these images.

Full Image Comparison

To compare these 2 images, one composed by Luke Fowler and one by Claude Cahun I have created a this table above to better layout my first ideas, and this has helped me to build my analysis paragraph. Firstly, its important to note that the lighting of these images contrast each other, on the left the lighting is full of gradient terms and medium grey and white tones, whilst the multi exposure, Claude Cahun, piece is a massive contrast between the very light ones on her the faces and the very dark grey background, this means that these images can be linked together of juxtaposed depending on the work.

Furthermore, Fowler’s image is contains other arms of the body and in this case the mans right arm whilst Cahun’s is only composed of faces, this creates the focus just on the face and unlike in Fowler’s, the landscape doesn’t take away from the facial features. Additionally, they can be contrasted as the left is created from two images that are laid out on top of each other (with final piece being portrait) where the right is a multi exposure edit with two different landscape photos (with the final piece being landscape as well) and the fact that the final products are different orientations means this can even be compared.

These images tell two different stories, with Claude Cahun’s exploring the ides of a loss of identity and how the same person can have multiple identities and can feel as if they don’t have one personality or belonging. I can be implied that the message behind Fowler’s image is that identity is lined to this freedom, as he no longer cares about what other thinks when it comes to his identity. This idea is supported by the birds in the background as it contains the sky and birds, which represent freedom and then it links to the freedom within his identity.

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Tableau is used to describe a painting or photograph in which characters are arranged for picturesque or dramatic effect and appear absorbed and completely unaware of the existence of the viewer

Tableau paintings were natural and true to life, and had the effect of walling off the observer from the drama taking place, transfixing the viewer like never before.

Tableau photography captures a very similar style to what interests me in photography. I love the use of props that create a cinematic feel to the piece and are composing a movie-like set to the image. The story it holds is particularly impressive and the choice of setting, props, cast, costumes etc. Is executed all for one image which I find very impressive.

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Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer best known for staging cinematic scenes of suburbia to dramatic effect. His surreal images are often melancholic, offering ambiguous narrative suggestions and blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality. Working with large production teams to scout and shoot his images, his photographs have become increasingly complex as if it were for a motion picture production, including its painstaking preparation of elaborate sets, lighting, and cast

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He is very well known for his incredible Tableau photography which is composed with an incredible amount of thought and detail. Every prop used has a meaning to the photo to give it a very cinematic feel. Almost like a movie set.

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Philip-Lorca diCorcia

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Philip-Lorca diCorcia is an American photographer whose work encompasses both documentary and staged photography, lending his large-scale colour prints a narrative mixture of truth and fiction. He stated “I think it’s a sense of disappointment after realizing that most of the time they’re being lied to,” diCorcia has observed of his audience’s reaction to ambiguous nature of his photographs. He also stated “And what medium has a stronger relationship to people’s idea of the truth than one that is supposed to be an accurate representation of reality?”

 His cinematic approach echoes Gregory Crewdson’s methodology, wherein the artist prepares the shots as if they were scenes in a film, as seen in his series Hustlers. The “dramatizing elements,” as the artist calls them, are what gives his images their narrative power

This artist takes a wide amount of inspiration from Gregory Crewdson who I find to be very intriguing with his photographs portraying realistic, cinematic-like scenes. They both produce very surreal settings within the art form itself, with the unusual use of props and location.

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