Clare Rae is an extraordinary artist that was born in 1981 in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)
In her art, Clare often explore the ideas of gesture and performance to challenge and subvert dominant modes of representation. Her work is heavily influenced by the awkward experience of subjectivity and the female body, usually her tends to relate to her personally.
Her recent projects have shown this engaging act with the site of the photoshoot. Her camera often acts as a collaborator, that than a ‘mute’ witness, to the performer.
Due to her being so engaged in domestic and institutional spaces, Clare’s work has been seen and exhibited in locations like the Australian centre for contemporary art, national gallery of Victoria, Monash university, the Abbotsford Convent, Sutton Project Space and the Substation, Melbourne.
In 2020 Clare began a PhD at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.
She managed to complete a master of arts by research in 2014 at the Monash University where she earlier received a first class honours in fine art 2009 at RMIT University.
Her work is both held in public and private collections, nationally. These include, Art bank, The National Gallery of Victoria, Monash University, RMIT University.
Clare is a founding member of LAST collective:
Individual Exhibition she has done:
2018 Entre Nous CCA Galleries Jersey UK Entre Nous Centre for Contemporary Photography AUS 2015 20+9+5 Sutton Project Space Melbourne 2014 Recent work Beam Contemporary, Melbourne 2013 Interact Sydney Contemporary Art Fair 2012 VIDEOS Beam Contemporary, Melbourne 2011 Light Weight Beam Contemporary, Melbourne 2010 Testing Beam Contemporary, Melbourne 2009 Climbing the Walls and Other Actions Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne The Chase Blindside ARI, Melbourne Rise and Fall Bus Gallery, Melbourne 2008 Desire and the Other SEVENTH Gallery, Fitzroy
This is my virtual gallery and I put my favourite images in it. I chose these specific images because they are the ones I experimented most with and I love how they turned out. They are all unique and different but they all match the theme of femininity and Marilyn Monroe which I’m really proud of.
The image in the centre is the one that stands out the most and it immediately catches your eye as it is vibrant and colourful. I ended up putting two landscape images next to it as they are a bit longer than the others so they wouldn’t have fit along the outside walls. I like how the images are even moving out from the centre image it makes it look more professional but also pleasing to the eye. The images on the outer sides of the gallery are both of the back of the head. One is in colour and the other is in black and white this contrasts to the photos next to them where the photo on the far left is in colour while the image next to it is in black and white, and it is the same on the other side but it reverse. I liked how this looked because it didn’t look too even yet it looked good.
I personally prefer this image in colour as it shows my editing to make it look more vintage using warm tones so it looks more like Cameron’s work as well. However I am going to experiment by putting my image in black and white so it resembles Sherman’s famous image.
Similarities and differences
In Cindy’s work she is standing in a towel which ultimately looks very feminine and vulnerable which is typically a feminine stereotype. However, as seen the subject has her arm up with her fingers which gives off a elegant and gentle look to the image meaning viewing herself in the mirror with draw catching eyes. This is similar to my work as the subject in the mirror has her arm up however holding a prop which could link to Sherman’s work. Another contrast is how Sherman is in a w towel which is a large factor to the image whereas the subject in my image is wearing black which would make the viewer look more at the face rather than the body as the background is black. A major difference is my subject in my image is not a full body shot whereas Sherman’s work is. Sherman’s work also contains depth in the shadows of her image where as mine does not as it is through a mirror completely. Lastly the subject in Sherman’s image is looking through the reflection same as my image however not looking into the camera through it. Whereas, my image the subject is looking through the camera giving more a seductive and confident look.
Julia Margaret Cameron
Cameron’s image
My image
Similarities and differences
A major eye catching similarity is the lighting. Within my image I used Chiaroscuro lighting to emphasize the beauty of femininity. This relates to Marilyn Monroe as a character as my inspiration. Cameron’s image has a soft focus in the centre and high exposure on the right side of the subjects face however that is what she was known for and was good at. We both used a black background to blend in other features which could make it look mysterious as without a background the image cannot say a lot. I edited my image to make it look vintage and sort of a rusty colour which I executed through using warm tones and a warm feathered boarder which Cameron successfully did too.
These are the photos from my Cindy Sherman inspired photoshoot that I have chosen and edited to be my final images:
My photos contrasted with Cindy Sherman’s photos:
Evaluation:
For this photoshoot, I decided to photograph my mother at her barber shop, and also wearing a barber apron. I chose this location with inspiration from Cindy Sherman because of how she challenged stereotypes of women being portrayed in media and films from the 50s and 60s, and I feel that this could be a more modern representation of a woman working and owning a business in a field of work which is usually more male dominated.
Critique: I feel like my planning for this photoshoot helped me understand the overall composition and staging in Sherman’s photos, and I was able to take inspiration from those. Deciding to take these photographs of my mother in her barber shop allowed me to tell a story through them, like Sherman did with her Untitled Film Stills. In my photos, both natural and artificial light was used, which I paid attention to and adjusted my settings accordingly for the different locations in and outside the building. However, In my contact sheets, I noticed some of my photos were underexposed, which I had to correct during editing by increasing the exposure or applying a mask on the subject’s face and then increasing the exposure or brightness.
Femininity and masculinity would be considered a small part of binary opposites which is quite a broad topic so you have smaller subjects/topics like femininity vs masculinity, black vs white, peace vs war etc…
Identity can be quite a political topic especially now since more people are starting to speak about inequalities they face due to their identity. You have lots of people who will be in support of equality for everyone no matter who they are. However you will still have some people who wont agree and will discriminate due to race, gender, social class etc…
There have been many movements in the past to fight for more equality such as suffragettes movement, black lives matter protest, civil rights movement, pride parades and many others.
Femininity– “qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls.”
Historically society have given women these role such as being a mother (which most may be however that does not define them) and someone who should do all the cooking, cleaning and taking care of the house and family while her husband is out
Society also seems to have quite high expectations of women and how they should be feminine by always looking perfect with their hair done, makeup on, nails done. Often women are looked down on when they aren’t “perfect”.
Now more then other women are trying to defy these stereotypical thoughts and ideas about what it means to be feminine. It was always quite a masculine trait to be brave, powerful and strong but more women are now saying that being strong can be feminine too.
Masculinity– “referring to the roles, behaviours and attributes that are considered appropriate for boys and men”
While women were said to be at home men were quite the opposite they were said to be the ones that had to go out to work everyday to earn money for their home and family. They were said to be taking care of their family financially.
As a society we have kind of told men they have to be tough, they cant be vulnerable and emotional they have to be strong for their family. It was quite common for people to tell men that they cant cry and to get over their problems they were facing.
Recently now as a society we have been trying to stop these damaging stereotypes as they hold no purpose and just isolate people. Its now although not mainstream it is more common to see a man wear makeup. Its now more alright for men to get upset and need support too.
How the war effected gender roles– A big defiance against these gender roles/rules were the war, this is because when the men went off to the war it meant there was no one to do the “man” jobs therefore the women had to start doing those jobs which showed everyone that they are just as capable as men. Not only did they start doing men’s jobs but they also had to carry ion with their original jobs like cooking and looking after the kids so it really proved to everyone how strong and capable women actually are.
Here are 4 of my headshot images presented in a gallery, they are set in a group of 4 all with different colours.
For this presentation I have decided to use two of my final edits and put them side by side in a gallery one has lots of colour while the other edit has more natural light and colour.
For all my photoshoots I have selected my best images that have been edited in Lightroom or photoshop and placed them inside a virtual (Artsteps) gallery.
Femininity and Masculinity
Evaluation and Critique
In this photoshoot I had experimented with the theme of masculinity, femininity as well as identity. I was very inspired by Claude Cahun and her style of work so I incorporated ideas from her own photoshoots into my work, for example, using a mirror to create a double portrait as well as bold makeup and outfits. I also wanted to keep some colour in a few of my photos because I like how Tsoku Maela incorporated it into his own work and how he used it to complement his subject’s skin tones as well as the other bright colours he has used .
I had used black and white filters in the majority of my second photoshoot to show more contrast with the colours in the image, especially the red makeup and hair.
The meaning I wanted to capture in my first photoshoot was that in modern society it is more accepted for young people to be more feminine, masculine or other, and identify as what they feel like without as much discrimination as past generations. However, I wanted to include sad expressions to show that despite society being more accepting, there is still hatred against trans people and identity. I also wanted to covey the idea of people still having an unclear identity so I have edited various images to have a blur-like affect mainly on the subject’s face.
In my second photoshoot I wanted to focus more on femininity. I included various elements of Claude Cahun’s style into it to show my interest and inspiration for my photoshoot.
I had used more sad expressions and objects, such as a gate, to convey the struggles of women and the role of femininity. The poses, which were inspired by both Claude Cahun and Tsoku Maela, I had used in my photos were also used to show this idea, including the idea of the male gaze.
I’ve experimented with using a piece of paper with a question mark drawn on it to suggest that femininity is still being questioned, however I felt like it made the meaning too obvious so I did not use it in the majority of my images.
I like how the majority of my images have turned out especially the black and white contrast affect on my second photoshoot and the blur affects I had experimented with on photoshop.
Next time I should aim to take a third photoshoot exploring masculinity and more identity. I should also try to improve on my lighting skills and make sure my images have an equal white balance.
Along with the virtual gallery, I have also created various mock ups of how I’d like to present my final images. I’ve experimented with various layouts and how I might mount them onto foam boards/card.
Below are some ideas that I have for presenting my photos.
Environmental Portraiture
Evaluation and Critique
In this photoshoot I had aimed to take a couple photographs of people in their natural everyday environment. I had managed to take pictures of a person metal detecting and my own mum doing tasks/hobbies that they regularly do.
In my first photoshoot I like how the flash of the camera captures the glass jug, that my mum is holding, and makes it look quite shiny. I also like the pattern on her trousers because it makes the image more interesting
In my second photoshoot with the metal detector I really like the contrast of his red jacket against the background, I also like how his tools take up some of the photo making it look not as empty.
Next time I need to take more photos with a bigger variety of poses or angles. I also need to make sure my exposure is balanced especially when using the flash on the camera.
Lighting Techniques
Evaluation and Critique
In this photoshoot I had worked on using different lighting techniques, Rembrandt, Butterfly and Chiaroscuro. I had taken photos at different angles, as well as a lower exposure, to try and capture the shadows that correspond to the lighting techniques.
I like how I’ve edited my photos to be brighter and colourful, but I also like the simplistic black and white images. I might use the format in the first screenshot for my images as I like the contrast of the bold yellow and green colours against the black and white image in the middle.
I should experiment more with different poses and take more photos of Chiaroscuro lighting. I also should use colour gels to add colour into the photos. I need to make sure when doing Chiaroscuro lighting to set the lighting up correctly.
These are two of my strongest photos from Femininity because they show very feminine stereotypes and the image where the headphones are on shows what women have to hear about themselves and the negative things that people say about them.
Head Shots Virtual Gallery
These three Headshots I chose to put on the Virtual Gallery because they are connected together and are a series of photos to be displayed together. The colour on the background of these images outlines the head on the figure making the shadow stand out on the image.
Here I had the idea of combining the two genders into one photo, I made a collage of all my photos I took inspired by Cindy Sherman, I simply added all the photos to a blank piece of paper and removed the background of each of the photos to combine them as one, after I duplicated the collage and placed it side by side from the other one, I then placed two photos I took of boys and placed on top also removing the background. I left the pictures of the boys in colour as it helps to make both the collage and the singular photos of the boys stand out.
Here I am putting 4 of the best masculinity photos onto a blank A4 sheet, and cropped them so they fit each of the sheet correctly. I kept the photos in black and white as I believe it makes the photo look more detailed and interesting, it also looks a lot better as there aren’t different colours all over the page.
I wanted to keep this idea quite simple so that I don’t have too many photos with so much detail that it becomes too much, I really like how simple this one is and used two models to make it look more detailed. To make it look better I could have added a picture of a boy and a girl to show the difference in how each person stands however I like to show them off separately and not compare them.
In these photos I used a black background which does make the models features stand out a lot better, however I did also use the flash light when talking the pictures which did also influence on how the models features did show, it helped brighten them up and make them look more vibrant.
If i wanted to make it look better i could have also left two of the photos in colour and two of the photos in black and white to show a controversial look.
For this photoshop idea, I thought that overlapping the photo would make the photo look very unusual. To do this I had to layer the photos on top of each other, however I did make one of the photos bigger than the other one to make it stand out from the original photo, the reason I made this photo black and white was because the photo was taken in inspiration of Cindy Sherman where she used to take self portraits of herself to show and symbolise women’s lives back in the day.
I do really like how the bigger layer is a lot lighter than the bottom layer, it helps to see the models facial features a lot better, the idea of this photo was to show how women were treated horribly and never had any freedom, they did what they were told and that was it, they weren’t allowed to fight back and say anything as their opinion didn’t matter.
This photoshop idea almost creates an illusion, almost as if the models emotions are coming out, as they are crying, it sort of looks like their minds are slowly leaving, helping release the tears but also helping them put all their pain in the past, all behind them, it could also represent that their inner child is healing them, they are letting go of the pain while their inner child is talking to them reminding them that everything will be alright even if they only have themselves.
For this photo I used a similar concept but changed the different type of overlay. I used a pin light overlay to make it look quit dark and almost adds an orange effect to the photo. I really like how both of these turned out even if its a simple process to do to get this type of edit, it still looks quite interesting how the different colours cross over each other. For one of the photos I used a picture where you couldn’t see their face to make it look more mysterious and strange.
For this photo I kept it quite simple, by making it black and white, this photo was also inspired by Cindy Sherman. I really like this phot as it isn’t too detailed but still has enough to capture the eye. I didn’t want to make all of my final pieces to edited and wanted to keep a few simple pieces to show that I have taken some good photos with good lighting. To get this black and white effect I pressed (ctrl u) and also I positioned the saturation to -100 and the lightness to around +8, this added a slight gradient look.
This is my favourite image I created for this whole photoshoot as I think its really creative and different. I chose to add the inspiration, Marilyn Monroe to my edit because I love the way she matches my image. I love the way I have presented my own image with a lot of other images of Marilyn Monroe, the inspiration of my whole femininity theme.
