Simon Wheatley

Who is Simon Wheatley

Simon Wheatley is a British photographer who has made a name for himself in the grime music scene. He is known for his candid and intimate portraits often of male grime artists, which capture the raw energy and emotion of the genre. Through his work, Wheatley has helped to document and celebrate the vibrant culture of grime, which has become a defining feature of contemporary British music.

How does the work relate to both exam theme(s) and your ideas?

Grime music has been known to challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and has provided a platform for artists to explore issues related to masculinity and identity. Through his work in the grime music scene, Wheatley has helped to document and celebrate this aspect of the genre, which has become a defining feature of contemporary British music.

Examples of his work

Why have you chosen the artist?

I have chosen this artist reference to base my images off as he is seen to be influential. Wheatley is influential due to his unique perspective on the grime music scene. His photographs capture the spirit and energy of the genre, and provide an intimate look into the lives of grime artists. Wheatley’s work has helped to document and celebrate the culture of grime, which has become a defining feature of contemporary British music. His photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and havebeen published in numerous books and magazines.

What is the meaning/ concept/ context of their work?

Simon Wheatley’s work is all about capturing the energy and authenticity of the grime music scene. He’s known for his candid shots of performers and fans, which really capture the raw emotion and excitement of the moment. His work is all about conveying the passion and intensity of the music and the people who love it.

How will you respond creatively?

I could attempt to incorporate some of the elements of Simon Wheatley’s work into my own photography, such as capturing candid shots of people in the moment or experimenting with different lighting and angles to create a more dynamic image. I could also try attending a grime music event, using Simon Wheatley’s work as inspiration for my own shots.

Clare Rae’s images:

My images:

For this shoot I have combined taking images for this shoot and my environmental portraiture shoot. For this shoot I have used two models who are dancers. I have photographed them in different positions which shows the viewer what kind of dancer they are. I think that these images turned out well as they are very clear. I like how the background is very plain so that the viewer is drawn into the model instead. I also think that the background represents Rae’s backgrounds as they are also simple so that the image isn’t too busy. If I were to try and re create her images again I would use different locations as well as make more images which I may try and do to add to this shoot to further develop it.

Danny Lyons is a American photographer and filmmaker he was born in 1942 in Brooklyn, new York. he went to the university of Chicago, where he graduated with a bachelors art degree in 1963. his first book was a study on outlaw motorcyclists in the collection called the bike riders. He joined the Chicago outlaws motorcycle club and travelled with them sharing their lifestyles. his wife is Nancy Lyons

I will be taking photos like the one above with sort of the same style I have some friends with bikes and I will be taking group and solo photos of them with there bikes then I will edit them and see which one is the best and then use the best for the the final blog post of this topic.

this photo shows a big group of bikers in a field and a biker in a mirror, the angle of the camera is very good getting a scene with a big group of bikers in the back and getting a headshot of the bikers on the bike behind the camera. what makes this photo unique is that there in a field for a unknown reason which adds a bit of mystery to photo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Lyon

Traditional notions of masculinity have been thrown out of the window. In the photography of English portraitist Joseph Barrett, it is high time for the world to start looking at people without pre-judging eyes.

• While it is true that women are majorly misunderstood by society in terms of sexuality, men are also victims of idealizations. Perhaps, one can even say it may just be the cause of gender stereotypes. The typical male sex is often associated with the heterosexual man, often looking at the heterosexual woman. No questions asked, society would shush naysayers and would continue to do so throughout history.
  • but in the post-modern world, there is no room for labels. Out of Joseph’s frustration for gender stereotypes and tropes, Barrett decided to capture portraits of his male friends, not with industry standards (subtext: the ultra-masculine), but with unassuming eyes.

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these were my attempts at images joseph Barrett styled images with ,my friend looking to the camera almost with a concerned expression just like in the images above.

PHOTOSHOOT MOODBOARD:

WHAT?

This photoshoot inspired by Kurland is in order to showcase femininity and the teenage girl utopia, this will be used for my IDENTITY project. I will be taking picture of a group of girls (friend group) to create a photoshoot in the style of Kurland. This images are able to vary from a small group of 3 to something like 6.

WHERE?

LOCATIONS FOR PHOTOSHOOT:

• WOODS (GREVE DE LECQ, ROZEL)
• BEACH (BRELADES BAY, BEAUPORT)
• CAVES (PLEMOUNT)
• FIELDS (SAND-DUNES, FLOWER FIELDS)
• THE SEA WALL (AVENUE)
• CLIFF PATHS (LE BONNE NUIT)
• RURAL AREAS

WHEN?

This images must be taken by Friday 19th, so editing and another shoot can be taken place. It is important to see the images with in regard of editing and creating improved images. However with that being said the weather is an important factor, as you can see in Kurland’s images they a bright, with clear skies.

HOW?

I will be using a camera from school so I am able to created higher quality images, however I will also take some pictures on my phone in order to get the images to feel more personal and in the view of the teenage girls themselves.

WHY?

This photoshoot is designed to break the stereotype of girls. It is used to change the dominant ideology how girls actually spend their time and show how society have created this image. This is also to highlight how correct and factual society is, whereas actually showing the truth and perhaps exposing that this dominant images is fake.

Using the mirror in the studio, I made images inspired by one of Claude Cahun’s images, “Untitled”. I made around 50 images.

Here are some of my favourite images:

I especially love this image as it hides my identity, not shows it.

I would probably say that I relate this shoot to Androgyny.

In her photographic practice Clare explores ideas of performance and gesture to interrogate and subvert dominant modes of representation. Her work is informed by feminist theory, and presents an alternate and often awkward experience of subjectivity and the female body, usually the artists’ own.

Recent projects have engaged with site specificity, involving works that are captured and displayed within the same environment. A central interest within her practice is the exploration of performance documentation, specifically how the camera can act as a collaborator, rather than mute witness, to the performer.

Known for her engagement with domestic and institutional spaces, recently Clare’s work has been captured and exhibited in locations such as the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), the National Gallery of Victoria, Monash University, the Abbotsford Convent, Sutton Project Space and the Substation, Melbourne.

who, what, where, when, how, why

who: I will be photographing myself, creating a series of self- portraits that portray me in different ways. I will focus more of femininity, portraying it in a vintage and exaggerated manner. I will also want to focus on some aspects of masculinity, pershaps wearing my dads clothes during the photoshoot. I am inspired by the artists Milica Marković, Francesca Woodman and Claude Cahun. Milica Marković and Francesca Woodman are especially inspiring as they portray themselves in eerie and obscured ways while still remaining feminine (or what society sees as feminine).

what: I will focus more on femininity, wearing flowy clothing like Woodman does to emphasise my ‘purity’ or ‘vulnerability’ as a woman. I also want to take photos in a oversized suit, inspired by Cahun. Moreover, I wish to take a mixture of portraits and landscape photos to capture myself in different ways. I will also later put my images into black and white, just like the artists I am inspired by do.

where: Inspired by Francesca Woodman, I will use the environment to add to the overall unhinged appearance of the photo. I will want to photograph myself around my house (in my room to add a sense of identify and a empty corridor) creating a more personal link between my environment and myself. I might also attempt to take pictures outside in a field, creating a natural feeling within my photos. I also want to take some pictures against a blank wall, simply making myself the area of focus without any distractions.

when: I think I will take my pictures on a bright yet dull day, having good lighting without it being too harsh. I think softer lighting would be more effective as it softens the features and creates a more feminine look. I might also take some of the outside pictures in the evening, with the setting sun illuminating the grass.

how: I will utilise a tripod to position the camera at an angle that I like. I will also have a very slow shutter speed to cause the images to appear blurred, adding movement to my picture like Woodman does. I will mostly be moving my head, as that is the area I want to be most obscured.

why: I think these photoshoots are good for both the identify and femininity and masculinity topics. The self- portraits will help me explore myself and my skills further, in a very interesting way.

WORK OF JUSTINE KURLAND (GIRL PICTURES)

WHO IS JUSTINE KURLAND?

Justine Kurland is a contemporary American photographer. Her work often depicts communes in rural America as her subject matter, inspired by 19th-century idyllic English landscape painting, children’s fairy tales, and Julia Margaret Cameron’s photographs, among others sources.

PURPOSE FOR THE GIRL PICTURES PHOTOSHOOT:

The objective to the Girl Picture photoshoot was to deliver the fantasy of a ‘female utopia’ and a stereotypical teenage girl fantasy. While Kurland is trying to reinforce this feminine utopian world she is also trying to show the impact of female intimacy and how girls are able to strengthen and support each other whereas individually they are seen as vulnerable and weak. While Kurland was trying to highlight this teenage fantasy and support the girls she is playing into the dominant ideology of females. Laura Mulvey states that women are represented for the visual pleasure for the male sex, Kurland supports this theory by representing the girls in a hyper-feminine stereotype; playing in flower fields which have connotations of pure and delicate, girls getting ready in the bathroom perhaps for a night out makeup is stereotypically products for females and they are wearing elegant, earthy colours which men would not stereotypically seen in. This shoot may target a wide range of audiences including: paedophiles, advertisers, recruiters, social-media influencers, fashion magazines, due to the fact they all traffic in photo media.

WHY TAKE INSPIRATION FROM THIS PHOTOSHOOT?

Justine Kurland’s Girl Pictures photoshoot shows the adventures of girls during their teenage years. This shoot is reinforcing the ideology of teenage girls identity and how it is assumed how they spend their time together. This photoshoot is easy to manipulate due to it being targeted to teenagers and young adults. Girl Pictures coordinates with the identity project within my unit of Portraiture, this photoshoot is something I am able to have a deeper connection and understanding with.

IMAGE ANALYSIS:

This image has an overall earthy and subtle hint of pink tone which reinforces this feminine stereotype. Pink is stereotypically a female colour and has connotations of love, kindness, nurturing and playfulness. Playfulness is seen within this image as the girl is using a hula hoop, furthermore showcasing the feminine ideology through the girls clothing’s. The focal point of the image is the girl in the centre third (rule of thirds) which implies that the image is about her or overall about women. The height difference between the girl standing, and the two girls sitting on the floor, could be an underlying connotation Kurland created in order to signify; that no many how many women rise in the hierarchy we will always be the submissive sex. The lighting is natural and stationary which further creates this minimalistic image. In Kurland’s project Girl Pictures she has created a minimal aesthetic by using soft, subtle colours yet adding that hint of colour needed in order to show this femininity within the use of colours. It is interesting to see how Kurland portrays femininity through colours and aesthetic and how she portrays teenage girls in a delusion created by an audience, to fulfil their fantasy.

Justine Kurland is an American photographer who is famous for her book of ‘girl pictures’ which includes images of girls in rural landscapes, focusing on the theme of femininity. There is a sense of freedom throughout the images as the teenage girls are seen to be exploring nature with no care in the world, not worrying about judgement that would typically come from males. Kurland’s images were inspired by the after-school TV special. She also channelled her “raw, angry energy of girl bands”, into her photographs she took of teenage girls.

How it all started

Justine Kurland stated by taking photos of a teenage girl called Alyssum, who was the daughter of a guy she was dating. Some could say that Alyssum was a rebellious child as she was known for skipping school and smoking pot, which is why Kurland decided she would start to take photos of her. They both came up with the idea that Alyssum would be the subject, known as the ‘teenage runaway.’

Kurland then decided to expand her cast, she added some collage freshmen and any teenage girls that genuinely wanted to collaborate with her. The teenage girls were known as the ‘runaways’, they built forts in forests, which can be seen in the images.

In my opinion, Justine Kurland’s work relates to the theme of felinity as her images show teenage girls that have been given freedom. I like how there is a sense of nostalgia and enjoyment through out all the images as the teenage girls are doing activities that some would consider more masculine, for example camping in the woods and getting muddy.

For this project I am going to base my work off of Justine Kurland as I think her way exploring what it is to be feminine is unique and creative.

Image analysis:

This is a digital image taken by Justine Kurland. The mise-en-scene presents Alyssum sitting in a blossom tree between Hudson river and a highway. This image has been taken on a straight on angle, and has a large depth of field using a f-stop of around f/11 or f/16. I know this because all/most of the image is in focus. Kurland has used the rule of thirds, and it can be argued that she has used leading lines to show the audience where the focal point is.