Within my personal study project I would like to explore two definite themes The first being Anthropocene, which is seen as a period in time. The period of the great acceleration, for example the rapid increase in climate change on our planet. This has a very significant impact, and I want to use anthropocene as a diss at humans. Using imagery to explore how it is our fault, and also as an urge for help, to get people to at least try to slow down its effects. I want to take images that observe how it is already too late and we cannot reverse what we have done but merely try to slow it down. One of my exemplar artists for this is Naomi White¹ and her observation and challenging of plastic bags, taking something so ordinary and dramatising it. My other theme will be Masculinity vs Femininity. I really enjoyed exploring this during class, and I think my personal study will be a good way to represent my passion for this theme. Photographers have a lot of things to untangle when attempting to take non-binary images. Your own bias perception of gender can be seen within the imagery you take, and I want to provide my ideology of how men have it easier than women. But I also want to portray some stereotypical views of teenage male anger vs teenage female anger and how they are released in two very different ways. One example artist for this theme is Claude Cahun ²known for her gender fluidity in her art. I have also looked at Danny Evans³ skateboarding images on Instagram when he did an exhibition over here.

The reason that these matter to me is because I think that the hardship of being a teenager is often overlooked. Parents don’t realise how much different it is to be a teenager in a jilted generation compared to their teenage atmosphere. Being a teenager in a generation which is so involved around technology has led to an anxious generation⁴. Growing up obsessed with looks, how many likes we have online and popularity obsession has led to every teenager now being so extra wary of how they move and what they do. There is no freedom anymore. Man is born free but everywhere is in chains.⁵ I want to observe how this creates a gang of copies, every teen similar to the next, but I want to challenge how they all have a deeper meaning, they all have their own personality somewhere hidden within them.

I will develop my project to portray this by looking at some inspiration that matchers my ideas. The first artist that I looked at was Jim Goldberg⁶, he uses street photography and many candid images with signage to portray how everything is so similar nowadays. By using warm tones and portraying things in a documentary style and objective matter he allows the viewer themselves to use nostalgia to connotate feelings, comparing their own teenage-hood and observing whether thier’s was better or not. The key image of his I looked at was one of a skateboard. ⁷ My reasoning for being so entangled with this image is that it represents teenage culture, I like how the skateboard has clearly been used and battered around, explaining how teenagers have a certain anger within them that they need to unleash. Another key artist I looked into was Tom Wood⁸. He mainly uses candid and unposed photography, his street photography is marked by the ability to capture raw, authentic expressions of people, often in public settings like streets, markets, or at social gatherings. Wood often captures environmental portraits, where the subject is shown in their natural surroundings, adding context and depth to the photograph. My favorite image of his was a landscape⁹, I loved how it explained your environment can massively impact how you live your life and what you turn out to be. I will use a documentary style of imagery to further develop my ideas, and also use tableaux, meaning a group of people all in one image, this will portray many different personalities’ and extract how different we all are exempt from the obsession of looks.

I intend to use some old photographs I have already taken to put in my book, and then I want to build on them by creating new images that have a similar sense and style to them. I already have some images that I really like from the Masculinity vs Femininity theme we did in lesson. I want to include a lot of landscape and environmental portraiture, I will do this by going to the edge of the island or places up high in town and just capturing the natural scenery around me. I also want to incorporate some candid photography by just taking photos when out with friends, catching authentic personality’s. One last image I want to create is one of a skateboard on a light box, which I can do at school.

1. https://www.naomiwhite.com/about ↩︎
2. https://www.jerseyheritage.org/history/claude-cahun-and-jersey/ ↩︎
3. https://www.gallery.je/features/skateboarders-by-danny-evans/ ↩︎
4. https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/ ↩︎
5. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/15/rousseau-shows-us-way-break-chains ↩︎
6. https://jimgoldberg.com/ ↩︎
7. https://images.fotomat.io/prod/c0a2cfd4-9bee-4d2b-9993-3b3cf0741393/d1446ae8-d86e-4a0e-88f0-c52b45f2a00c.jpg?s=M ↩︎
8. https://tomwoodarchive.com/ ↩︎
9. https://www.lensculture.com/projects/5350-landscapes ↩︎

Photoshoot 1- Gender stereotypes of teenagers

For this photoshoot, I want to take photos in a natural environment of the individual/individuals who are being photographed as this will further show stereotypes within teenagers as it shows where they are and what they do. I could also use the studio for these images as well.

I want to restage a photoshoot that I conducted in the femininity and masculinity project. This was a photoshoot which included my friend being the model and wearing her dance outfit and doing dance moves which I was able to capture on the camera. I want to redo this photoshoot again with her wearing a different dance outfit to show the difference in the photoshoots but also include some photos from the previous photoshoot as I really like those images. The location of these images will be in the studio. This is because I want to make use of the studio lighting and also explore using different colours on the lights as well. I also think these photos turned out well with a plain background instead of an environment such as a dance studio

I also want to take photos that represent other things that are stereotypical to a specific gender out of the studio and in the environment of that person. eg a male on a football pitch, females doing make up, males looking at cars/ in cars etc. And also show the opposite.

The editing process and the format of my photos:

apart from editing the quality of these images, I want to keep these photos fairly natural without any further editing such as AI so that I can show a good representation of teenage stereotypes. However, I may need to use AI if I am unable to show the stereotype with just the image on its own. Some of the images that I take in the studio I might edit further such as colour splash or layering to make the photo more interesting to the viewer.

Photoshoot 2– Exploring stereotypes over generations

This photoshoot will focus on older photographs from photobooks which will then be restaged. This explores generations and how thing have changed overtime. I will ask my Nan if I could look at photo albums of her and also of my mum.

The location of these photoshoots will generally only be in the studio as the restaging can’t be in the same place as the older photos as they will all be based in the UK.

I am not planning to use myself as the model in the restage photoshoot, instead I will use my friend. This still works as it still will represent my generation as she is the same age.

Things that ill focus on in the photographs:

• Changes in women clothing
• Changes in camera quality
• Changes in how women pose for photos
• Black and white vs colour

The editing process and the format of my photos:

The old photos will stay in their original form as the camera quality in the photos will reflect the generation that its from. I will keep some of my own photos in colour and some in black and white. I am also going to keep some of the photo album photos as a main image and possibly use AI to change it into my own.

I have also previously explored this topic of women and their role in the world whilst researching Cindy Sherman. Cindy Sherman is an independent photographer who took photographs in the 70’s. Something I find particularly admiring, is how she she took her camera and pointed it at HERSELF, instead of photographing someone else. I find this very unique and actually brings more meaning and creativity to the photos she created. This gesture then became her signature thing and showed her strong views on gender and the construction of identity through key times when opinions and personalities where particularly changing in history. She also mad many different character that she would pretend to being her photos and experiment with makeup, hairstyles and costume to demonstrate these characters.

I really like the idea of femininity and women in todays age as it is a subject that I, myself live through and endure. I can also use other young women enduring this in order to convey my message. I hope to express my theories on gender and identity and how women can be interpreted in different ways and do not need to fit a specific narrative. Analysing Cindy Sherman has aided this idea as she, herself has worked on how women can be interpreted in different ways and all the multiple narratives they can fit. Although, a difference I would like to express Is a positive light on women and how they can in, fact be strong and independent compared to an idealised view of being helpless and dependent on men.

Cindy Sherman originally studied painting and began by painting self portraits of her, in which she was herself, as characters which she would see in magazines and photographs. She then began to work on altering her face with makeup and different costume and first produced 5 images of different personas such as a clown and a young girl and many others. These photos helped to soar her fascination for impersonation and self transformation.

She then began to visit thrift stores to purchase new outfits for specific characters. She quoted “So it just grew and grew until I was buying and collecting more and more of these things, and suddenly the characters came together just because I had so much of the detritus from them. She then began to wear these different characters and at as them whilst attending different gallery openings.

Cindy Sherman’s work which was her most famous, was her Untitled Film Stills which are small black and white photos where Cindy has impersonated different female characters through glamourous and meaningful images. Throughout these film stills Cindy Sherman imitated different lifestyles and character stereotypes which shows how women and women’s bodies are perceived by the mass media and by the male gender. Whilst moving to New York, Cindy Sherman continued to role play in disguises and characters and photographed her imitations as the Untitled Film Stills. Although she took many of her own photographs, some photos were shot by family and friends. The voyeuristic perspective of Cindy’s work creates an imposing feeling on the viewer, as if you are secretly observing the character and she is always the subject of the controlling male gaze instead of the object of masculine desire.

Cindy Sherman’s Inspiration for Untitled Film Stills.

Eleanor Antin is an inspiration to Cindy Sherman’s work and she has said herself hat her Untitled Film Stills are related to the feminist performance work of the 1970s. Eleanor was an early influence to Cindy Sherman as she herself used to dress up and transform herself into multiple characters. s Her works are are considered conceptual, feminist classics such as “CARVING: A Traditional Sculpture”, “100 BOOTS”, where she created her 3 personas: The King, the Ballerina and the Nurse. Which he became particularly known for and helped her to gain fame and acknowledgement to express her message. Her multitude of characters explored the idea of roles and power, including how the artist is a subject in society. Eleanor critiques historical narratives and gendered power structures through fictional personas such as the three characters as they highlight different roles in society and hierarchies. This came in favour to Cindy as she took inspiration and decided to transform herself into different characters also. These two artists work are similar as they both use their bodies and self-representation as tools to critique identity, gender, and the roles women are assigned in society.

Eleanor Antin’s work themes consist of Identity, gender, history, the body, power, social roles, self-representation.

Cindy Sherman’s work themes consist of Gender, identity, representation, the male gaze, stereotypes, popular culture, societal roles.

Although these two artists also differ as Cindy Sherman’s work mainly focuses on deconstructing media representations of women, whereas Eleanor Antin’s work focuses more on exploring historical and social roles. I feel both these artists are essential to have knowledge on throughout this personal study as I have gained knowledge on different peoples interpretations on gender, identity and feminist views throughout history in order to create my own vision and my own message in response to other peoples work from the past.

Film Stills.

I really like Cindy Sherman’s work and I hope to find similar photographers to her to demonstrate my vision. Although In my personal study I would not include pictures of only myself but also of other women. I really like how Cindy Sherman experimented with hair, makeup and costume to portray different characters and I would like to do the same. Researching Cindy Sherman’s work has helped me to understand a historical side to the male gaze and how times have changed, but not really. Society has still created an inaccurate.

I would possibly like to do a ‘Modern Day’ take on this or maybe choose a more ‘Past’ approach, or do a comparison of them both and include different interpretations of past times and modern times and show how different females live different lives according to identity, sexuality, wealth and lifestyle.

Photo Analysis.

Technical:

The soft and naturalistic lighting in this photograph demonstrates that it is a photo from the past and is meant to display the time of the late 1970s. Which explains the low quality and slightly pixelated camera settings that are not very focused. I think that high contrast lighting, with a wide difference between highlights and shadows, brings a sense of intensity and depth to an image with dramatic qualities, which is what Cindy Sherman has done with her lots of her work. The aperture is also slightly blurred and has a higher sensitivity ISO which causes a grainier image with a lighter grey monochrome tone rather than cool colours. This black and white tonal structure has a colder impression which displays a sense of loneliness and emptiness in the image. The use of shadow and light in the Untitled Film Stills, heightens mood and tension, which isolates the subject within the frame. This dramatic lighting also helps to portray a specific genre of film such as drama, mystery or even horror. I think that Cindy Sherman’s use black and white photography is significant as it gives the images a sense of timelessness and universality, which provides the aesthetic of classic cinema.

Visual:

Accompanied with the black and white colour, this staged cinematic scene has meaning to it within its 2D format. The image has a woman as the central figure in the middle of the image with a door behind her stood in the corner of a room. There is also coats and clothing hung up to the left of the woman which has a dark black colour which attracts the viewers eyes towards the middle of the photograph, right next to the characters face. The photograph has a portrait angle which has been cropped into a tight famed rectangle shape. This framing of the images creates a cinematic feel to the photo and Her work mimics a multitude of low-budget narratives of different characters from 1950s-1960s television. Having settings such as homes, bedrooms, kitchens or streets conveys the message of domestic housewives living stereotypical lifestyles. The characters Cindy Sherman portrays are also seen as mid motion and candid to give a ‘frozen-in-time’ impression, this adds to the mystery and explains the deliberately vague stories that are without a clear plot. This frozen moment in time makes the viewer question the context, time-period and situation the character may be in whilst the photo is being taken. This image has no clear narrative unless the photo is deeply looked at and questioned. After establishing her outfit and role, the viewer is able to create an assumption on what the woman’s purpose is and it is then established that this is a small section of a much larger story.

Contextual:

Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills includes contextual layers that address essential historical issues of gender, identity, and media representation. She created these photographs throughout 1977-80s, however they are based on the 1950/60s. During this period of the 70s, second-wave feminism was arising and women were beginning to challenge gender roles and opinions on women in media products were being raised as women began to question and challenge their portrayal and how they were being objectified and seen as an object to please the male gender. The “male gaze” refers to the way women are depicted in visual culture for males, Cindy Sherman chose to display her cultural and social concerns about the roles and representations of women in tv, cinema and media products. This work is technically ‘mocking’ the media as the series of images contains a female subject that is both the object and the creator of her image. The roles she portrays are characters which may demonstrate a victim, an innocent woman or a seductress. This creates a way for Cindy Sherman to control the portrayal of female objectification as the turning the camera on herself to expose the true meaning behind these roles. In this image her portrayal of a working class woman can be seen by her outfit and demonstrates the time period this photo is alluding to and women’s’ role during this time.

Conceptual:

This photo explores the male gaze. As number 80 film stills, became iconic. Chose herself for the model. Washerwoman maid in a feminist move way to redirect the male gaze to show she was in charge. Her angry expression by looking over her shoulder at us to show she is ‘done‘ and wants to find an escape from her current position as a housewife or domestic worker and move onto bigger dreams. She is stood slightly hunched and is wearing an apron and a blouse which shows the viewer that she is lower class and is ‘insignificant’. She is mid- movement and has a slightly distracted expression on her face whilst not making direct eye-contact with the camera which demonstrates her vulnerability and distraction. The message from Cindy Sherman portrays the reality of a ‘happy housewife’ who is safe and content at home when in reality, they are lonely and struggling mentally. The lack of context to this images, causes the reader to assume and create their own interpretations on the photo. The vulnerability, beauty and individuality of the character makes the audience feel sorry for the woman and feel a sense of reflection and remorse for women during this period.

Our first visit was Jersey Art centre to see Marc Medland.

We next moved to the CCA Gallery to see Glenn Perotte

Glen Perotte has been photographing Jersey for a decade, mixing commercial work with his creative photographic projects. His ‘2020:A Year in Vision’ portrait exhibition saw him capture us islanders and his 2021 ‘Remnants of Life’ saw him turn his hand to hyper-detailed still life of dream-like plants. Building on that foundation, Glen got in shape both physically and mentally to take his work to a new level this year. His subject this time couldn’t be captured in Jersey, but only at the heady heights of Mount Kenya, where Glen had been captivated by the flora and fauna on a previous visit tow years before. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful.

Glen tells us “I wanted to explore the flora of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain after Kilimanjaro and a uniquely special place. More than a visually striking landmark, Mount Kenya is steeped in spiritual significance, revered as a sacred site by East African communities and beyond. The mountain is seen as a divine presence, drawing people for prayer, meditation, and reflection”. The focus for him was the astonishing plant life that manages to take root in this volcanic and harsh landscape of thin air and rocky terrain, sometimes by banding together and at other times finding a small niche to settle in alone. “Strange, yet wonderfully captivating, these botanical wonders exhibit adaptations honed over millennia to survive the harsh mountain environment. From bizarrely shaped succulents clinging to rocky crevices to peculiar, other-worldly ferns thriving in mist-shrouded valleys, each species tells a tale of resilience and ingenuity”. 

Then we went to ArtHouse Jersey.

At the Jersey Art Centre we saw a project by Marc Medland who creates absurdist collages with different materials. Many were 3D to create depth. One of his projects were creating crime scenes with floor plans to map out the crime, a visual collage to represent the nature of the crime and a description of the actual crime too.

At the CCA Gallery we saw Glenn Perotte who photographed plant life on his journey up a mountain named: Mount Kenya’s Rooted Resilience. These images used a HDR approach to achieve much richer depth and colour.

At Arthouse Jersey we saw two projects:

Dancing Together: A Ballad by Kaarina Kaikkonen. She arranged tops to create works of art. The exhibition we saw moved the shirts from outside into a small gallery room to create a totally different sculpture.

And the sound of colour which projected a story onto a church ceiling. There were two parts, one being the history which is the one we saw.

GIRLHOOD

James, who has been The North Wall’s Propeller Artist for two years, began exploring the idea of GIRLHOOD during the group show ‘Fourteen’ which she facilitated and took part in for ‘Photo Oxford’ 2021. As a way to understand her journey of grief, she began investigating the vulnerability of adolescence as a metaphor of how she felt straight after her father died. Since then, James has been documenting teenage girls, all born at the start of the smartphone era and in a period of transition; gradually moving away from childhood yet nowhere near adulthood. Every adult was once a teenager, and we can all add to the conversation regarding our own teenage years. James tells us, “I, probably like yourself, was invincible as a teenager, yet now as an adult and as a mother I see how vulnerable teenagers are.” The artist’s ability to capture the essence of teenage girls allows for honest and sensitive imagery. Philippa James meaning behind her photos is that lot of teenage feels like waiting for adulthood, waiting for freedom, waiting to be taken seriously. This brilliant, stirring exhibit captures those feelings as well as the excitement kinship and joy of that time, told through McDonald’s trips and post-school bedroom hangouts.

James’ work here recalls the dreamy female gazes of photographers like Petra Collins and Ashley Armitage, although intentionally more grounded and unposed. In Girlhood, the camera seems to simply bear witness rather than glamourise or caution. Her strategy pays off: the unpoised vulnerability and freedom become the collection’s chief strength.

I’m going to be taking pictures of my friends doing their normal weekend ot day to day activity, such as shopping, doing hair, doing make up etc. Also going to be taking some portraits of different teenage girls styles.

For this photoshoot, my initial idea was to go to the woods and experiment with different poses to produce a variety of images with contrasting backstories. I then felt like I could relate this photoshoot to how girl’s lives were before social media and the internet through the vibrant colourful clothing, and smiling faces.

Edited images:

I really liked this photoshoot, because I felt it worked really well in the woods as it shows how nature can contrast with social media. I also tried to portray a clear understanding of the difference of girls when they’re on social media, compared to when they’re not. Here we can see that the subjects are wearing bright colours, and seem more natural than they would online. This also shows a clear sense of community between the girls.

Evaluation:

For these photographs, I wanted to convey an idea around life before social media, and show the contrast between my photoshoots and the development of teenage girls as social media grows and becomes an addiction.

In the 1950s, smoking was seen as the epitome of cool and glamour throughout industrialised nations. Cigarettes were originally sold as expensive handmade luxury goods for the urban elite. I wanted to present this idea myself through the subjects smoking, as it shows a clear idea that this photoshoot is supposedly meant to be of time before social media. As social media has grown, smoking has become socially unacceptable and there is now recognition of tobacco use as an addiction and cause of cancer, along with concerns about the ill-effects.

Through the use of social media, this information is easy access and has been spread around the world, therefore the rates of smoking is decreasing.

Jersey Arts Centre

Marc Medland https://marcmedland.co.uk/projects/

10 Projects

CCA Galley https://www.ccagalleriesinternational.com/

Glenn Perotte https://www.glenperotte.com/

ArtHouse Jersey

Sound of Colour ARRIVALs https://www.arthousejersey.je/our-work/the-sound-of-colour

https://www.arthousejersey.je/our-work/dancing-together

Statement of Intent

For my personal study, I would like to explore the different styles of Architecture through the ages in Jersey. I would like to do this because I am passionate about Architecture and I aspire to be an Architect in the future. I also believe that Architecture is so important and can transform the way people act and feel within a building. For this project, I will aim to capture the details and shapes of different buildings, both historic and modern. Firstly, I would like to photograph historical architecture such as the unique facades at Havre des Pas. I am interested in taking photographs of older buildings as they have great detail which gives me the opportunity to capture architecture detail photographs. A key Jersey Architect who’s buildings I would like to photograph is Adolphus Curry. Adolphus Curry is one of the most notable photographers and engineers in the history of Jersey. Curry was a member of the Societe of Jersey and played a big role in the development of the Museum and the preservation of many of the island’s historic buildings. Furthermore, Adolphus Curry was a very well-known and loved man and the week leading up to his death in 1910, there were daily updates of his health in the newspaper. Overall, Adolphus Curry was more than just a designer, he contributed to Jersey’s Community by having involvement in other things such as the harbours, railways, sports, rubbish disposal and more. Source

Buildings designed/altered by Adolphus Curry:

These buildings include:

• Jersey Opera House
• Ladies College
• DeGruchy
• St Helier Railway Station (At Liberty Wharf)
• 2-6 Queen Street
• Victoria Club, Beresford Street
• Ommaroo Terrace, Harve des Pas
• Midland Chambers
• Masonic Temple

For these images, a key photographer who I am inspired by is Keith Dotson. Here are some images by him which I would like my outcomes to be similar to:

On the other hand, I would also like to photograph modern buildings and their shapes and details. I would like these results to have an abstract approach. I will do this by thinking creatively about the angles in which I take the photographs and paying attention to the framing and composition. A photographer who I am inspired by for these photos is Alex Upton. Here are some of his photos which best indicate what I would like to do:

When reviewing my images, I would like to create juxtaposition between old and new architectural styles by finding images which I can match together. I would like to present my final images in a photobook, starting from historical, detailed architecture to modern, high-rise buildings and the juxtaposition between the styles.

Here are some examples of inspiration for these juxtapositions:

I can recreate these ideas by using images of high-rise buildings, such as Horizon Apartments and the International Finance Centre, and manipulate them by editing images of historical/old buildings onto them in Photoshop.

In addition, I would like to do a typology study of the external facades of buildings at Havre des Pas as they have a unique architectural style.

My Inspiration:

Overall, my personal study will be focused on architectural styles and details and the contrast between the old and new.

Tom Wood, born 1951, is an Irish street photographer, portraitist and landscape photographer, based in Britain. He was often known as the ‘Photie man’, as he would never forget to bring his camera around where he lived. Wood is best known for his photographs in Liverpool and Merseyside from 1978 to 2001, “on the streets, in pubs and clubs, markets, workplaces, parks and football grounds” of “strangers, mixed with neighbours, family and friends.” Most of his most famous photos where a 5 minute walk from his house in Liverpool, creating interesting stories in each of his street photos. The critic Sean O’Hagan has described Wood as “a pioneering colourist” and “a photographer for whom there are no rules”, while keeping it “up close and personal”.

‘I started doing portraits of these kids hanging around on drugs, or whatever, and some of their parents. It was really tough’

Here are some photos shown in various national museum’s in Liverpool:

As you can see, each image can be a very interesting image on its own, as the context and amount going on in each photo allows that. He didnt have a set way to take his photos, he used whatever he had at the time and walked around looking for interesting subject to take a photo of, some being staged and others being street photography. So many photographers grub about until they have a formula, and then force all their pictures into the same mould. Not Wood. Forever unsatisfied, never content to make a series when a single picture will do, his curiosity and his intellectual powers always fully engaged, he has roamed around making pictures of the world he lives in.

Partly due to cost, from time to time he has used old cine film and out of date film stock for his pictures. This lends a grainy quality to the film, most evident in Bus Journeys. However, his use of medium formats lends fine detail to the negative, allowing much more visual information to be revealed through the printing process. Wood has also tirelessly experimented with printing papers to create the exact colour balances and textures he requires. For him, analogue rather than digital printing, and making his own prints in the darkroom, are important. He sees photographing, printing, selection and editing as inseparable parts of the process of photography.

101 pictures- 2020

Here, I chose 2 photos from his book ‘101 pictures’, it includes many of his most famous photos from his many years of taking photos.

Here you can see five people stand apart looking towards and contemplating an artwork out of the frame of Wood’s picture. The lighting is almost oversaturated, and its cropped to only show the people looking at the picture. The temperature is defiantly on the warmer side, with more red and orange colours that blue and purple. This photo is a big contrast from his usual photos, with more upper class people being included. The fact that they are standing equally apart, disconnects this image to reality. This could also be seen as the upper class disconnecting and distancing themselves to middle and lower class people. This is further added by how everyone is lost in there own thoughts, with no connection between each of them, their sobriety of behaviour matched by their dress, which is echoed in the browns of the gallery space. Even the brown, equally spaced framed images behind the subjects matches the overall boring, repetitive theme of this image. However, the 6th subject on the left seemed to have seen the camera, giving this photo some reality, allowing this image to stay somewhat similar to his others.

This image is a more ‘traditional’ tom wood photo, taken in Liverpool, which contrasts the imaged I used above with everything, from the lighting to the way the subjects are portrayed. here, light is an essential feature of this image, with the suns patchy light illuminating four young people as they eat there chips and beans at the sea front, with a colourful blue rail behind them, adding a barrier between the foreground and background. The barrier also adds lines across the photo, drawing the eyes towards them, thus drawing the eyes towards the unrepetitively placed subjects. This uneven placement of people makes it seem real (documentary). Each person in this photo is wearing bold and brightly coloured clothes, further giving this image life and value. I think the best part of this image is the peoples faces, each being unique and funny, which makes the viewer think about there stories and the connections between them.

Sam Taylor-Johnson – crying men

Sam Taylor-Johnson, born in 1967, is a British film director and artist. She began her creative carrier with fine art photography in the early 1990s, collaborating with Henry bond and creating a pastiche of various things, like the photo taken by Annie Leibovitz of Lennon a few hours before his assassination. However, she isn’t known for her photographer work back when she was younger, rather her as being a famous film director. So why am I talking about her? its because she created a series called ‘crying men’ which shown many male actors crying in films. From 2002 to 2004, after Sam had battled breast cancer, as an ‘exorcism of tears‘ she photographed actors crying, a mix of old Hollywood actors as well as young up and coming actors at the time. It was a revealing look at some actors you may not have seen cry on screen and raises questions about how masculine vulnerability is portrayed on screen, as well as how society has drummed it into men not to cry. I think this series is very impactful to see, as actors like Michael Madsen can be seen crying, and he’s usually depicted as the ‘tough guy’ in films. Men’s mental health is becoming a serious issue that’s been overlooked for many years and only now people are beginning to take action. For example, the highest cause of death for men under 45 is suicide, facts like these brings more attention to the topic of men’s mental health.

Soliloquy 1

Here is Taylor-Woods image ‘Soliloquy 1‘, we see a man exhausted on a sofa, with his right arm hanging lifeless to the floor. This pose is emulates a very popular work by painter Henry Wallis, the death of Chatterton (1856). The light source coming from behind keeps the main subject mostly in the shadows, giving a more dramatic image.

Paul M Smith

do it in own timeALWDLKMAWKDMWKALDMKLDMKLDMAWLKDM

Neil Leifer

Neil Leifer (born in 1942) is probably the most well known sport photographer and created some of the most iconic shots. I will getting some inspiration from him when I turn towards sports, specifically basketball, when linking it to masculinity.

Leifer often uses unique angles and perspectives to tell a story through his images, setting him apart from other sports photographers. His style is characterized by a keen eye for composition, timing, and the use of colour and light to create dynamic and striking images, allowing him to capture the intensity and emotion of the athletes in his photographs.

Here are some photos I like:

All these photos are incredibly dramatic, from the intense facial expressions to the detailed backgrounds, each with there own unique stories. The photo with Muhammad Ali (likely the most famous boxer of all time), is particularly dramatic. It shows a victorious Ali standing over the defeated Sonny Liston, shot during a 1965 world title fight. Leifer admitted that luck played a big part in getting this picture, since if he was positioned in a different part of the ring, it would the photo would never of been as famous. However, even with his luck, creating a photo like this requires lot of skill, as the cameras back then where not as easy to use as they are now, as well as trying to get that close to the ring side. The buzz and excitement is also been presented very well in this image, with countless camera all around the right, and the tense Ali standing in the centre of the frame. Below are some quotes that I will take note on with my photos:

“I always try to tell a story with my pictures. You have to know the sport and the athletes to be able to anticipate the action.”

“Lighting is everything. The difference between a good picture and a great picture often comes down to the way the light falls on your subject.”

“I’ve always believed that you can’t be in the right place at the right time unless you’re in the right place all the time.”

Some more research

I had also done a little bit of research on these photographers:

Sarah Jones

Gregory Crewdson

Jeff Wall

Tom Hunter

Philip Lorca Di Corcia

Justine Kurland

Troy Paiva

Sophie Day is another photographer I will be getting inspiration from. She spent three years continuously photographing close male friends, amassing an archive of their shared experience. Along the way, she refined her own understanding of masculinity – a girl amongst boys, reflecting on their social codes and behaviours. Here are some photos I like: