For this photoshoot, I want to elaborate the idea of hardship. Experimenting with different difficulties woman and teenage girls may face. Sticking with the black and white theme, ill edit them with a simple black and white filter and adding a few tweaks with highlights and shadows to perfect the photo edit.

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After doing some evaluation, I want to edit the photos in black and white, to contrast with the coloured archived photos, or visa versa.

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Why I changed ideas

Firstly, I decided to change my exploration of racial injustices through women to domestic abuse. I changed this for many reasons. One reason was because my photoshoot exploring cultures and working- class women did not fit the sequencing of my photobook. This is because these photos were the opposite of staged and carefully crafted ultimately changing my theme. I did not begin to realise this until my photoshoot was completed, however I learnt through this and decided for my updated photoshoot to be of the same subject of my other photoshoots such as 1st and 2nd wave. To keep a seamless sequence in my photobook, I decided to explore domestic violence which a lot of women go through. This is shown statically. Globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30 per cent of women aged 15 and older). One of these women, including Nan Goldin, my other artist study. Nan Goldin was very open talking about her issues and her photoshoots taken in 1984, this significantly inspired me. I learnt that I wanted to mix both elements of Sherman and Nan Goldin by staging an abuse themed photoshoot, meanwhile maintaining an element of femininity and the traditional housewife. Although, my photos are not taken in the kitchen, they express the role of women serving for men in other ways, such as clothing and posing.

Ultimately, this was more inspiring to me as the 3rd wave feminism movement focuses o sexual harassment, domestic violence and abuse. Some people still believe we are still in the 3rd wave due to the fact there isn’t a massive shift or growth. This is because, to this day women still fight for their equality especially within this theme.

Contact sheet-

Filtering-

Firstly, I began by rated my images from 1-5 and either flagging or rejecting them. The main factors I took into account was lighting, posing, surroundings/props, and the gaze my subject executed. Before I began my filtering, I cropped every image therefore other things that were potentially taking the attention away from the main factor of the image, therefore I went through and cropped them to my preference before editing. This is a very efficient way of editing the images that are preferred and making your photoshoots organised and ready for editing. As this photoshoot is indoors, it was easier to get the correct lighting however my editing ability should be able to perfect any lighting inefficiencies. One final thing I took into account was how well you could see the subjects fake bruising and bleeding. This is because this photoshoot is to focus on domestic violence, therefore I put fake makeup on my subject to attempt to convey this element. However, it is not the only element I wanted to add. Overall, I wanted to add a sexual element linking to femininity stereotypes but also sexual harassment as the third wave focused on this just as much. I attempted to bring this sexualised element through the subjects clothes and red heels. Red can be a symbol of passion, confident, sexuality and love. This could ultimately signify the growth women fought for during these movements as they were encouraged confidently to fight for their passion and rights. This would significantly contrast to the clothing as women still felt as if they had to play a role in order to satisfy and serve men. This is interesting to me as it differs from my subjects face. This is because many women still stay (representing the clothing choice) even after circumstances (damage) which is a very big important contrast to these images. Lastly, I took into account the lamp facing down on her. I really like this touch as it keeps all attention on the subject which is exactly what I intended too, gives a spotlight effect.

Editing-

B&W-

This image is one of my favourites within this photoshoot. This is because the lighting giving the spotlight effect with in depth shadows really sticks out to me. The deep shadows to me portrays an element of sexuality emphasizing by the heels which is what I ultimately intended too. Not only this, I like the image in black and white as it conveys this element but also adds a mystery element. One drawback is the fact that you cannot see the coloured heels and that the fake violence on her face is not as bright and obvious.

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In colour: Potential front cover of photobook

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Evaluation and critique

Overall, I like many factors of this photoshoot. One thing in particular that I like is the lighting, creating in-depth shadows which ultimately makes the image more eye catching. To emphasize this, I experimented by putting my photoshoots in black and white which I definitely prefer as it adds more of an vintage aesthetic I was aiming for as Nan Goldin’s images are taken in-between 1979 and 1986. Not only this, but black and white still shows the bold lipstick and makeup. However, the fake domestic violence is not as obvious and vibrant which is a potential drawback as that is what my photos are to be focused around. One thing I would change would be to put the fake bruising etc on the subjects right side of the face so the lighting would shine on it, allowing viewers to focus on it. This would definitely benefit my images as it will focus on the theme of sexual and domestic abuse. I found the type of posing very feminine emphasized by the ‘ female gaze’ which is ultimately signifying my overall theme of feminism and movements. Another draw back of having my images in black and white is that you cannot see the symbols included such as the red bold lipstick and high heels. However, this can be significantly fixed as I am thinking of this being my front cover in my photobook as it represents feminism and confidence ultimately representing the empowerment women felt through the movements.

I would keep this in colour, meanwhile my book being in black and white. This is because red heels represents confidence, bold, sexuality and femininity, which ultimately covers my themes therefore tells the viewer from the front page what my book narrative is. Overall, I like this photoshoot and I think I executed it successfully.

This book – Girlhood, is all about what it’s really like to grow up as a girl, told through a series of raw, real photos that show both the strength and the tough moments we go through. It’s not just about looking pretty in pictures—it’s about the real stuff: dealing with a world that often tries to control or judge you. The photos capture those little moments of joy, rebellion, and the everyday struggle to just exist as a girl. It’s about how we’re expected to be one thing but are always trying to push back, balancing what the world wants from us and what we really are. It’s real, it’s messy, and it’s all us.

• 3 words – Representing girlhood/misogyny
• A sentence – Raising awareness for women because of misogyny and what women have to go through.
• A paragraph – My photobook is going to be about how there is misogyny in the world and its getting worse, women are just trying to learn and grow and this may be difficult for them, therefore, I am going to take photograph’s of this element.

I want the book to be smooth and soft, small and not too big with black ink and a while boarder and white pages – inspired by the book FEMALE, with A4 pages and a hard cover.

The title is going to be Girlhood, with roughly 20 pages with one white on one side and the photo in the middle on the next page. There will be some words on some pages, not all – relating to the exact photograph.

There will be a range of different images, ranging from girlhood and trying to make awareness for misogyny, girlhood and what girls have to go through.

1. Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design with reference to the same elements of bookmaking as above.

Narrative: What is your story?
Describe in:

• 3 words

My child hood.

• A sentence

My experience growing up, the good bad and interesting.

• A paragraph

My story will portray the growth and understanding of my childhood. Exploring the hardships and importance of growing up and the individuality of each persons story.

Design: Consider the following

• How you want your book to look and feel

I want my book to be a hard cover book, I want it to be heavy too.

• Paper and ink

I want the paper on the inside of my book to be thick, durable and sturdy. Almost to symbolise skin, as weird as that sounds.

• Format, size and orientation

I want my book to be as big as an A4 sheet of paper, big enough to catch someone’s eye but not too big to bother.

• Binding and cover

I think my front cover should be a portrait photo, almost like a school photo or ‘mug shot’ of me, well not actually me but a model.

• Title 

‘ROOTS’ – I had black hair growing up and since I’m naturally ginger, my roots would show as my hair grew. And since I’m talking about my childhood, my roots, I thought it was fitting.

• Design and layout

I want there to be a photo on each page, each photo couple to contradict each other.

• Images and text

The title of each photograph will be in the bottom right corner of each page in small simple text.

For this photoshoot, I walked around the finance and office area on the waterfront. I aimed to capture images similar to my artist reference, Alex Upton. I also attempted to get images of old and new buildings together so that I can have them in the middle of my photobook to link the two styles.

This was my route:

Photo Selection

Contact Sheet

Image Selection

Edits

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Here I tried takings some pictures of a D1 Jersey game using a long focal length (100mm), as well as switching to a shorter focal length to get a wide variety of different shots. For the first half of the game I used aperture priority with an F-stop of 2.8 to 5.6. However, I didn’t turn the ISO up enough, as well as decreasing the overall exposure causing a lot of the images to be blurry since its a fast paced game with lots of movement. So after half time I increased the ISO to 1600 and decreased the exposure to -1, giving me a shutter speed of around 1/1000, allowing me to capture better images in the game. Also at half time, I looked at some Neil Leafer images for inspiration and realised he often had a shorter focal length to capture more action instead of a single player. He also seems to wait for something interesting to happen before he would take the photo.

I changed the camera angle a lot, getting some shots from higher up and lower down. Shots coming from a lower angle are more traditional for sports photography in basketball since the photographers are usually sitting on the floor around court side to take the photos. I thinks shots from lower down created a much more dynamic image and add drama, since the legs of the athletes become the main focus, and it distorts the player in a way to make them look powerful and big and creates a perspective of grandeur. I often kept the rule of thirds in my mind to make sure the composition was on point, but sometimes I tried out different compositions to and more variety in this photoshoot. It seemed that taking photos when the players where running towards the camera leads to much better photos as the subjects faces are in frame, allowing viewers to make more of there own judgement on the image based on the players faces. It also adds more emotion when the players face is in frame.

This was below was taken in the 2nd quarter just as tommy (the one in the dark navy) was going up for a layup. Unfortunate, since the photos where shot with a compressed file, it was hard to edit without the image becoming grainy. However, I still managed to add a vignette and rotated the image to make the subjects level and to make the image even more dynamic. I also added a layer mask to the subjects in the centre to draw the eyes towards it. Number 4 looks likes he’s being picked up by number 2, which makes this image more interesting a more amusing.

Below are some more photos edited in the same way:

Below I tried a montage of 3 photos of a free throw. This was the second free throw so other players started running in to get the rebound. I used the wider angle lens to capture more action in the shot. I created three images to show the create a montage of players running towards the centre. Below you can see how I edited the image.

I like this image as the subject with the ball is in the centre, with other subjects evenly spread out around the image, giving it good composition.

For this image below I changed the angle to match the alignment of the face of the person holding the ball. It also makes the image look more dynamic which is what I want for a sporting image.

Below I montaged 3 images together that have a similar pattern (looking away from camera and focused on one player).

This image below was taken during a free throw shot that would tie the two teams. This obviously isn’t good for the team other team which is no longer ahead who this player was on. You can see the hope in his face that the free throw does not go in.

Things I would change next time

Since this is my first time doing sports photography, I made few mistakes, firstly when using the long focal length It was difficult for me to take photos of the action since it was so zoomed it, meaning I should of taken more photos from the other side of the court. Another issue was that a lot of my photos are fairly uninteresting, so I might try going closer to the court next time with a wide angle lens to capture action close up (which is how Neil leafer did it). Finally I think I could decrease the exposure even more and shoot with raw files allowing me to increase the shutter speed making the photos less blurry. I can increase the exposure in post production.

All these photos will indefinitely be edited the same. I want to make shadows a very prominent feature of the photos as well as keeping natural highlights one of the main focuses. I want to look at the vibrancy and saturation of each photo, focusing on levelling out colour and adapting each vibrancy to each individual photo.

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William Eggleston`s Guide, at the time of when this book was published (1976) colour photography was mainly linked with advertisements or just random images instead of professional, serious artwork. William Eggleston`s work was heavily important in showing how colour could highlight or improve storytelling in documentary style photography. This photobook was produced apace with his solo exhibition at the Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. John Swarovski, the director of photography at the Museum Of Modern Art, was a key role in making William Eggleston`s Guide catch the public`s eyes. Swarovski helped Eggleston not only by choosing his excellent solo exhibition in 1976 but also helped by writing an introductory essay to the photobook. In this essay, Swarovski states that Eggleston`s work is “perfect” and he also says that Eggleston`s work is “related in iconography and technique to the contemporary standard of vernacular camera work,” highlighting Eggleston`s focus on ordinary subjects.

The photographer is William Eggleston and he created this timeless photobook to capture the ordinary suburban lifestyle of North America at the time period. Nowadays this would be seen as unique and foreign to us due to the contrasting aspects of the decades. He made this collection of photos to present and he stated they were repeatedly inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson’s pioneering candid, street photography. His intention behind this photo book was to convey his images to the public for the first time. The William Eggleston`s Guide was displayed at the Museum Of Modern Art in 1976.

Holding William Eggleston`s Guide brings out a sense of importance and curiosity. The cover of the photobook is elegant, well made and still lightweight, making the book easy and comfortable to handle and it makes the viewer interested to view its contents. However the image on the front cover does not portray what is on the inside of the photobook, I think that that the image is quite boring and basic, I also do not like the angle that he has taken the image in, however this might be a statement from Eggleston showing that he is proud of every capture of his. The paper on the interior is smooth with a slightly textured surface adding a physical quality which compliments Eggleston`s images. On the cover of the book, the title is written in gold adding to the rich aesthetic the book has inside and out. The book first interior pages consist of the essay written by John Swarovski which is placed on 8 pieces of green thick paper, with the rest of the pages being glossy white. The images on the white pages are vibrant and the ink used is highly saturated highlighting his incredible use of colour, the colour in his images come to life in the photobook as the printing is done with clarity and detail. The whole photobook is in colour and there is no images in monochrome, this was a key part of the book as colour photography had not been widely known or accepted in the creative space. Eggleton’s photobook is in portrait and is quite big in size, allowing the images to be larger and overall making the photobook more intriguing, the book being relatively large allows readers / viewers to look at the images with a lot of attention to detail as the images are bigger too. This book is quite small in comparison to other photobooks, William Eggleston`s Guide has 112 pages to be exact. The smaller amount of photos entices the viewer to engage more with each image and actually take in each image one by one, revealing Eggleston`s thought behind his image selection. Eggleston made this a hardcover book and had the cover image printed straight onto the hardcover instead of putting a dust jacket on the book and the binding of the book is regular and traditional keeping the focus on the images themselves rather than the book itself. The title of the book: William Eggleston`s Guide is extremely literal, instantly identifying the photographer and classifying the book as a “guide” to his unique way of seeing the world. The title of the photobook fits in with the overall minimal design seen throughout the whole book. The book as a whole captures the everyday life in the south side of America including Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. Aside from the introductory essay, the photobook only has small, sly captions which is found at the bottom of each page, this feature of having small captions at the bottom of the page is very minimal, and is done on purpose to keep the attention and focus on the images rather than taking the viewers attention off of the images and onto the writing. The images selected are rather random however they are all showing the same story of the ordinary daily life in south side of America, focusing on the overlooked, dull subjects.

How is sexuality and gender identity explored and represented in photography?

Exploring sexuality and gender identity within photographs are usually captured and addressed from an outsider perspective, a viewpoint that is commonly objectifying and misleading. Instead, this intimate proximity, seen through Nan Goldin’s insider delineation of her close community, enables her to portray an extremely personal, and at times, voyeuristic perspective of her lived experiences. This narrative showcases a tableaux and uncompromising representation of Goldin’s and her found family’s feelings and familiarity within the queer community. Being in the same artistic circle as other photographers who predominantly photographed on film New York’s queer subculture, Goldin dedicated these portraits to preserving and capturing the essence of relationships, sexuality, gender exploration, and addiction during the 70s and 80s. As photography serves as an archive, there are many photographs exploring sexuality and gender identity which are immortalised, especially within the 19th and 20th century as photography began to become a popular and accessible medium of art and documentation. Situated within the fluidity and ambiguous notion of sexuality during these important and representative eras, these relaxed and fluid forms of identity captured within art and photography avoids distinct labelling, imposing a flexible identity of the individual.

Historical/theoretical context

Representation within art, photography and visual culture is to accept responsibility for the portrayal of the subject, and to deepen the understanding of the shared adjacent bond between the subject and the artist or photographer. The dichotomy between a subject’s essence being captured by someone outside their own community compared to inside their community

(You need to show evidence that you have read Solomon-Godeau’s key text Inside/ Outside and incorporate a couple of quotes that you can use to agree/ disagree with to develop a critical argument.) Then use the example below with the portrait of Oscar Wilde. )

Convert JPG to PDF online – convert-jpg-to-pdf.net

In circa 1882, the photographer Napoleon Sarony photographed portraits of Oscar Wilde, a poet and playwright in Victorian London, which positioned Wilde in the frame with his usual flamboyant and dandy personality, characteristics of the art movement of aestheticism which valued appearance of art over functions. The society of this time explicitly expressed disdain against sexual debauchery, which included the outlawing of all homosexual acts for ‘gross indecency’ under the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, which Wilde was one of the first and highest importance figures prosecuted and put on trial for. This opens the discussion whether photography not only serves as an art form, but also archival material and an account of history.

Nan Goldin

Utilising a narrative within photographs which conveys a deeply personal bond between Goldin and her subjects, she is often notably recognised for this inner representation of the communities and subcultures she shares space with. In her book ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, she initially shared the photographs within with those photographed in frequently visited clubs and venues, and an immediate reaction from these peers contributed to its growth and ultimately its final presentation

‘I look at Ballad and see the dynamics of both love and hate, tenderness and violence, as well as all kinds of ambivalence in relationships.’ (reference is using Harvard system – see link below for guidelines)

Personal Study

(For other critical perspectives on Goldin and her seminal book- see this special issue of Aperture Magazine and other texts written about her work and its influence.)

Nan Goldin Archives | Aperture

Draft Introduction (250-500 words). Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can re-formulate the essay question. You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g. what area of photography, or subject-matter are you exploring? Which artists/ photographers are you going to investigate/ analyse/ interpret? Why does this subject/ work interest you? What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument? What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within? Include at least 1 or 2 quotes for or against. What links are there with your previous studies, if any? How has this subject and chosen artists/ photographers inspired your own images/ responses? How will your work develop? What camera skills, photographic techniques or processes have you experimented with, or are you going to experiment with?

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

key words: aesthetic, formalism, indexicality, representation, narrative

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question:
• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?

Nan Goldin – outside/inside view of queer communities, issue of representation

history of portrayal and representation of the queer community in photography and the exploration of sexuality and gender identity within visual culture

• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 

History of sexuality and gender identities in photography

aestheticism in art – oscar wilde, napoleon sarony portraits, historical representation

• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

Possible Questions:

How does Nan Goldin utilise the snapshot aesthetic to document her experiences and sense of belonging within her community?

How does the work of Nan Goldin document her experiences, sense of community and identity utilising a snapshot aesthetic?

How does Nan Goldin document her experiences, sense of community and identity through utilising a snapshot aesthetic in her photographs?

How is sexuality and gender identity explored in the photographs of Nan Goldin?

How is intimacy, exploration of sexuality and gender identity represented within photography?

In what way does the photographer Nan Goldin represent intimacy and identity in her works?

How is intimacy and identity explored through the portraiture of Nan Goldin?

• Nan Goldin
• Ed van der Elsken

Snapshot aesthetic photography

Documentary photographs

Nan Goldin- identity – representation

Quotes: Nan Goldin

‘[Journalists] talk about the work I did on drag queens and prostitution, on “marginalised” people. We were never marginalised. We were the world. We were our own world, and we could have cared less about what “straight” people thought of us.’

‘It’s as if my hand were a camera … The instant of photographing, instead of creating distance, is a moment of clarity and emotional connection for me. There is a popular notion that the photographer is by nature a voyeur; the last one invited to the party. But I’m not crashing; this is my party. This is my family, my history’

‘As children, we’re programmed into the limitations of gender distinction … But as we grow older, there’s a self-awareness that sees gender as a decision, as something malleable … Rather than accept gender distinction, the point is to redefine it … there is the decision to live out the alternatives, even to change one’s sex, which to me is the ultimate act of autonomy.’

‘I look at Ballad and see the dynamics of both love and hate, tenderness and violence, as well as all kinds of ambivalence in relationships.’

Bibliography

Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.

Goldin, Nan (1985) ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’

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

Solomon-Godeau, A. (1994), ‘Inside/ Out’ in Photography At The Dock: Essays on Photographic History, Institutions, and Practices. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.

Here some helpful resources on ethical questions regarding the photographer’s position of being inside or outside from PhotoPedagogy.

Bull, S. (2009), ‘Snapshots’ in Photography. London: Routledge.

Zuromski, C. (2009) . ‘On Snapshot Photography: Rethinking Photographic Powers in Public and Private Spheres’ in J.J. Long, Andrea Noble, Edward Welch, Photography: Theoretical Snapshots. London: Routledge.

Kotz, L. (1998) ‘”Aesthetics” of Intimacy’ in Bright, D. (1998) The Passionate Camera: Photography and bodies of desire. London: Routledge