Throughout time, there has been a variety of reinforced stereotypes of the sexes. Typically, focussing on women being portrayed as weak or soft and men being portrayed as strong.

Even colours, which have been associated with femininity and masculinity. For example, femininity is typically associated with lighter colours, like pink or purple. Whereas masculinity may be associated with darker colours, typically blue.

Femininity

Femininity is defined as a set of attributes, behaviours, and roles generally associated with women and girls. It is the quality or nature of the female sex.

Femininity to a man may be considered someone who possesses qualities that would be considered more feminine than masculine. For example, this could be presented as someone who possesses a high emotional intelligence, taking proper care of oneself, or filling roles that aren’t considered to be conventionally masculine. However, there is also a visual aspect to femininity in men.

Masculinity

Masculinity is defined as a set of attributes, behaviours, and roles associated with men and boys. For example; ambition, acquisition of wealth, and differentiated gender roles. It is the quality or nature of the male sex.

Masculinity in women may be considered someone who possesses traits that would be considered more masculine than feminine. They may be masculine in appearance, have masculine interests, prefer the company of men, and/or perform masculine tasks or jobs.

Androgyny

People may choose to identify with both masculine, and feminine traits. Typically, androgyny is a term used to describe a person whose appearance or clothing has elements of both femininity and masculinity. It refers to sex-role flexibility and adaptability.

Environmental influences

Our environment influences our own beliefs, values and perceptions to form a redefined sense of self. Environment and the people we surround ourselves will therefore impact our identity and what groups or ideologies we identify ourselves with. Growing up with people, like parents, can influence you into forming opinions or identifying with certain groups.

However, there is an individual aspect in your identity. Identity is our sense of who we are as individuals and as members of social groups. So, though there may be environmental factors that influence us, we also have control over what and how we choose to identify/identify with.

Our identity is what makes us unique, which is why it is very important. It separates us from others and allows us to have independence and individuality in who we are as a person.

Identity politics

First coined in 1974, by Black feminist Barbara Smith and the Combahee River Collective, the term identity politics refers to political positions that are based on the social groups that people see themselves as belonging to.

The idea of identity politics originated from the need for change. Emphasising the priority of the need for sameness, lead to the value of difference and individuality. Which is why it has been accepted, by some, as a strategic form of combat against discrimination and marginalisation.

During the feminist movements in the 1970s, the demand for change and gaining the right to vote was centred around change for white women, and not all women. The Combahee River Collective detailed how their experiences as Black women were different than those of white women, and this mattered because understanding the ways in which racial, economic, gender, and other oppressions were linked and shaped their lives helped to make sure that no one could be left behind.

It often relate to issues such as abortion, homosexuality, transgender rights, pornography, multiculturalism and racism. Identity conflicts also involve fundamental orientations such as religion and ideology, as well as political issues ranging from freedom of speech to the distribution of wealth and privilege. 

Here is a take from intelligence², which gives a little more insight “To some people, this is a dangerous trend. True, many minorities have suffered discrimination and exclusion and they deserve to enjoy the rights that the straight, white majority take for granted. But critics claim that the fight for equality has spilled over into hostility towards the majority, with identity group activists telling white people to check their privilege or labelling them white supremacists. Such sentiments have stoked anger among white people who feel very far from privileged or in control, fuelling the rise of populism and bringing alt-right figures such as Steve Bannon to the fore. The identity politics movement tells people that their experience as a member of a particular group is what ultimately defines them and gives their lives meaning. This message is destroying society’s broad sense of the common good, increasing antagonism and fragmentation in our society.”

Culture wars

Culture wars refers to conflict between groups that have different cultural ideals, beliefs, or philosophies. Typically, the opposing groups are liberals and conservatives.

Most recently, culture wars have been enacted due to the issues of abortion, racism, homosexuality, and transgender rights.

Overall, culture wars can be very harmful on society. Especially when the result is in control of people in power, who can easily impact one of these minorities and marginalized groups negatively. For example, in America with the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, abortion policies and reproductive rights are in the hands of each state. Half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion in the days and weeks following the Court’s decision taking away the constitutional right to abortion. This movement has pejoratively affected women and has set back women’s rights immensely. It also means that women lose some control of their bodies and removes their choice.

Here are some headshots I have taken in the studio. These were created using the multiple exposure setting. I particularly like how these photographs turned out, as the different colours from the coloured gels are evident between the two exposures.

These photographs are from when I first started photographing the subject, which are perhaps not as good. The camera needed to be in manual focus due to the dim lighting. The subject also needed to get used to having to move after each capture in order to make the different exposures apparent.

Here are some outcomes which I am happier with:

Who

I will be photographing my friend

What

I will attempt to create multi-exposure photographs

Where

In the studio

When

During lunch break when the studio is available

How

I will be using multiple lights as well as colourful gels. This will allow each exposure to be a different colour and therefore will be more apparent.

Headshots are a form of portraiture which frame the subject’s face and perhaps part of their shoulders and upper body.

Here are the outcomes from a photoshoot I did in the studio, focussing on producing headshots. They shows my attempt at utilising multiple lights and coloured gels that are in the studio.

Here are the outcomes from a portraiture photoshoot I did in the studio. The majority of my photographs are half-body shots, which allowed me to instruct the models to do certain poses. I have edited them in Lightroom, for some to make the background colours more apparent, and for others to make them in black and white to dramatize them.

Contact sheet

My first subject:

These are the outcomes of the photographs I took of my first subject, it is clear that she is confident in front of the camera. I instructed her on certain poses, to make the photograph more engaging and entertaining but also to make her try feel more relaxed. I have also edited some so that they’re in black and white, though this is to dramatize them a bit more but also because the original images don’t contain much colour, therefore they’re arguably more appealing in black and white.

The lighting technique I used to photograph this model was Rembrandt lighting.

Contact sheet

My second subject:

The lighting technique I used to photograph this model was Rembrandt lighting.

The lighting technique I used to capture these photographs was butterfly lighting.

Contact sheet

My third subject:

I believe these photographs show elements of the Chiaroscuro lighting technique.

The lighting technique I used to capture these photographs was Rembrandt lighting.

I believe the majority of these photographs to be example of the butterfly lighting technique.

Diamond Cameo edit

I cropped a circle from 4 photographs I took during the lighting techniques photoshoot above. I then arranged them into the diamond cameo structure

Final outcome:

I made the final edit black and white to dramatize it. This was also so that the colours of the photographs and the previous beige background didn’t clash.

Who

Friends available

What

I will be focussing on taking pictures that show evidence of lighting techniques we have been taught in lesson i.e., Rembrandt, Butterfly, Chiaroscuro

Where

In the studio so I can effectively use the lighting and space to create the right lighting in the techniques

When

During study periods when I have booked the studio

How

Using the lights in the studio, as well as instructing and positioning the subjects to create the different lighting techniques

Rim lighting is a technique which lights up a subject by using off-camera flash. It highlights the contours of a subject and creates a dramatic and mysterious effect.

Rim lighting, also referred to as back or edge lighting, is created by placing a single light behind the subject.

This lighting technique is characterised as a high-contrast lighting technique. Dark subjects were dramatically lighted by a shaft of light from a single constricted and often unseen source was a compositional device seen in the paintings of old masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.

In photography, the Chiaroscuro lighting technique is achieved through using one key light and a variation using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.

Using Flash: An example of “bouncing” the flash to soften the effects and create a larger “fill” can be tried wherever there are white walls/ ceilings. Flash units offer a range of possibilities in both low and high lighting scenarios such as: flash “bouncing”, fill-in flash, TTL / speedlight flash, remote / infra-red flash (studio lighting), fast + slow synch flash, light painting c/w slow shutter speeds.

Butterfly lighting is a lighting technique used in portraiture photography, created where the key light is placed above and pointing down on the subject’s face. It is characterised from a shadow created under the nose and chin that resembles a butterfly.

This technique creates shadowing under the subject’s cheekbones, making them look more defined. It is one of the most common lighting techniques in portraiture photography as it is flattering on almost anyone.

Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun. This technique can be utilised using hard or soft lighting depending on the desired outcome.

Here are some examples:

My experimentation with Butterfly lighting