Evaluation:

Overall, I’m happy with the final outcomes I’ve managed to create and think I’ve managed to achieved my goal of creating sets of images that portray the theme of gender/gender roles in a simple yet complex manner.

Although I think my project was successful, I do think I could’ve improved on certain areas of my project – specifically in terms of time. I spent a lot of time at the start planning out various ideas that I wanted to try and recreate yet left myself without the time necessary to complete said ideas [i.e: spending some more time decorating some of the frames to create a narrative for the images that seem a bit more vague [such as my A3 image]]. Despite this, I still think I’ve managed to work around this issue and managed to mount my photos in a way that helps to elevate each image.

Virtual Gallery:

TV Frame:

I began creating my tv frame by planning and exploring the different options I had to build them which included choosing materials and making a mock up to ensure the final frame would work with little to no faults.

I started by finding a plastic tub, paper roll, some sponges and wooden skewer and used them to create a base for my images [using paper to in place of my final prints]. Using all these materials, I was able to find a stable way to make my images spin. Next, I wanted to see if I could find a way to rewind my images which I discovered would be quite difficult without creating a second hole with another skewer. I tried to avoid this as I knew the front of the tv was going to be clear and I didn’t want to have a second skewer and have it be seen through the ‘screen’.

I then painted the mock-up using red spray paint and used some card to make the inside of the tub black, making it look more visually appealing before beginning to put my prints in the box.

I found that the 5 prints I wanted to use were too heavy for the wooden skewers to spin properly which led to me reducing the amount of images used to 2. Then, I encountered another issue where one of the images could spin completely fine whilst the other kept getting stuck. Due to all of this I decided to drop the idea of the tv frame and instead focus on mounting my prints in another more effective way.

Eye Frame:

For the eye frames, I mostly needed to focus on getting various frame styles and different sized googly eyes. This set of frames was a lot simpler than the tv to create as it mostly relied on gluing the googly eyes and layering them effectively, needing a lot less experimentation and materials whilst still creating a unique and quirky outcome.

Once I had all my materials sorted I matched each of my images with a frame. This took some trial and error as some of the frames I collected didn’t work as well together as I had hoped leading to some more frame searching. Eventually, I managed to get my images framed to my liking which allowed me to start placing the googly eyes on each frame.

When placing the googly eyes on each frame, I made sure to start with the bigger eyes and then work my way down to the smallest sized eyes to fill in some empty spaces. I didn’t want the frames to be swallowed by the googly eyes which led to me placing each set of googly eyes on opposing sides of each frame so they were spread out form one another. I then organised my framed images and made sure that I was content with the layout before beginning to stick the eyes down with double sided tape, making the eyes easy to adjust.

Selection:

I began the selection process for my final images by putting all my images into one collection on Lightroom, allowing me to easily see them all at once. Then, I filtered the photos so I was only being shown the images that I’d previously gone through and marked as ‘pick’, making the selection process slightly quicker.

From here, I began to go through each image and mark in blue some of my favourite images that I thought would work well for my final piece and began to map out what images could go together in purple, starting to get an idea of how the final mount up will look like.

Editing:

Next, I began editing my images, making sure the image groups I created looked similar to one another as to not have images that look out of place. This took some time and experimentation as I needed to try match the saturation, exposure and contrast in each of my images in order to create the most effective result.

I didn’t want to use a lot of colours in my images and I felt as thought they’d be distracting, especially as I knew I was going to have busy looking frames which along with colour would be too much for my project.

Final Images:

These are my final images that I printed and grouped together for my final project.

I decided to start experiment with how I could organise my images on photoshop so I knew what size to print my images, allowing me to decide how I wanted my images to be presented in terms of what types of frames I wanted to use. I decided to start digitally as I would have the option to adjust some images that I felt needed adjusting before committing to any final images. Then, I printed out some of my images onto normal printer paper and began to experiment with different ways that I could layout my prints physically.

Some Experiments:

I experimented with different backgrounds, switching between white and black to get a visual for what would compliment my images best whilst changing the sizes of my images along the way, allowing me to find the layout that I think works best. Then, once I printed my images, I decided to experiment with some of my images by themselves, making sure I was committed to laying out my images as a set rather than individual images.

For my presentation/mount up, I wanted to ensure that my framing would enhance the images by being personalised to the images. Due to this, I created some sketches of my ideas and labelled some key elements within each idea.

At first, I wanted to mount the photos so that they would be able to spin – planning to reuse old mirrors and decorate them according to match each image. However, I felt as though the images would look disconnected from one another rather than be viewed as a set due to the differences in decorations which led me to create some more sketches to work around this issue.

Next, I began to experiment with my ideas, creating 4 new sketches that I began to explore. I was leaning into the idea of creating a small tv [sketch 3] and trying to make my images spin by using the notches to make my final project more interactive. Alongside that, I felt the tv would help to portray the performativity of gender/gender roles as it’d be showing my images on the topic as a fabrication whilst mocking the idea of people imitating what they see on tv. However, I knew that it would take a lot of time to create so I decided on using sketch 2 as a back up plan in case I wouldn’t be able to create sketch 1 as I the eyes around the frames would symbolise how society is constantly watching and judging the actions of those around them and criticising those who stand out/reject conformity.

I decided against using sketches 1 & 4 as they felt too plain for my liking and felt as though they wouldn’t use help elevate my images like sketches 3 & 4 would.

For this photoshoot, I had chosen a few scenarios/professions that I wanted to imitate and photograph, mainly focusing on male dominated professions in order to contrast the femininity of my first shoot whilst still leaning into certain themes – such as nurture – to poke fun at some stereotypes/behaviours. I decided to focus on 3 professions: boxers, mechanics and rockstars as they all differ from one another and I thought I could use different props and expressions to create interesting photographs around the topic of gender stereotypes.

Contact Sheets:

Throughout this photoshoot, I was focusing more on embracing each profession and using makeup & props to help me look the part rather than exaggerating like I did in my previous shoot. I did this in order to get a more natural set of images, trying to reference how there are many stereotypes that make it difficult for women/feminine presenting people to succeed in male dominated professions without dealing with prejudices. I tried using composition to get this point across, often getting my face either not in frame or cut off to show how often women can get ignored or cast aside within certain professions despite having the correct skills.

As I went through the shoot, I found myself being the most inspired by the mechanic portion of the shoot, finding different props which I feel helped to elevate my photos to look the best they could compared to the boxer and rockstar set of images where I felt limited in what I could do. I feel as though I will need to revisit parts of this photoshoot in order to improve upon some of these images in terms of lighting and composition – possibly going back to the idea of using bold makeup to exaggerate/elevate the poses to ensure I get the most out of my ideas.

Some contact sheets:

Best Shots:

Overall, I think most of this photoshoot was successful as I managed to create a set of images that I feel add onto my first photoshoot and topic.

Reflecting back on this photoshoot, I feel as though I could retake some of the images in order to make some more interesting/more relevant to my topic as I think I started moving away from my topic/aim towards the end of the shoot. Despite that, I really like the final images from this shoot as they all have different compositions, stopping them from looking too similar from one another regardless of the focus being the same subject.

Comparing my Work to Claude Cahun’s:

I feel as though my images have some similarities to some of Claude Cahun’s work due to the posing and overall aesthetic of my images. I was inspired by Cahun’s more casual work for this shoot, trying to achieve the same laid-back atmosphere that they created within their work. I feel as though I managed to use a nonchalant pose that mimics the mood that’s portrayed in some of their work, making the masculine nature of the posing/clothing seem more unisex. I turned my image black and white – not only to match Cahun’s work – but to enhance the different tones within the image, helping the different parts of my image come together as one rather than having colour as a distracting factor.

However, my work does differ from Cahun’s in certain aspects such as the composition. Their image is taken from a distance, using their surroundings as a way to accentuate their image [i.e: using the mirrors reflection] whereas I decided to keep my image close to eliminate any distracting factors, trying to focus on my face and the expression which changes how the image is being viewed as the eye is being guided to my face with no room to look at anything else.

For this photoshoot, I aimed to create a series of images that focused on the more feminine side of the gender experience. I wanted to make sure that I spent time exploring femininity as I think it’s usually lost or dulled down within media, often changing the idea of femininity from women having fun to revolving around men [i.e: talking about or wanting to be with men]. Due to this, I wanted to create a photoshoot that would embrace the bright and fun aspect of femininity whilst avoiding the stereotypes often pushed upon women during this photoshoot.

Contact Sheets:

When I began the photoshoot, I was inspired by the idea of sailors and flight attendants and the fun colours/patterns that they reminded me of and tried recreating some of these ideas in order to help me to create a scene for my performative images. Then, as the shoot went on I began adding my own style as I saw fit [i.e: adding pink eyeshadow, a red heart etc] which helped me visualise where my project could go.

Later on, I decided to look at femininity through a different lens and decided to give myself a moustache/beard using make-up and dress more femininely, creating a contrast in the societal idea of femininity as my face was still covered in makeup despite being paired with a moustache and beard. I decided to do this in order to explore how femininity can be embraced by anyone despite being predominantly linked to women historically.

Some contact sheets:

Best Images:

Overall, I think this photoshoot was successful as I managed to create a variety of images with different perspectives, poses and compositions that I have started to form what my project will become whilst inspiring new ideas for future photoshoots.

Reflecting back on this photoshoot, I feel like I could try and focus on the lighting in my shots as some of my images feel dark or underexposed even after editing. Alongside that, I feel as though I could try and use more props throughout my photoshoots as I feel like they could create more interesting images that help to convey the topic of gender and gender roles – similar to some of Claude Cahun’s work – adding more meaning to each image. Ultimately, however, I feel as though this is more of a personal preference that I’d like to explore in a future photoshoot in order to improve the quality of my images. and maybe make the link to gender and gender roles a little less subtle.

Comparing my work to Sharn O’Donnell’s:

This photoshoot was heavily inspired by O’Donnell’s short film ‘Upstream’ where they use different items of clothing within their performative work to portray the masculine vs the feminine side of gender. I reconstructed this idea through the use of hair and makeup, drawing a fake moustache/unibrow to portray the more masculine side of gender alongside having my hair tied further back. I decided on this rather than clothing as I knew I wanted to explore feminine items of clothing even whilst presenting as a masculine figure which I tried to exaggerate further by keeping the heavy pink/red makeup.

My work differs from O’Donnell’s visually/aesthetically as I decided to use colour within my images whereas as they tend to keep their images & short films black and white. I wanted to use pops of colour to help distort the lines between the gender binary as I felt that using ‘feminine’ colours/looks with both the masculine and feminine characters would help to bring the two together as being similar yet different.. O’Donnell’s lack of colour helps to portray a sense of mourning towards what they are and what they could of been, the monochrome footage/stills taking away all distractions from the message they are trying to portray.

Within my exam project, I would like to explore the idea of gender roles and how complex they can be even in simple contexts as I think it’s intriguing how an individuals life can be influenced by their gender both in positive and negative ways. The way that a man and a woman can have the same ambitions, qualifications and training yet will be treated differently by both society and employers due to how they present themselves is something that I take interest in, especially now that the gender is no longer considered binary by various groups of people, which has led to more open debates about gender identity and exploration.

I wish to explore this topic thoroughly, despite knowing that I won’t be able to cover everything due to how vast the subject is, through the use of performative photography. I plan on taking various self-portraits dressed in different ways – some more exaggerated than others – and in different locations that I feel like are meaningful to the conversation/topic. I hope that as my project develops, I’ll have the confidence to create various images that explore the different aspects of gender in depth.

Photoshoot 1:

For my first photoshoot I’d like to compare the different aspects of gender and how they’re often portrayed in media – specifically looking at stereotypes and trying to exaggerate them. I also plan to use props/poses to contrast these stereotypes later on, playing with the ideas we typically assign to the opposite gender.

Photoshoot 2:

For my second photoshoot I’d like to try and take some images with exaggerated colour and makeup choices. I’d like to do this in order to point out how people have assigned things such as colours, shoes etc to each sex despite how they’re all made of the same things.

Photoshoot 3:

For my third photoshoot, I’d like to take a series of self-portraits inspired by Sharn O’Donnell’s work. I’d like to take inspiration from their use of suits and veils/heels to represent different parts of their identity but put my own twist on it. I’m planning to have this photoshoot around my house, exploring different aspects of gender within the typical household, using different types of props to help connect me to the scenery, elevating each photo.

Their visual poem ‘Upstream’ [which is also paired with their stills ‘That’s Not the Way the River Flows’] focuses on gender. They describe it as ‘transforming our perception of what it means to be male or female’ highlighting that we as a society are ‘no longer restricted by the binary’ that created such pressures & stereotypes that stuck for so many decades, caging people’s actions due to the patriarchy’s belief on gender roles. The visuals consist of Sharn themselves in various settings [i.e: church, their room, the bathroom etc], often dressed in a suit which is then contrasted by another visual of them wearing feminine accessories on top of the suit such as a veil, heels, bathing suit and fishnet tights, contrasting the stereotypical image of men & women whilst creating a third – unique – image. These visuals are enhanced by the text which focuses on a river and how Sharn tries to break free from the rivers patterns, a reference how rivers are one directional and often unchanging just like the idea of gender itself, but feels like they’re unable too. Eventually, they’re able to break free, pulling themselves out and walking their own path which I believe references how they were able to truly embrace themselves and explore their identity as a person rather than what society expected them to be.

Stills from ‘Upstream’ [2019]:

A visual poem surrounding the claustrophobia of the gendered experience while poking fun at archetypes of masculinity and femininity. Accompanied by stills form That’s Not The Way The River Flows this project explores the self.

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Comparing O’Donnell’s Work to Claude Cahun’s:

Both O’Donnell and Cahun’s work focus on the themes of gender through performative photography, using different outfits, hairstyles and poses to create well composed imagery that displays their ideas and opinions towards their gender identity whilst going against the archetypes of femininity and masculinity.

However, despite having similarities, their work also tends to differ quite significantly in terms of how they choose to portray their own identities. Cahun’s work tends to use more dramatic forms of self expression such as big, noticeable props and outfits to create images that show just how wide the spectrum of gender can be, portraying their own identity without a care for what others may think. O’Donnell’s work, however, tends to be more secluded, almost secretive, as they often use poetry to express their identity alongside the visuals that use items such as suits and veils to portrays what side of the spectrum the viewer is seeing – almost catering to the outsiders view on gender in order to insert their own.