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.

For this final edit I decided to use a range of different images from my femininity photoshoot which I felt represented women as a whole, these images tell a story of a pretty, young girl listening to music and putting on lip-gloss which is what stereotypically happens in todays world. The colours of the image are bright and could be seen as calming colours, this could be related to the fact that women are known to be timid, and usually quiet whereas men are seen to be rowdy and loud.

In this edit I played around with different effects and I decided to merge these two images to create a almost side by side of two in motion images that were taken one after the other.

For this edit I merged two separate models and changed the image into black and white, the blur effect gives a feeling of women being stereotypically the same whereas they are in fact very different as you can tell there are two different female models within this one image.

For this image I used two images one to be the main subject and the other image I copied and pasted either side of the main middle image whilst also blurring the images to create a unique effect to the edit. I chose the colour green as that is a relaxed colour and really helped bring out the models figure in the image against the dark background.

For this edit I chose two action shot images which were taken seconds apart from each other and decided to layer them creating the effect where you are able to see that the model was moving meanwhile I was taking the images.

For this edit I chose 3 completely different images and overlapped all three to create a merged image with various different focus points, this edit had a few different shades o red/orange and even a bit of pink it created a nice contrast within the edit.

Here I took the same photo and overlapped and copied the image 4 times this made a cool overlapping effect and created areas of darker green with some areas being lighter.

Headshot Final Edits :

⬆ For my first photo I edited I started by cropping it, so the subject was more centred and enhanced the blue by adjusting the colour levels and vibrancy and I also got rid of the blue glow, in the background, on the left behind the arm as the photo looked better without it.

⬆ For my next photo I started off by cropping it to make the subject more in centre and removed any marks with the spot remover tool. Afterwards I wanted to experiment by having my photo in black and white, I liked it but I thought the back and white could be better, so I went through all the options until I found one I really liked.

⬆ I edited the photo above in the same way I did with the previous photo I edited, so I can decide which one to use when I finalise my photos and because I wanted to see how this photo would work in black and white and I think it works well.

⬆ The photo above didn’t need much editing so I only cropped it and slightly adjusted the temperature, exposure and contrast. Which I personally think the photo looks better now as it only need small adjustments and nothing much more than that.

⬆ For this photo I wanted to edit it so stood out especially when it came to colour. I spent ages adjusting the colour levels, shadows, contrast, vibrancy and saturation until I found the perfect balance. What I like about the edited photo is the colours seem more stronger and powerful also the image feels more clearer than in the unedited photo.

The two artists that interested me especially in Masculinity & Femininity are Francesca Woodman and Shannon O’Donnell. I found them both extremely interesting people, however I think the reason why I like these artists is because their work is about the fluidity of identity and puts pressure on the stereotypes that are within masculinity and femininity. On the other hand, another artist I looked at was Cindy Sherman who explores these stereotypical roles and views of women which was something else I also wanted to represent.

Shannon O’Donnell

These were inspired by Shannon O’Donnell’s work – That’s Not The Way The River Flows. These are the images I wanted to use:

I put my images into black and white and got my subject into positions similar to O’Donnell’s. Similarly to her, I wanted to conceal the gender identity of my subject so I incorporated different parts of masculine and feminine stereotypical characteristics. For example, the first image is of a hand with an oversized plaid blazer yet the subject has long nails. In the second, my subject is dressed with large masculine shoes and a tie however they are also wearing jewellery with long nails. One hand has painted nails however the other is unpainted with a watch. In the last, I wanted to incorporate a more feminine aspect, so using the blazer to keep a slight sense of traditional masculinity, the subjects hand rests on a group of flowers with painted nails and a ring.

Comparisons and contrasts:

I think that these three images from my photoshoot shows a clear correlation to Shannon O’Donnell’s work because it joins the stereotypes of men and women onto one person which hides their gender identity. This shows how these masculine and feminine attributes can apply to anyone regardless of gender. As well as this, I feel that the images I produced look very similar to hers because they zoom in on certain areas of the body instead of an entire person.

In Shannon O’Donnell’s work she tends to use a plain one-toned background. In my first image I tried to replicate this however in the second one there is objects in the background such as a table, partially some flowers and the floor which adds more context for the viewer e.g. it is a home environment. Also, in the third image I have used some flowers coming up from the bottom left as I felt that this adds a more intricate design behind the image alongside a feminine touch.

Francesca Woodman:

I inspired a photoshoot by Francesca Woodman’s series of self-portraits. This was my favourite image:

For this image I used a slow shutter speed to recreate that effect on the head that Francesca Woodman used in her work so that it gives the viewer a sense of displacement. This applies well in gender identity as this can represent the struggles of growing up in a strongly gendered society. I put the image into black and white, not only from inspiration from both my artists but because I feel the light background causes the viewer to become drawn to the subject as she is dressed in darker clothes.

Comparisons and contrasts:

I think that this image shows a clear correlation with Woodman’s work because of my use of a slow shutter speed as that is what she does by turning away to the left.

In her work she tends to completely conceal the face from the camera with motion blur however, whilst I have captured this in my image, I have still managed to capture my subject’s eyes looking through. If I had turned down the shutter speed even more I would’ve gotten the same outcome, but I really like the way this gives a ghostly feel to the image, making it mysterious and unnerving. Although there is a plain background in my image, I feel that this hidden stare makes up for it as it adds that unnerving feel that Francesca Woodman’s backgrounds give.

Cindy Sherman:

My images:

Comparisons and contrasts:

Cindy Sherman in her work of ‘Untitled Film Stills’ acted in different personas of stereotypical women in the 1950s/1960s. However, in my work I have tried to represent the stereotypes of women in the modern day and the culture around it, especially with teenage girls instead of the traditional roles. In the 1950s and 1960s women were seen to be housewives however in the society we have now, the idea is that women are infatuated with how they look and become overly obsessed with this.

I am very happy with how my artist references turned out as I feel that they really inspired me.

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun experimented with stereotypes and gender fluidity, so in my photoshoots, I decided to experiment with different male and female stereotypes, while also going against them, by getting a female to look more masculine and present a male stereotype (vise versa), just like Cahun did.

In this photo of Cahun she is a female, but she made herself look more masculine, by having her hair short and standing in a more masculine way. In my photo, I also made a female model look more masculine by having her wear a male coat with the hood up, so her long hair could not be seen. I also told her to stand more masculine and look tough. However, I also used coloured lighting to make her look more masculine, because the colour blue is stereotypically associated with males, even though Cahun didn’t.

I then attempted to create more photographs of my female models looking more masculine.

Cahun, a female, made herself look more masculine here by using a prop weight. This makes her look more masculine, because males are stereotypically seen as stronger. In my image on the right I didn’t go against the stereotype like Cahun did, because I used a male to represent the male stereotype that males are strong and tough. I did this, because I wanted to show that both men and women can be tough, when I placed them side by side.

However, Cahun did not have any male models represent female models to go against stereotypes, because she took images of herself (a female), so I decided to try and have a male model represent a female stereotype. I used lighting and my models facial expression to have him represent a female stereotype, which is that pink represents females. However, in this photo I also had the model going against a male stereotype, which is that men are aggressive. I used the pink/red lighting to help me do this, and his happy facial expression.

Cahun also experimented with gender fluidity a lot, so I decided to experiment with that aswell. I used blue and pink lighting to represent this in the studio, because the colours both represent either masculinity or femininity, so when I put them together they represent both.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman also experimented with different stereotypes, but she also dressed up as these different characters, so in my photoshoots I didn’t just experiment with stereotypes, I also dressed my models up in different outfits, so that I could recreate Cindy Sherman’s technique, but in a different way. She dressed up as different feminine stereotypes, but because I had already taken lots of stereotypical photos, I wanted to show how femininity changes and alters through time, by dressing models up in different decade themes outfits.

I chose to use the same technique as Cindy Sherman for this photoshoot, because I also decided to dress up my models as different characters, just as Sherman did. However, she did it to represent different female stereotypes, but I did it to show how femininity changed through time. I did this, because I already had lots of stereotype based photographs.

However, I did also explore some of the same stereotypes that Cindy Sherman did, like women are too emotional. I decided to recreate the same image of a female crying to show this. I also then made a black and white copy of this photo, because black and white can represent feelings of sadness. Cindy Sherman also created a black and white image.

I then also decided to present this stereotype in a different way. I had my model look into the mirror and act upset/ emotional.

Then, I experimented with another stereotype that Cindy Sherman experimented with, which was that women should be housewives. However, I experimented with this in a different way. I used a broom as a prop to show that women should clean the house, but Sherman used items that are found in the kitchen as props, as she was presenting the stereotype that women should cook. These are both stereotypical jobs of a housewife.

Cindy Sherman used nature (trees), to present femininity, so I took influence from her and her photographs and did the same thing. I had my model stand at the tree and hold onto it and Sherman sat on a tree and stood in front of it. Then, I experimented with other elements of nature (flowers) to present femininity.

Sherman also experimented with mirrors, when portraying femininity, so I took influence and decided to do the same.

In Sherman’s photo her model looks upset, so I recreated it with an image of my model looking in the mirror upset. However, I also think she looks insecure and that is why she has so much make up on. This presents two stereotypes of females, which is that they should wear makeup and that they are insecure. I decided to experiment with these two stereotypes using mirrors, just as Sherman has done.

These two images show my models looking insecure, just like Sherman’s photo does. I also experimented with my model looking in the mirror while applying makeup, because her model had lots of makeup on.

Cahun and Sherman

In this photo I experimented with ‘selfies’, because both Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman took photos of themselves.

Conclusion

in conclusion, I think I’ve recreated or taken inspiration from these photos and it has come out well and presented the same idea. I also like how I haven’t directly copied my chosen artists, but I have taken ideas from them, but executed it in my own way.

Photoshoot 1

For this photoshoot I explored the theme of femininity, experimenting with different feminine poses and expressions. I took pictures of my sister while she was getting ready to go out, as this overall created some really interesting and unique sets of images. I wanted to get images of the subject looking into the mirror as I thought this was a really interesting concept to experiment with as I could capture from different angles, as she was applying her lipstick or styling her hair. It creates this unique feminine look which is what I wanted to achieve. I didn’t use a main source of lighting, as I preferred the room to be slightly lit up, which overall helped to achieve the dark effect with the subject lit up.

I wanted to make the portraits engaging and interesting, so posing in particular feminine ways and holding lipstick or perfume, makes the portrait a lot more interesting.

Contact Sheet:

Final Images:

These photos are my final outcomes as they

All edits :

These images were taken from my second femininity photoshoot, for these edits I decided to add some colour to the images and enhanced the saturation and brightness to create more of a focus on the model with a dark background.

For these two edits I decided to add a slight blue tint to create a bit of a different look to the images rather then just the basic studio lighting and plain black background, the tint seems to bring out the model slightly more as the colour draws your attention to her.

Again for these edits I decided to add slight tints and colours to change up the images slightly and create more of a bright and outgoing look to the images this could represent the energy and outgoingness that women tend to have.

For my other femininity shoot I experimented with the same image using different colours to create a colourful edit.

Femininity and masculinity

In this photoshoot I experimented with different outfits/ costumes, so I could represent women through time. This links to the theme femininity, because it shows how feminine standards evolve and change through time. This photoshoot took place outside the studio, outside school. I experimented with different poses and angles, as well as props in this photoshoot, so I could really present the changes women have gone through.

I have chose to take photographs of my models in different outfits from the years below:

1920’s:

1930’s:

1960’s:

1970’s:

1990’s:

2000’s:

I chose these decades, because the 1930’s is very similar to the 1940’s and the 1950’s. I have chose the decades 1960-2000, because this is where I see the most change in the feminine standards through time.

I have chosen to do this photoshoot, because I have been influenced by Cindy Sherman as she also dressed up in different costumes/ characters to present the theme of femininity.

The images that I have highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they represent the different decades the best, and have the best focus and composition.

1920

These images represent femininity in the 1920’s, because women back then would wear unique headdresses or hair accessories, which I have tried to replicate, by having my model dress up in similar head accessories.

I edited these images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights, whites, blacks and saturation. I did this, so the photo would have better lighting.

Then, I made virtual copies of these images and created black and white versions of each one, because I wanted my photos to be more authentic, as all photos were in black and white in that era.

1930’s

This images represent 1930’s femininity, because the standards then were long clothing that covered the body. This image represents that, because my model has on a long fur coat, which covers her up.

I edited these images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting.

I also made virtual copies of my photos, so I could create a black and white version, so they would be more authentic, because all photos were still in black and white at this time.

1960’s

these images represent 1960’s femininity, because they wore jeans and tops that were long enough to cover their stomach. The feminine standard was still very respectful, but much more casual.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting.

1970’s

My model is now dressed up in an outfit that represents femininity in the 70’s. The feminine standards had changed and females would now wear more colourful clothing and they did not have to cover up as much.

I edited this photo by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this so the brightly coloured accessories would stand out more and be more vibrant and also to make the lighting better.

1990’s

The feminine standards had now changed a lot and females could now wear more revealing clothing, like crop tops.

I edited this photo by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights, blacks and saturation, so that the lighting would be better.

2000’s

The feminine standards were now much different from the 1920’s. Women could now wear more revealing clothing, like low rise trousers, with smaller crop tops.

I edited this photo by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows and whites, while decreasing the highlights, blacks and vibrancy. I did this to improve the lighting.

These images relate to the theme of femininity, because they show a timeline from 1920-2000 of how femininity has altered through time. It also shows that their is not just one definition of femininity, because it is constantly changing, and societies demands are also constantly changing.

Photoshoot Conclusion

In conclusion, I think the outfits in this photoshoot was a good idea, because I can now compare this photoshoot to Cindy Sherman’s photos of her as different characters. I also think I portrayed femininity throughout time well, because the outfits were realistic compared to the actually outfits they wore. However, next time I would find a better place to take the photos, so the lighting was the better and so the background of the images were better. I would also experiment with the camera settings, so all the images were more in focus.