In my exam project in the terms of the theme Observe, Seek, and Challenge, I intend to explore the binary opposition of how femininity is viewed through the male gaze vs the female gaze. I intend to explore this idea of ‘Girlhood‘ which is a project created by Justine Kurland, which I had explored in a previous photography project, in which girls are presented in a hyper feminine way and reinforcing stereotypes in what ‘femininity’ is. Femininity is defined as ‘qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls’ which can be challenged in the gender fluid society we now live in. Gender fluidity is part of Judith Butlers Gender Trouble theory, which argues that femininity can be presented through males and females, it is a behaviour a person can present, not a biological factor. Which challenges the dominant views that only woman can be feminine, and they are also perceived as feminine through society. To reinforce this idea in my project I intend to create a photoshoot which presents woman as more masculine which would be presented as more; confident, assertive, independent, and daring, in perhaps a dark feminine aesthetic. More so, I will be exploring my key researched artists Nancy Honey, and Cindy Sherman, which explore how femininity is presented through a patriarchal society through establishing an empowering movement of woman, through the female gaze and how woman empower each other. Honey does this by highlighting how femininity can be presented at a young age; girls exploring makeup, girls singing through a microphone, and dying their hair, this can also reinforce this idea of a teenage girlhood fantasy which I aim to portray in my work. Furthermore, I will be ‘observing‘ femininity through a hyper-realistic way in the gaze of Cindy Sherman, which is a highly influential feminist. She explores femininity in youth and challenges the dominant stereotype of beauty standards and behaviour’s woman are assumed to portray in society. 

I wish to develop my project into a photobook, presenting images of teenage girlhood, and portraying the life of teenage girls. I will be taking inspiration of Kurland’s photobook ‘Girl Pictures’ which highlights femininity within teenage girl lives. In my photobook I intend to show hyper-femininity and how society had created stereotypes that are still considered presently. Furthermore, I intend to present how woman follow these stereotypes in present society and how it has ultimately affected woman in society. Furthermore, my photobook will be a representation of teenage femininity and what young girls experience in a patriarchal society and the male gaze, which can damage the psyche of humanity. In matters to present images especially the topic of femininity and the concept of stereotypes and counter types in order to show the difference between the real world and the hyper-reality society created which overall clearly shows society as post modernistic supporting Jean Baudrillard’s theory. Within the photobook I will be presenting the contrast between the stereotypical ideologies of what girls are supposed to act like and the beauty standards they should follow in order to belong is society vs how girls actually present themselves and behave in society without the restraint that society has of woman. In terms of presenting the book, I am still unsure whether the orientation will be portrait or landscape, however I plan on presenting my images by having the most relevant images on the right, and the less relevant, fill in photos, on the left. This is due to the right side getting more recognition in photobooks, as it tends to be the page which draws the viewer into viewing the book. 

As a female in today’s society this project matters to present the ongoing sexual division and superiority. This project could be seen as a subtle protest for gender equality and how women are still viewed by men, in terms of the male gaze sexualising woman, despite all equality acts. I intend to try and create 5 photoshoots in total inspired by Cindy Sherman, Justine Kurland, and Nancy Honey. I plan on doing these shoots spaced out throughout the month before the exam date which gives me time to prepare and allow myself to see if any of the shoot need to be re-done.  

For my initial idea I don’t think that any of the artists referenced on the exam booklet would link to my take on documentary photography very well, so I have decided to research into my own photographers.

Eric Pickersgill

His background

Eric Pickersgill is a full time photographer and father working in North Carolina. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree at The University of North Carolina in 2015. He was born in Homestead, Florida in 1986 and spent his teenage years in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pickersgill received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Fine Art Photography from Columbia College Chicago in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013 Pickersgill taught high school in Charlotte, NC via Teach for America. His passion for teaching and image making allows him to see the connections that the two share. The work Eric makes is often about photography as he explores the psychological and social effects that cameras and their artifacts have on individuals and societies as a whole. Eric has exhibited and presented his work internationally at institutions, galleries, and art fairs such as The North Carolina Museum of Art, Pantheon-Sorbonne University, The Ackland Art Museum, Rick Wester Fine Art, Pulse Art Fair Miami, AIPAD, and many more. 

His work

Pickersgill quoted ‘The application of the personal device in daily life has made tasks take less time. Far away places and people feel closer than ever before. Despite the obvious benefits that these advances in technology have contributed to society, the social and physical implications are slowly revealing themselves. In similar ways that photography transformed the lived experience into the photographable, performable, and reproducible experience, personal devices are shifting behaviours while simultaneously blending into the landscape by taking form as being one with the body. This phantom limb is used as a way of signalling busyness and unapproachability to strangers while existing as an addictive force that promotes the splitting of attention between those who are physically with you and those who are not.’

  ‘Family sitting next to me at Illium café in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another. Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn’t have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online. Twice he goes on about a large fish that was caught. No one replies. I am saddened by the use of technology for interaction in exchange for not interacting. This has never happened before and I doubt we have scratched the surface of the social impact of this new experience. Mom has her phone out now.‘

I find his work inspiring in the factor that he is exploring some of the negative implications that come along with todays overly developed technology which

Personal image analysis

  

   The large format portraits are of individuals who appear to be holding personal devices although the devices have been physically removed from the sitter’s hand. They are asked to hold their stare and posture as I remove their device and then I make the exposure. The photographs represent re-enactments of scenes that I experience daily. We have learned to read the expression of the body while someone is consuming a device and when those signifiers are activated it is as if the device can be seen taking physical form without the object being present. Removed avails performance, portraiture, and photography to question the physical utility of personal devices and the ways they influence society, relationships, and the body. The photographed scenes are derived from observations in my daily life. I ask the sitters to re-enact my original observations of them and seconds before the exposure is made, I remove the device from the their hand. The sitter is asked to remain frozen as if they were still engaged with their device, producing a photograph that points to the performance of being photographed and making them. The project is a form of intervention, calling attention to the use of devices by family members and those around me that I do not know. The making of the photograph operates as a way of disrupting the isolation I feel from strangers who barricade themselves behind their technology. This exchange creates new relationships while also asking the viewer to question their own device habits. I am excited by the way the viewer fills in the device at first look. It is as if the device has become one with the body and can be seen when not present.

Andreas Varro

Varro looked also at the dystopian effects of mobile phones using multiple images and then bringing them together as one. Compared to Eric Pickersgill he looked more at the effects that social media had on peoples mannerisms compared to the physicality’s of someone on their phone. He generates some of his work with the help o artificial intelligence.

His background and motive for his work

Andreas Varro’s internationally awarded and published artwork represents human behaviour through the medium of satire art. He uses conventional methods to create props and construct scenes. Using photography, he captures and manipulates images using digital techniques. As a child, Andreas had a social phobia, and he lived with an intrinsic fear of expressing his ideas to others, afraid of being judged and punished for them. He chose to self-censor during his boyhood which haunted him and was painful on several dimensions. Having a quiet and thoughtful nature made him the target of bullies. Later on, life drastically changed and threw him into the abyss. After his father died from cancer, a man brutally murdered his mother a year later. Andreas asked himself what drives people to do the things they do?
The quest for understanding the motivations of individuals came at a time of darkness which fundamentally reconstructed him. Using art, he started to express the transformation he hoped for in society. The darkness he experienced shaped his artistic style which seems to derive from Renaissance paintings with those illuminations shrouded by dark canvas. Universal themes are inspired from ancient mythical stories which are translated into contemporary messages in his creative work. Over a short period of time, Andreas has received over 50 prestigious awards for his art, and his talent is now recognized worldwide. Surreal artist Andreas Varro creates thought-provoking art and highlights modern concerns like technology, social media, and power structures. By blending elements from myths, stories, and pop culture, he crafts art that triggers reflection. Varro’s art prompts dialogue about crucial modern issues. His surreal art becomes a focal point at home, urging people to engage. Seamlessly blending past and present, Varro’s surrealism sparks curiosity and meaningful conversations.

Image analysis

In this photo Varrous is trying to show the detrimental effects that ‘too much screen time’ has on a young child. He has taken a portrait of a young girl with a screen that looks attached to her face. He has used warm tones with the background being black/dark grey and the only light that appears is artificial lighting projecting from the screen of the phone. Not only does his work look at the obsession from adults about technology but also the developing addiction that the newer generations are starting to establish.

Definition of the verbs:

Observe:  to watch somebody/​something carefully, especially to learn more about them or it: The patients were observed over a period of several months

Synonyms of Observe

• study.
• examination.
• inspection.
• monitoring.
• review.
• surveillance.
• watching.

Seek: the act of searching for something.

Synonyms of seek

• pursue
• hunt
• search
• chase
• quest

Challenge: something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person’s ability

Synonyms of challenge

• objection.
• exception.
• question.
• complaint.
• protest.
• difficulty.

My first idea when I heard the 3 themes was to take pictures of the natural world around us such as animals, plants and general wildlife. The more I thought bout the idea I started thinking about the actual world that humans have created such as technology. Since 2007 when the first iPhone was developed , it have become a common mannerism in 1st world countries to be on their phone. Globally the average screen time is around 7 hours

These statistics mean that the majority of these users are getting preoccupied by technology and spending less time observing the real and natural world that was given to us.

This is also having a physical effect on peoples eyesight as Near-sightedness is on a rise world wide, due to the lack of observing objects from far away.

I am incorporating it into the themes that we are assigned such as ‘Observing’ the world around us (the rise in technology) ‘Seeking’ for nature and ‘Challenging’ the addictive behaviours that the world is becoming immune to.

If I did follow along with this idea then it would be classified as a documentary, inspired by page 28 from exam booklet

Romain Veillon is a French photographer specialized in the visit of urban decay places, a practice called ‘urbex’. As an urban explorer he manages to catch the out-of-date, sometime post-apocalyptic, feeling in the air of those locations, where nature reasserts itself. Romain Veillon learnt his skills as an autodidact. He has photographed abandoned areas around Paris at first. Romain Veillon has extended his passion during trips through the world. With his photos Romain Veillon establishes a dialogue between past, present and future. Some of those places pursued their decay, other ones were demolished, vandalized or restored. Photography become the witness of a time, the optical record of a building. In Romain Veillon’s snapshots the viewer can project a fantasized story.

Abandoned Buildings

I am interested specifically in Veillon’s work on abandoned buildings. Similar to Matt Emmet’s work, he seeks abandoned and unseen place’s taking sort of abstract images of them to show the world.

During his explorations of abandoned places across Europe, he has stumbled upon enchanting architectures that have been left to decay for decades. In his latest book Green Urbex: The World Without Us, Veillon explored what the world would look like if the human race disappeared and nature took its course without any human interference.

-Mr Veillon wrote that he wants each photograph to tell a story and make people think about what had previously occurred at places that are now derelict and about what the world would look like if mankind disappeared.

Image Analysis

The image above is of a church in France that had been abandoned. While the tiled floor featured stones that had broken and greenery that filled the area, the magnificent architecture and detailed patterns carved along the walls remained intact, along with the colourful stained glass windows that were highly featured on religious buildings. The composition of the image is very sharp. Every wall or corner, every detail is aliened and arranged neatly. The lighting is natural and brightens up the image, although the building has been abandoned, it still appears to be pretty and partly put together.

In this study I want to explore the change in my grandparents relationship over time, affected by age, new beginnings, and death. This is a personal study for me because it is seeking into my family’s past, however I am excited to learn more about their past and use this to document it. I am going to start my project by finding and photographing archived images/ documentation. Then I will begin photographing my gran in her environment and where she used to love with my grandfather. I also want to remake photos of my mum and gran and compare the two images. I think this photo would be my choice to remake.

I also want to edit the archived images in the style of Carolle Bénitah and Jessa Fairbrother to show the loss and passing of people in the old photos, or focus the image on my gran/ grandad. I want to present my images in the form of a photobook, whether created through blurb, or a handmade book. I want to include polaroids and prints to add to the thickness and give the book more of a story through it. I may also add handwritten notes to add context to the story/ images.

I am interpreting the theme of seek and observe through this by looking into the story of my family’s past, and observing it in the present day. By seeking into this story I am also learning more about the history of my parents and grandparents. Artists that I have been inspired by so far are Alec Soth, Nan Goldin, Tom Wood and Vanley Burke.

For photographing places, such as my grans house or Beauport where my grandfathers ashes were spread, I want to make sure I have basic images. This means moody lighting for inside, and natural for outside, with no one in the frame. I feel like this could be used as images in between more interesting ones.

For objects I may bring some into the studio, or capture them in my gran’s house as they are. I may need to change the lighting, to make the images more intriguing.

When photographing my gran, I want to make sure the lighting on her face is controlled. I might use split lighting to make a more interesting composition. She has a lot of light coming through her windows, so I will make sure not to over expose images. I will take full body, shoulder and full face images. This gives me a range to work from and decide which compositions are best. I also want to focus on areas like her hands. I find hands have stories in them, due to their textures. I feel I could present emotion and meanings through images of her hands, possibly using macro filters.

For editing I will use Lightroom classic for basic edits, then take them into photoshop for further editing. I may also edit images in real life with a needle and thread for Carolle Bénitah inspired edits.

Miklos Gaàl is known for a lot of unique method of producing images by manipulating the camera and its abilities. Gaàl studied film, photography and graphics design between 1995 and 2004 at a place called “Tiak”, which is said to educate and promote people who are able to present their talents in a creative way. His work attracts people because of its toyish effect, meaning the subjects in his images look like they where photographed form a miniature scale, whilst including photographic skills like subject, angles and lighting. His method involves manipulating the perspective of the camera, mostly from a higher point, which looks down on an area or place which includes subjects which is a technique called “tilt Shitft”.

Gaàl’s images are described in his book through how his “views attract our gaze involuntarily by being markedly out of focus”. Showing how his images present a sense of confusion, uncertainty and mind manipulation. This shows how Gaàl’s images challenge the view of reality and how we perceive things constructed to us from birth, his work alters the world in a confusingly addictive way, where the image doesn’t make sense, but attracts the eye.

What is Tilt Shift?

Tilt shift is the method in which you manipulate the focal point of your camera in respect to the sensor on cameras and can now be bought as an adaption to your camera at a price, but is also possible through editing a regular image in a way which creates this effect of “tilt shift” and is mostly effective through being up at a high point. Which can make an image look like a miniature model of the place or make it look like an “ant world” in my opinion. For example:

Its aim is to make the focal point of a subject or area to become closer to the camera, whilst everything else almost stays in its place or becomes further away, and isn’t just used in landscape materials, but also for specific subjects, like a single building or large subject, but isn’t used for portraits, rather suburban areas.

I have chosen to take this page as inspiration for my project. By collection images of my grandmother in a documentary style, I can present her, and her surrounding space in a way that links to the archived images I will use.

I am going to make shoots in the style of some of the photographers on this page. I will try a few different styles to begin with, and then decide which I like the most.

ARTISTS:

Tom Wood, Nan Goldin, Vanley Burke and Alec Soth.

Quick Moodboards of each artist:

Tom Wood

Nan Goldin

Vanley Burke

Alec Soth

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer and artist who plays on the female stereotypes. Her Untitled Film Stills includes over seventy black and white images which were made between 1977 and 1980. This series embodies the disguise, mystery, voyeurism and vulnerability in which women hold. Her work could be viewed as feeding into the ‘Male Gaze’ due to a handful of her images being staged in a heterosexual perspective which could be viewed as sexualising women. Cindy Sherman embodied many different roles while creating her photo series, she styled many of the models clothes, hair and makeup wile also being her own model.

Cindy Sherman has always experimented with different identities. Just after she moved to New York, she produced her Untitled Film Still series (1977–80) , in which she used disguises and photographed herself in many different location settings with a conscious understanding of what props she wanted to use to create scenes which resembled those from mid-20th-century movies. These images rely on female characters such as the jaded seductress, the unhappy housewife, the jilted lover, and the vulnerable naïf. Cindy Sherman used cinematic understanding to structure these photographs. The untitled series immediately became topics of conversations about feminism, postmodernism, and representation, and they remain some of her best-known work.

https://artlead.net/journal/modern-classics-cindy-sherman-untitled-film-stills/

Image Analysis:

Many pictures of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills show situations that can come across as uncomfortable, promiscuous since it show a depicted woman in a vulnerable position. Cindy Sherman confronts people with the negative implications of the way the media depicts women especially in movies through the way she positions herself in her images which leaves an open door for men to objectify the female body. The male gaze is often present in her but she subtly changes the perspectives, expressions, and circumstances.

The 2024 photography exam paper:

https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo24exam/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2024/02/Edexcel-9PYO-EST-2024_redux-1-1.pdf

Observe: Notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant.

Seek: Attempt to find (something)

Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).

Challenge: A call to someone to participate in a competitive situation

dispute the truth

I created a mind map of my initial ideas with words that I think associate with the main themes which has helped me created a better understanding of what my final outcomes could be.

Exploring Nature

Observing People