Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.
At the age of thirteen Francesca Woodman took her first self-portrait. From then, up until her untimely death in 1981, aged just 22, she produced an extraordinary body of work. Comprising some 800 photographs, Woodman’s oeuvre is acclaimed for its singularity of style and range of innovative techniques. From the beginning, her body was both the subject and object in her work.
Although she died very young, there is no denying that Woodman was one of the most innovative and promising artists of her generation. She pushed the boundaries of experimental photography and played with the potential of shutter speed and exposure.
The very first photograph taken by Woodman, Self-portrait at Thirteen, 1972, shows the artist sitting at the end of a sofa in an un-indentified space, wearing an oversized jumper and jeans, arm loosely hanging on the armrest, her face obscured by a curtain of hair and the foreground blurred by sudden movement, one hand holding a cable linked to the camera. In this first image the main characteristics at the core of Woodman’s short career are clearly visible, her focus on the relationship with her body as both the object of the gaze and the acting subject behind the camera.
Woodman tested the boundaries of bodily experience in her work and her work often suggests a sense of self-displacement. Often nude except for individual body parts covered with props, sometimes wearing vintage clothing, the artist is typically sited in empty or sparsely furnished, dilapidated rooms, characterised by rough surfaces, shattered mirrors and old furniture. In some images Woodman quite literally becomes one with her surroundings, with the contours of her form blurred by movement, or blending into the background, wallpaper or floor, revealing the lack of distinction of both – between figure and ground, self and world. In others she uses her physical body literally as a framework in which to create and alter her material identity. For instance, holding a sheet of glass against her flesh, squeezing her body parts against the glass and smashing her face, breasts, hips, buttocks and stomach onto the surface from various angles, Woodman distorts her physical features making them appear grotesque.
PHOTO ANAYLSIS
This image has very similarities to Claude Cahun’s work as they both signify characteristics of feminine and in the mirror looking at there reflections would could symbolize a lot especially about emotions which is a typical female stereotype.
The major difference is that the subject in the image is not looking at their reflection compared to Woodman’s work. This could signify that Sherman’s work is implying that females are emotional and sensitive whereas Cahun’s work could imply that beauty does not control femininity. Another major difference is that Sherman’s work is that the subject has no clothes, in a sense this could imply vulnerability but also a strong sense of femininity.
some photo inspiration I found online, I looked for photos that where unique and presented my views on masculinity and how the line between masculinity and femininity doesn’t really exist.
The photoshoots I’ve decided:
different body parts mixed with traditional “male” items, I will montage them next to each other and have some in B&W – DONE
use reflections (i.e. a broken mirror), the reflection is self-conscious but the real life person is happy. – use the photo below as reference for the sad photo that will be in the mirror.
In these photoshoots, I took portraits of people, close ups of their face or body and I also took photos of objects belonging to them. The photographs I captured, will work well with the idea that I have in mind to present them.
Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome of the photos I produced. However, I would’ve liked to take more so that I had a variety to experiment with. I think the lighting used in some of them is much better than others, for example the photographs which used natural sunlight are slightly better than ones without. However, the photos taken in the studio are just as good because I was able to use proper studio lights and adjust the strength of the light and where it was.
On the top left, I pressed file and open and then selected one of the pictures that I wanted to use. I left the picture as it was and then pressed file and open and chose my second picture.
With the second picture, on the left side I selected the object selection tool and pressed on the photo, precisely the subjects face. It selected the subjects face and then I pressed on it again so that it showed a pink outline.
After, I right clicked on my mouse and pressed layer via copy. it created a copy of the subjects face whilst still keeping the picture the same.
I pressed the move tool on the left side of the screen on photoshop.
I grabbed the copy of the subjects cut out face and dragged it to the top of the screen where it showed the first tab I opened which was the one where it had my first picture. The cut out was transferred to my first picture and I placed the cut out on the desired place.
As I placed my cut out on the first picture, it created one layers, one layer for the cut out so overall I had two layers.
In each layer minus the first later, I put the opacity to 48% and fill to 83% which is on the right bottom side of the screen to create a ghost like texture to the one cut outs.
I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
Experiment 2:
Editing process:
I opened Adobe Lightroom.
I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and then selected in one of the picture, I decreased the exposure by -1.67, vibrancy by -100 and saturation -46, increased clarity by +37 and dehaze by +33
Then I did the same thing to the other two pictures.
After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
Experiment 3:
Editing process:
I opened Adobe Lightroom.
I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and then selected in one of the picture, I decreased the Temperature by -26
Then I did the same thing to the other two pictures.
After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the black and white (warm) adjustment.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
Experiment 4:
Editing process:
I opened Adobe photoshop
I pressed file and open and selected the three pictures I chose and positioned them the way I liked.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
Experiment 5:
Editing process:
On the left side the picture was edited like,
I opened Adobe Photoshop.
On the top left, I pressed file and open and then selected one of the pictures that I wanted to use. I left the picture as it was and then pressed file and open and chose my second picture.
With the second picture, on the left side I selected the object selection tool and pressed on the photo, precisely the subjects face. It selected the subjects face and then I pressed on it again so that it showed a pink outline.
After, I right clicked on my mouse and pressed layer via copy. it created a copy of the subjects face whilst still keeping the picture the same.
I pressed the move tool on the left side of the screen on photoshop.
I grabbed the copy of the subjects cut out face and dragged it to the top of the screen where it showed the first tab I opened which was the one where it had my first picture. The cut out was transferred to my first picture and I placed the cut out on the desired place.
As I placed my cut out on the first picture, it created one layer, one layer for the cut out so overall I had two layers.
In each layer minus the first later, I put the opacity to 48% and fill to 83% which is on the right bottom side of the screen to create a ghost like texture to the one cut outs.
I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
On the right side the picture was edited like,
I opened Adobe photoshop
I pressed file and open and selected another picture.
Then I grabbed the right and left picture and put it on another opened file in Photoshop and positioned them how I liked them.
I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
Experiment 6:
Editing process:
I opened Adobe Lightroom.
I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and I selected two pictures (left and right) and I decreased the temperature by-67, and then the last picture (middle picture) decreased the temperature by -37
After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.
For this second photoshoot, I wanted to try and bring in an aspect of masculinity which I lacked in the previous photoshoot. I did this by photographing a boy and using a blue coloured light (which is typically seen as a masculine colour). I got the model’s to face in different directions and use their hands to make each image slightly different and more interesting to look at. I also decided to mix both femininity and masculinity together by getting a boy to apply lip gloss to his lips which is typically seen as a feminine thing. Finally, I took some body shots of a girl model on a chair posing in different ways.
In order to edit my images I used Lightroom. I adjusted the highlights, shadows, whites and blacks of each image until I was left with a final image I was satisfied with.
My Final Images:
Overall, I like how this photoshoot came out. I think I managed to intertwine both femininity and masculinity into one picture successfully as I used a pink light for the boy model which is seen as a feminine colour, and then a blue light for the girl models which is seen as a masculine colour. I also like the dark backgrounds with the spotlights of colour as it gives it a cinematic like feel to the images.
I like the image where the model’s head is in her hands with a pink and blue spotlight shining behind her at each side, symbolising how some people may feel lost and feel like they don’t specifically fit into one category. Additionally, I like how the images of the boy applying lip gloss came out whilst having a pink light projected onto him as it embraces the idea of not having to fit into a specific category and that its alright to have feminine features/things whilst still being masculine.
Clare Rae is an artist works in Melbourne, Australia. She acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups on whose unceded lands she lives and works. She respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present.
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.
Clare Rae engages photography, stop motion animation and performance to navigate and defy the limitations of the everyday environments she inhabits. Her works explore tension, portraying situations that offer alternative spatial and psychological interactions between the artist and the possibilities that are held in her surrounds.
Clare Rae’s aim through her photography is to subvert the dominant ways that we depict women’s subjectivity by getting various women to pose in weird, unnatural poses that goes against the stereotype of women having to look good and act in a certain way. Her work is informed by feminist theory, and presents an alternate and often awkward experience of the female body.
Clare Rae Inspired Photoshoot:
For this photoshoot, I went around school and took pictures of Liv in various awkward poses. She wore a flowy dress as many of Clare Rae’s images include a women wearing a skirt or dress and I wanted to recreate her images as closely as possible. I think this photoshoot successfully captured her in a way that goes against the typical stereotype of women where they’re expected to look put together and act in a certain way.
One thing I would improve next time is the lighting as some of the images are very dark which makes it harder to see the model. This is the complete opposite to Clare Rae’s work as she has good, bright lighting. Additionally, Clare Rae’s image typically include a white background or backgrounds that have quite a lot of negative space. However, my backgrounds are quite cluttered which takes away the attention from the model.
For this photoshoot, I focussed on femininity and capturing feminine features like lips and curves. When taking my photographs, I placed one light source behind my model in order to create a dark background, which would ensure that the focus will remain on the model rather then the background. I then had a light source in front of the model which created a spotlight effect, portraying the idea that women constantly feel as if they are in the spotlight and have to worry about their body etc due to the unrealistic standards set upon them, making them feel badly about themselves because of it.
In this photoshoot, I took pictures of different women’s bodies from a side on angle, front and behind. I took some images where the bodies were hidden by the model’s arms and some where they weren’t (portraying the idea that women should feel proud of their body and show it off). I also took pictures of a girl’s lips whilst applying lipstick which is seen as a feminine thing. Finally, I took some images of hands which had designs on the fingernails and then a necklace, both of which are also seen as feminine.
In order to edit these images, I used Lightroom in which I adjusted the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, blacks and whites of each photograph.
Overall, I like how this photoshoot came out as I think I managed to successfully highlight feminine features eg nails, lips with lipstick being applied onto it and different body types, which is what I was trying to achieve. Through this photoshoot, I feel as if I was also able to portray the struggle that many women go through surrounding their bodies and constantly comparing themselves to others or feel like they must hide it (hence I took some pictures where the model was using her arms to cover her body). However, I also wanted to make my photoshoot positive too and so took pictures in which the models embraced their body and didn’t cover it from the camera, portraying the message of self love and confidence.
Claude Cahun was a French surrealist photographer, sculptor, and writer. She is best known today for her surreal self-portrait photographs which show her dressed as different characters. Cahun staged images of herself that challenged the idea of the politics of gender which can be seen throughout her work.
Surrealism is defined as a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.
During the early 1920s, Claude Cahun settled in Paris with her lifelong partner Suzanne Malherbe, who adopted the name Marcel Moore. However, the two became step-sisters in 1917 after Cahun’s divorced father and Moore’s widowed mother married, eight years after Cahun and Moore’s artistic and romantic partnership began. For the rest of their lives together, Cahun and Moore collaborated on various written works, sculptures, photomontages and collages.
In 1937 Cahun and Moore settled in Jersey. Following the fall of France and the German occupation of Jersey and the other Channel Islands, they became active as resistance workers and propagandists. The two were very against war, and worked extensively together to produce anti-German fliers. Cahun and Moore’s resistance efforts were not only political but artistic actions, using their creative talents to manipulate and undermine the authority which they despised. Cahun’s life’s work was focused on undermining a certain authority; however, their activism posed a threat to their physical safety. As in 1944 Cahun and Moore were arrested and sentenced to death. However, the sentence was never carried out as Jersey was liberated from German occupation in 1945. Sadly, Cahun’s health never recovered from her treatment in jail and she died in 1954. Much of her and Moore’s work was destroyed by the Nazis who requisitioned their home.
Claude Cahun was born as Lucy Schwob in Nantes, France to a wealthy Jewish family. But in her late teens and early twenties Cahun had been looking for a new, gender-neutral name. She fixed on the name Claude Cahun in 1918.
gender fluidity is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation.
Here is one of Claude Cahun’s most famous pieces of work:
In this image you can see Cahun being doubled by a mirrored reflection. She is seen wearing gender neutral clothing and short hair which goes against what a typical woman was thought to look like, highlighting the idea of her gender neutrality. Mirrors were traditionally used in art in order to expose two enticing views of a female subject or as a way to emphasise a woman’s vanity. However, instead of Cahun looking into the mirror, she instead looks at the camera potentially conveying the message that she is rejecting the stereotype of women being consumed by self admiration. This could also be a symbol of her uncertainty about her own identity at the time as she maybe didn’t feel like the person she saw in the mirror. Additionally, Cahun shows two different personalities through the mirrored version of her and the actual version of her. This can be seen in the mirrored version in which her neck is exposed whereas the actual her has her jacket covering her neck. This can relate back to the traditional view in which mirrors were used to get flattering views of women, maybe suggesting that the mirror is what society sees of women but the non mirrored her is how she feels about her identity and how she doesn’t fit into that traditional self absorbed mindset. These two personalities being displayed in one picture gives us an insight into the divide one may feel within themself regarding their identity and belonging. Overall, I like how this image has a deeper meaning then to what is initially let on, as at first glance, it just looks like a mirror is used to reflect a person but as you look closer and see the differences between the mirrored person and actual person, you get an insight into her life and society at that time.
Cindy Sherman:
Cindy Sherman was born in 1952 and is an American artist who’s work consists primarily of photographic self portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Sherman was always interested in experimenting with different identities and has continued to transform herself, displaying the diversity of human types and stereotypes in her images. Sherman works in series, typically photographing herself in a range of costumes. To create her photographs, Sherman shoots alone in her studio, assuming multiple roles as author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress, and model. Many of Sherman’s photo series, like the 1981 Centerfolds, call attention to stereotypes of women in society, films, television and magazines.
In Sherman’s Imitation of Life series of 2016 she poses in vintage costumes and theatrical makeup, as a variety of ageing actress-like women. Much of Cindy Sherman’s work is based around the concept of the male gaze, with many photographs of women being feminine and showing off their body or wearing revealing items of clothing. This also gives us an insight into society at the time who mainly saw women as pretty objects that were used in the film industry simply to look enticing and get more public attention, not actually playing an important role in the films.
In 1972, Sherman enrolled in the visual arts department at Buffalo State College where she began painting. During this time, she began to explore the ideas which became a hallmark of her work: She dressed herself as different characters, cobbled together from thrift-store clothing. However, frustrated with what she saw as the limitations of painting as a medium of art, she abandoned it and took up photography.
I think this photograph successfully captures the idea of Cindy Sherman referencing to the male gaze, as the model is seen in a towel which could be perceived as provocative as most of the model’s skin is showing. This photograph could also link to Claude Cahun as she described women at the time as being absorbed with their looks which is what this image is supporting the idea of. This image encapsulates the idea of a stereotypical woman in the 1950s who is embracing her femininity and womanhood as she is looking into the mirror instead of looking the other way as seen in Claude Cahun’s image.
Cindy Sherman Inspired photoshoot:
For this photoshoot, I was inspired by Cindy Sherman and the idea of photographing a stereotypical woman in the world today and how it compares with the women from the 1950s who she photographed. When I first thought of a stereotypical woman today, I thought of a girl on her phone as that is a prominent part of society in the 20th century. So, I decided to take photographs of different girls on their phone. I also wanted to recreate the feminine, girly photographs Cindy Sherman took of women and so I took images of a girl applying lipgloss which is seen as a feminine thing. I also used a pink light in these images in order to enhance the theme of femininity.
Overall, I like how this photoshoot came out as I think I managed to successfully capture a stereotypical woman in 2024 and get some images that are feminine, which is what I was trying to achieve. To finish this photoshoot off, I may try and recreate one of Cindy Sherman’s photographs from her collection called ‘This is how I look. I guess’ in photoshop as a final outcome.
For this photoshoot I used my first Idea from my mood board of photographing members of my family, their colleagues, as well as the animals around the farm. I have composed a documentative series of images of the working parts of the farm with examples being the kitchen, animals and machinery, furtherly I have represented the identities of business through photographing them in their usual places.
Best Images:
Image Ratings:
Green coloured:
These photos are rated 4 – 5 on the star rating, and are flagged meaning I believe they fit the right aesthetic I am looking for with my plan of creating a documentative series of images for my project on Masculinity, Femininity and Identity. These pictures consist a merge of portrait pictures as well as some environmental portraits.
Yellow coloured:
These Images are a mix-match of images of either images I may possibly use or scrap depending on if I want them.
Red coloured:
These images did not fit the aesthetic because they where either blurry, poorly taken or not what I had in mind when I saw the results.
Conclusion
In the next blog post I will make edits to these images for my project with Masculinity, Femininity and Identity.
