Photoshoots

This is my first photoshoot, I went around the skatepark and kiosk and corbiere to take photos, of reality of teenage life, and the depressed side and also sexism and sexual harassment towards women. these photoshoots are mainly my mirrors photos.

I then went through and selected which images I wanted to keep and which I wanted to get rid of.

I was left with 109 photos.

I then took a few mope photos in the studio, but struggled with lighting.

Independent Study- Essay Question: How can photographs be both Mirrors and Windows of the world?

Reflecting on the origin of photography, the practice of it has been evolving for many hundreds of years through the first use of the Daguerreotype in the 1840s-50s(gaining widespread popularity, particularly for portraiture), to the use of Calotypes invented in 1841.

According to John Szarkowski, photography can be viewed as either a mirror or a window. A mirror reflects reality as it is, while a window offers a view into another world or perspective. Daguerreotypes can be seen as mirrors, capturing a detailed reflection of reality, while Calotypes function more as windows, inviting viewers to explore and interpret the image beyond mere representation.

Both processes use much of the same equipment though a daguerreotype is a sharply detailed image preserved on a copper plate. In contrast, a calotype is a negative image developed on paper. Apart from that Photography has gone through many changes such as the evolution of Heliography to Daggurretypes to Calotypes to the first permanent photography being taken “View from the Window at Le Gras” to the first Kodak camera being invented in 1888.

One quote from John Szarkowski that stands out is: “It can be argued that the alternative is illusory, that ultimately all art is concerned with self-expression. If so, the illusion of this alternative is no less important, and its character
perhaps defines the difference between the romantic and the realist visions of artistic possibility. The distinction may be expressed in terms of alternative views of the artistic function of the exterior world. The romantic view is that the meanings of the world are dependent on our own understandings. The field mouse, the skylark, the sky itself, do not earn their meanings out of their own evolutionary history, but are meaningful in terms of the anthropocentric metaphors that we assign to them
”.

I agree with this idea; he tells us that some art seeks to show the world as it is, while other pieces of art are reflections of what the artist feels and thinks about the world.. Through both processes, photography not only documents reality but also enhances our understanding and perception of it. Even though these perceptions can blur, the opposition between seeing the world and seeing it how we interpret it gives us distinct artistic experiences.

Photography can serve as a means for reflection and self-expression. The mirror metaphor emphasizes the “subjective nature” of photography, where the image becomes a reflection of the photographer’s emotions, beliefs, and worldview. Photographs taken in this mode often reveal more about the individual behind the camera than the subject in front of it. This is particularly relevant in portraiture or self-portraiture, where the photographer uses the medium to explore identity, memory, and personal history.

The act of photographing can be deeply personal, allowing the photographer to project their inner thoughts or emotions onto the image. This idea is supported by theorists such as Roland Barthes, who, in Camera Lucida, writes about the notion of the “punctum”(a detail in a photograph that speaks directly to the viewer’s personal experience, triggering emotion or memory). For him, a photograph can reflect an individual’s subjective reality, a private connection that mirrors their world.

Moreover, photographers such as Cindy Sherman have used the camera as a tool to explore identity by creating highly stylized self-portraits that challenge societal norms and question the nature of identity itself. Her work in her Untitled Film Stills series reflects how photography can mirror societal expectations while simultaneously critiquing them. In this sense, photography as a mirror offers a way to interrogate identity, revealing as much about the photographer’s internal world as the subject being captured.

The image presents a subjective and staged approach to image-making, embodying what John describes as the mirror in photography rather than depicting reality. In the image itself, Cindy presents a female character that seems to be drawn from a 1950s dark film, placing herself within a carefully composed scene that hints at a bigger story behind it. The vagueness in the image is a critical aspect of Sherman’s work which often relies on staged elements to explore themes such as identity, gender, and media stereotypes. The photo is less about the subject e.g. the woman in the scene but more about Cindy Sherman’s exploration of how identity can be both constructed and deconstructed through visual symbols.

Szarkowski’s Mirrors and Windows supports this interpretation, as he says, “The romantic view is that the meanings of the world are dependent on our understandings.” This quote aligns with Cindy’s work as her images are constructed with her subjective vision which is shaped by the cultural/ societal expectations she explores. Her work invites viewers to consider how these “meanings” are imposed upon the image through a culturally constructed lens which can embody John’s concept of the mirror by reflecting society’s inner psychological landscape rather than an “objective” truth about the character she portrays.

Jed Perl argues that while Sherman’s images are captivating they also risk becoming “staged impersonations” that sometimes can lack the depth of genuine self-reflection. He suggests that such work can sometimes feel like performative constructions rather than genuine mirrors of the artist’s psyche. This critique introduces a layer of tension within Cindy Sherman’s approach that questions whether her work captures self-expression or simply recreates surface-level models

Overall, the image illustrates Szarkowski’s notion of the mirror. Yet as Perl’s critique suggests Sherman’s staged approach raises questions about authenticity and whether her images fully achieve the “self-expression” John envisions. This debate enriches the interpretation of Sherman’s work which emphasizes the complexities within staged photography as both personal expression and social commentary.


On the other hand, photography can act as a window into the world, by providing an objective or semi-objective view of the external reality. In this example, photography is seen as a tool for documentation and observation, allowing viewers to witness events, places, or moments they might never personally experience. The window metaphor can highlight the transparent nature of photography where the camera becomes a medium through which the viewer can access the world beyond their immediate surroundings.

The origins of photography are deeply tied to its use as a window. Early photographers like Mathew Brady, who documented the American Civil War used the medium to capture historical moments with an eye toward objectivity. These photos served as windows into the reality of war, which offered viewers a direct glimpse into a brutal and chaotic world. This function of photography as a window persists in photojournalism/ documentary photography where the aim is to capture reality as truthfully and as authentic as possible.

According to John photographs that function as windows allow viewers to look beyond their personal experience and into the lives of others, which fosters a sense of empathy and understanding. Documentary photographers like Dorothea Lange, who captured the struggle of migrant workers during the Great Depression, used their cameras as windows to reveal societal issues and human suffering, hoping to inspire social change through the power of visual storytelling.

Additionally, photography as a window extends to the exploration of the natural world and landscapes. The works of photographers like Ansel Adams depict vast, majestic scenes of nature that offer a window into the sublime beauty of the world. These images provide viewers with access to places they may never visit, acting as visual windows that transport them to new environments and experiences.


While photography can function as either a mirror or a window, many images blur the line between the two, serving as both a reflection of the photographer’s perspective and a view of the external world. The very act of taking a photograph involves a blend of subjectivity and objectivity. Even in documentary or journalistic photography, where the aim is to capture an objective reality, the photographer’s choices—what to include in the frame, when to take the shot, and how to present the image—introduce a level of personal interpretation.

Street photography, for example, often embodies this tension between mirror and window. The photographer captures candid moments in public spaces, offering a window into everyday life. Yet, at the same time, the choice of subject, angle, and framing reflects the photographer’s unique vision and interpretation of the scene, turning the photograph into a mirror of their worldview. The work of photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson demonstrates this balance, where the “decisive moment” captures reality while also conveying the photographer’s sense of timing, composition, and emotion.

Furthermore, in contemporary art photography, many images intentionally play with the concepts of mirrors and windows, inviting viewers to question the boundaries between reality and representation. Andreas Gursky’s large-scale photographs, for instance, offer expansive views of urban and industrial landscapes, functioning as windows into the complexity of modern life. However, his manipulation of the images—through digital editing—challenges the idea of photography as a transparent window, instead turning the image into a reflection of how we perceive and construct reality in the digital age.


In conclusion, photography can be understood as both a mirror and a window, offering reflections of the photographer’s subjective reality while simultaneously providing views into the external world. The distinction between these two roles is not always clear-cut, and many photographs function as both—revealing personal perspectives while documenting the world in a way that invites interpretation and engagement. Theoretical approaches by figures such as Barthes, Szarkowski, and others highlight the complexity of photography’s relationship to truth, identity, and representation. As both a mirror and a window, photography remains a powerful medium for exploring the self and the world, constantly negotiating the boundaries between reality and perception.

Essay: How can photographs be both ‘mirrors’ and ‘windows’ of the world?

Every photograph has an implication. Whether it is to express an emotion, or to demonstrate a beautiful landscape, a photo is taken by a photographer with the intention of showing people something. However, according to John Szarkowski, what the photographer shows is one of two things; a reflection of the photographer “reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it”, or an exploration of the exterior world. Even the world’s first experimental daguerreotype photographs from the early 1800s fall under this distinction.

Boulevard du Temple, 1838, Louis Daguerre

A daguerreotype is essentially an ionized copper plate coated in silver that is sensitive to light. This makes it possible to create an image on the plate using a camera obscura, an effect which uses a pinhole in a dark box to create an inverted reflection of the world outside of the pinhole, the same effect that our eyes use to see. The plate is then fumed with mercury vapour to freeze the resulting image after the plate is exposed to light for a long enough time. The result is the image above. This photo was taken by Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the daguerreotype, in Paris. What we are actually seeing is a window into the past, a message speaking to us from nearly 200 years ago, and the first ever image of a human being. Through a window into the past, the mirror of a human reflects back at us, a testament to John Szarkowski’s belief that “the two creative motives that have been contrasted here are not discrete”, but ultimately can overlap each other and coexist in a single photo.

Here is an extract from Szarkowski’s book, a piece named “20 minutes in April” by Gary Beydler. Although a mirror is involved in this piece, in my opinion each photo is a window into the randomness of entropy, a snapshot in time that can never be replicated. This piece is rooted in the notion of realism, a demonstration of Gary Beydler’s love for the beauty of this chaotic world. John Szarkowski describes this as a “pursuit of beauty: that formal integrity which pays homage to the dream of meaningful life”, a romantic view of how a photographer can find meaning through the unpredictable nature of the world. However, an alternative realist view is provided by Jed Pearl in his review of Szarkowski’s book. Jed Pearl describes the photos in the book as “predictable images that tell us nothing of life”, demonstrating the realists acceptance of fact; that there exists no deeper meaning to the randomness of clouds, and that any meaning that is found is overruled by logic. In my opinion, I believe that the meaning of one’s life is subjective to their beliefs, and it evolves and changes through time as they develop a greater understanding of the world around them. “20 minutes in April” simply provides an insight into the chaotic and beautiful nature of clouds, however the meaning of this is not directly provided by the creator, Gary Beydler, instead it is meant to be inferred by the viewer to aid them in finding their own meaning to their own life. To state that this piece ‘tells us nothing of life’ is ignorant of this fact, but ultimately it is up to the viewer whether to find meaning or not.

Here is another extract from Szarkowski’s ‘Mirrors and Windows’, a photomontage named ‘A Special Place’ by Joseph Bellanca. The piece consists of two contrasting images, an outdoor photo that depicts a lone woman lying on the woodland floor, and an indoor photo of a bright chandelier hanging from a chain, cut out similar to the shape of a head. In my opinion, this piece is a mirror of human consciousness, an attempt at expressing how it feels to be human; trapped within the boundaries of our physical and mental limitations, lost somewhere in the expanse of a limitless world. To me, the image portrays the feeling of dreaming; when the imagination lights up inside the brain and creates an artificial world that perceptually mimics reality. This is something that is impossible to photograph physically, therefore the only approach to express one’s own subjective reality in photographic form is to stage it, or to make it artificially, like the way Joseph Bellanca does perfectly here as well as the many other photographers featured in ‘Mirrors and Windows’. “Much of the work included in this show is meant to strike us with its surprising imagery”, Jed Pearl states in his review, “yet few of the photographs are closely, richly detailed enough, or surprising enough, to be separated from the mediums past characterized as new – as a vision dredged up from the depths of consciousness”. This quote describes the majority of the photos in ‘Mirrors and Windows’ as boring and emulative of the works from the ‘Romantic vs Realist’ debate of the 19th century, rather than contributing a new perspective of photo analysis to the modern world. However, John Szarkowski argues that dulling a photo down to right or left, romantic or realist, merely describes a singular intention in a photo, hidden within the photographers whole conscious intent, whether they even know it or not, “One can draw many sections through a house that will help one better comprehend the structure of the whole. It must be understood, however, that these section views are merely analytical devices, and therefore, by definition, describe less than the whole”.

Essay plan

Paragraph 2 (250 words): Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review which either supports of opposes Szarkowski’s original point of view. Make sure you comment to advance argumentation in providing a critical perspective.

Conclusion (250 words): Refer back to the essay question and write a conclusion where you summarise Szarkowski’s theory and Pearl’s review of his thesis. Describe differences and similarities between the two images above and their opposing concepts of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and romanticism, factual and fiction, public and private.

Review and Reflection

Studio Portraits

I really liked doing studio portraits. The studio portraits include, butterfly lighting, chiaroscuro lighting and Rembrandt lighting. Butterfly lighting is when the key lighting is above the photographers camera, to ensure that the lighting is pointing down on the subjects face. The aim of this lighting is to achieve a butterfly-like shadow under the subjects nose. Chiaroscuro lighting is when there is a split of light and shadow on the subjects face to create a high contrast photograph. The last lighting technique is Rembrandt lighting, this uses a reflector and two lightings. The aim of this lighting technique is to gain an upside down triangle under the subjects eye.

I really enjoyed doing all of these lighting techniques because it was interesting to see the different images being made. I really liked the Rembrandt lighting technique in particular, because I liked how the images turned out dramatic however had a natural look to it. This is an image from one of my Rembrandt photoshoots:

I really like how this turned out because the upside down triangle is very noticeable. I also like this image because the foreground is dark which creates a high contrast with the face that is lit up. This helps the viewer focus on the subjects face and it makes it the main focus point of the image. The photograph is very dramatic because of the high contrast, however I feel as though the triangle under the subjects eye makes the contrast less harsh and the light and dark blend in with each other.

I also really liked creating the butterfly photographs. This lighting technique was quite difficult because the shadow under the subjects nose was hard to achieve because it had to be defined and look similar to a butterfly. However, I tried my best to achieve this lighting technique and this is how it turned out:

If I were to do this lighting technique again, I would try and get the shadow under the nose more defined like a butterfly. I would ask the subject to turn her head to the side and put the main lighting higher at an angle to achieve this technique. Overall, I think it turned out well and I really enjoyed doing this photoshoot. I liked playing around with the lighting to see which angle worked out the best.

The last one I did was Chiaroscuro lighting. I like this lighting technique because the images turned out extremely dramatic and the images are high contrast. This was another lighting that was quite difficult, however once I had played around with the lighting the images turned out really good. This is one of my images:

If I were to do this lighting technique again, I would make the image darker and have the subjects face slightly lighter. This way, the image would be more dramatic. This image also has a triangle under the eye which could be used as Rembrandt lighting and therefore next time I would make sure the image was distinctive to one lighting technique and not two.

Masculinity and Femininity

I really enjoyed doing this project because I enjoyed creating ideas of the photoshoots I could do and I enjoyed creating them. For this project, I went into the studio and took photos of the female subject being masculine and feminine. This was to create the idea that females can be masculine and feminine and just because a female doesn’t wear makeup, or dress like a girl doesn’t mean that she is less than any woman. This was also to portray how men see woman and how woman are seen to be pretty and to put makeup on. These are how the images turned out:

Zine: design and layout

For this project the first thing I had to figure out was what I liked and what I didn’t. I realized I didn’t want to have this story based on repetitive photos of boats so I decided I wanted to use some of my more abstract photos and focus of specific items within the harbour and use the close ups of those objects and materials.

These were the final images I had selected to become part of my zine.

The first decision came with the photos and where they were going to be placed on the page as originally I felt that because the photos themselves were so detailed I wanted the background to be plain white to draw more attention to the images. So I started to play around with placing the photos in different spaces around the page.However i did end up deciding to keep in centered in the end as i felt as though they looked alot more cohesive as a story in the same place.

Then I tried to add colour to the background as I felt as if it was looking kind of boring I started off with selecting what I found to be one of the most powerful colours within the photo and using it as the background colour which I has really liked.

I also tried to switch the colours so if the image on the left was quite bright orange and the image on the right was dark brown the image on the left would have a dark brown background. I really liked this for a while as it added lots of contrast between the images.

At one point I was also considering not to use the coloured backgrounds as I felt they felt really flat and it wasn’t working so I tried to use another photo from my photoshoots and lower the opacity to create the background. This I felt didn’t work there was too much going on and made everything look messy. So i decided to forget about that idea and went back to the coloured backgrounds.

That’s when I then tried still using the coloured background but adding a simple image behind them which I felt looked better than the pervious idea but there was still something that looked off about them.

Finally I had decided on using the actually image itself to go behind. I felt like that worked perfectly because it obviously had the same shapes so it matched very well and yet because the opacity was a lot lower it was drawing your attention away and it wasn’t like it was trying to just expand the image. The only thing I had to decide on was weather I was going to have the images in black and white or with the colour. I decided on using the colour for behind the images as I felt that the black made the the originally photo look different and it was kind of taking away my attention from the main image to the page as a whole which is not what I originally wanted.

Mirrors and Windows Photoshoot Plan

Plan for Mirror Photos

For my ‘mirror’ photos I would like to take images of buildings and edit them by using photos of graffiti and layering them on top. These would be mirror photos as they are staged, due to the editing, and display a false environment.

This is my inspiration:

This is an image by a photographer called Matt Embee who went around the Baltic Triangle Area of Liverpool capturing street photos. This image has been edited using double exposures, displaying buildings and graffiti. For my own images, I would also like to experiment with photos of graffiti, creating altered landscapes of an already urban environment or perhaps even a building within a natural environment such as the little white hut in St Ouen.

Matt Embee

Matt Embee is a Manchester Wedding Photographer who has gained many awards is photography such as Masters Manchester and he has been selected as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the UK. Furthermore, Matt has been doing wedding photography for around 13 years and he enjoys capturing human emotion and interaction. Although Matt is mainly a wedding photographer, when he has time spare he likes to test his photographic skills. In 2018, along with a group of wedding photographers, Matt travelled to Liverpool, specifically the Baltic Triangle, to experiment with double exposures and capture images of graffiti and the industrial heritage of the area. Here are some other images from this photoshoot:

Since I will be going to Liverpool, whilst I am there I will try to capture photographs of graffiti to use for my final products.

Plan for Window Photos

For this photoshoot, I would like to focus on the beauty of the natural environment, creating photographs that will contrast to the urban, manipulated environment of the previous ‘mirror’ photos that I will create. This links to previous projects such as Anthropocene and The New Topographics as my photoshoots will present 2 different landscapes, one that has been transformed by humans and the other which has been untouched. For this photoshoot, I am going to focus on photographing the movement of the sea at a slow shutter speed. I will have to do this at a time of day where it is dull and there is not much light such as early morning or in the evening as I don’t have an ND Filter. I will take these photographs by using a tripod and setting the camera to a low ISO and slow shutter speed ranging from about .4 to 2 seconds. Some locations I may go to include Plemont, Greve de Lecq, Bouley Bay and St Catherine’s Woods.

My Inspiration:

Glyn Dewis

Glyn Dewis is a photographer who lives in the South West of the UK. He also educates people on photography through YouTube and his 4 books:

Furthermore, Glyn is an ambassador for various companies such as BenQ, Westcott Top Pro and Calibrite. Glyn’s photographs have also been on the front cover of various magazines and he has presented at various conferences and exhibitions around the world for Photoshop and Adobe.

At the start of 2019, Glyn Dewis began his 39-45 Portraits Project which lead him to photographing surviving WW2 veterans. This resulted in Glyn to become an Ambassador in the Veterans Charity.

I learnt about Glyn Dewis through his seascapes project, in which he captures remarkable photographs of colossal waves crashing over rocks and brisk flow of the sea. He takes these photos on his iPhone using a tripod and phone grip then retouching them on his iPad in Lightroom.

Here are some of his photographs:

Windows & Mirrors

John Szarkowski’s theory highlights that photography can either show the world around us (windows) or express the photographer’s inner world (mirrors). Both the approaches offer valuable ways to see and understand photography as a viewer externally.

What is the difference between Windows and Mirrors?

The difference between Windows and Mirrors is that Windows are considered as documentation and reality/truth, meant to show the world as it is as looking outward from the photographers perspective. It is not set up and positioned for the photographers liking and self-expression but more for authenticity. As mentioned before they reveals theses truths about people, places and’ or events. It shows us a new perspective and insight to the world around us/ something we may not otherwise experience. An example of this could be a photographer/journalist trying to capture a war zone or a photographer that specialises in landscapes showcasing nature through photography (windows).

Mirrors are refections of the photographers “inner thoughts” or personal feelings and vision. The photos express their emotions as well as their interpretation of the world rather than showing the “objective” reality (more subjective so based on personal opinions rather than on facts). The photograph becomes a almost reflection of the artists inner world and/or personal vision. An example of this could be a photographers (conceptual) creating a surreal image to explore their emotions or a self-portrait ( meant to express identity).

The mindmap above I created for Windows as well as Mirrors includes such examples of photographers that do such work as well as examples of their work that I might take inspiration from and other photograpnhs that I think fit the theme and ideologies.

Key words associated with Windows: Candid, Factual, Truthful, Realism, Everyday, Clarity, Authenticity, Shared, Experiences, Depicted, Outwards and/ or Representation.

Key word associated with Mirrors: Manipulated, Posed, Artistic, Surrealism, Distorting, Provoke, Alternative, Extraordinary, Unfamiliar, Exploration and/ or Reflecting.

How can photographs be both mirrors and windows of the world?

The Calotype was an early photographic technique invented by William Henry Fox Talbot of Great Britain in the 1830s. Henry Fox Talbot experimented using paper and shoe boxes which he called “mousetraps” to create his image. He discovered a chemical (gallic acid) could be used to “develop” the image on the paper. The Daguerreotype, invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwide in 1839. It was the first publicly available photographic process. In comparison to the calotype, Louis Daguerre used a mirrored metal plate instead of paper. Daguerre’s invention of the Daguerreotype eventually became less successful and Talbot’s Calotype became more popular. Both processes are long and tedious. Both invented in 1839 which meant there would be a competition between the two as they were invented in the same year. Both processes fix an image. I think that both the Calotype and the Daguerreotype can be considered as Mirrors and as Windows.

The image that I have chosen is a photo by Cindy Sherman. I decided that this image was a very obvious mirror for several reasons. A mirror image can be described as when the photographer is trying to demonstrate or reflect something that they feel about themselves or as John Szarkowski in his text, said a mirror is “reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it” and “a mirror- a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of the world”. A photograph that is considered a mirror is a photo that reflects the self. It can reflect the subject both physically and emotionally. For example a portrait of an individual could be showing something personal like the way they are feeling in that moment or the way they wish to be perceived. Artists like Cindy Sherman uses her images to explore self-image. She uses photography as a mirror to show identity of females.

In this image, the main focus is the person in the image. Since the individual is Cindy herself, this is a strong indication that she is trying to reflect something she feels about herself by choosing herself to participate in being the model and not getting someone else to do it for her. This means the image is a type of selfie which further supports the idea of the image being a mirror. The image itself focusses on the feminine stereotypes since Sherman can be seen to be in the setting of a kitchen since the image shows things such as pans, shelving units and washing up items. This is stereotypical since it was normalised for woman to just be in the kitchens and she may be trying to show that idea. She can be seen to be looking over her shoulder and the viewer can interpret that to what they like but it was usually be a negative thing she may be looking at. Sherman is also seen holding her stomach which could be a usual comfort for a woman so this could further suggest something to make her uncomfortable is going on and further shows how she depicts the theme of vulnerability in her photos. The use of using herself in images further makes it a mirror image since she’s showing how an image reflects on how she feels and taking it to another level by actually using herself to show a stronger connection.

This is an image that I have chosen to represent Windows in photography. A photo is considered a window when the photo is attempting to offer a view into other worlds, experiences or cultures. They are photos of documentation rather than reflection which can tell us stories and expose us to environments we may have not experienced. Photographs that function as windows open up new perspectives and allow the viewer to see more. John Szarkowski explained his view of a photograph being a window by saying that a window is “through which one might better know the world?”. There are many reasons that make a photograph a window. For example they are able to transport the viewer back to that moment, evoking emotions, memories, or a sense of nostalgia. In this way, the photograph functions like a window into the past. As well as this it can be a window into other cultures which expose people to others lives and how they live differently. Windows can be interpretative and allow the viewer to decide for themselves the meaning of the photo.

in this particular photo, I think the reason that it is a window is because it is a window into another world. It is showing an insight into a world that the viewer may not have direct access to by exploring other cultures and a society different to our own. Through this photo, we can encounter new environments, people and experiences without physically being there. The image shows two boys who look happy when engaging in the photograph. However this juxtaposes their surroundings as it doesn’t look like they live in very good conditions. This image was taken on a photographers trip to India. I considered this a window image as the photographer is not from there so they aren’t ‘mirroring’ their own life but instead showing a representation of something else.

Overall, in contrast to Szarkowski’s opinions of deciding whether an image in either a mirror and a window, I believe that a photograph can also be both at the same time. It can reflect the viewer’s own inner world (a mirror) while simultaneously offering a view into something external, whether that’s a different place, culture, or moment in time (a window). The images I have chosen above have many differences and similarities. Cindy Sherman’s image is her playing a part to mirror struggles of female stereotypes. However the window image is an image of real life and not playing a part. Both images both aim to draw attention to factors in society.

Mirrors and Windows

What are the differences between photographs that are MIRRORS and photographs that are WINDOWS?

Photographs which are reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it – John Szarkowski, 1978, are considered to be mirror photography, as they are giving insight to the artists personal life. Mirror photography is often subjective and open to interpretation. Whereas window photography gives you a view into someone else’s life and experiences. Window photography allows you to explore the world and it can be a form of documentation, which is often objective. It allows you to understand more about the world as John Szarkowski said, through which one might better know the world’ John Szarkowski, 1978.

Mirrors:

  • Subjective (open to interpretation)
  • Reflects artist
  • Reflections
  • View into your own life
  • Manipulated
  • Synthetic
  • Personal
William Eggleston – from Memphis, Tennessee, Dye transfer print, early 1970s

I believe this image is a form of mirror photography as it is personal to the photographer. It is an image of the photographers freezer which contains their food, this makes it quite a personal image as it is showing the world what they have got inside of their own home, and what they eat. It is also subjective as people may have different opinions about the freezer and its content, making it a mirror image.

Windows:

  • Objective (not open to interpretation)
  • Outside world
  • Documents
  • Real
  • Public
Bernd + Hilla Becher – Lime Kilns, Kalkofen, Harlingen, 1968

This is a form of window photography as it is a view of the outside world, and it is real. It can also be a form of documentation as they are photographing what appears to be factories, making it a window image.