What is masculinity?

“Handsome, muscled and driven, he’s a prime example of masculinity.”

Masculinity is a set of attributes, behaviours, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviours considered masculine are influenced by both cultural factors and biological factors. Masculinity is constructed and defined socially, historically and politically, rather than being biologically driven. Boys and young men who embrace positive masculinity are more likely to have positive outcomes in their lives, such as better mental health, stronger relationships, and greater success in their careers. However, toxic masculinity refers to the notion that some people’s idea of “manliness” perpetuates domination, homophobia, and aggression. Toxic masculinity involves cultural pressures for men to behave in a certain way. And it’s likely this affects all boys and men at some point in their lives.

Men are often stereotyped as the following:

• Powerful
• Strong
• Dominant
• Independent
• Violent
• Courageous
• Assertive
• Leaders

The concept of masculinity alters through history. For example, in religion or even Greek myths, stories are told of men being powerful gods and heroes, battling to protect their wives, setting the stereotype and expectations for men to be strong and fierce. This led to the idea that men or boys must act a certain way too, for example they were expected to be unemotional or to not cry otherwise this made them weak. However, through time, this idea is slowly being broken down similar to femininity, as while society grows people find more ways to express themselves and try to not fit into set categories of behaviour.

What is femininity?

Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviours, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviours considered feminine are influenced by cultural factors and biological factors. Femininity creates stereotypes for the ways a woman should both behave and look. The societal expectations for a ‘feminine’ appearance include long hair, softer features and clothing choices like dresses and skirts. Traditional femininity sets societal expectations and standards to create toxic femininity. Toxic femininity can create societal pressures for women due to the enforcement of unrealistic beauty standards and behaviours. This causes some women to feel judged, constrained and pressured to fit these expectations, possibly even causing them to experience struggles such as isolation, anxiety, and hiding their true identity.

Society’s perception of femininity has changed over the last century as shown:

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Some factors of femininity are :

• Gracefulness
• Gentleness
• Empathy
• Loving
• Humility
• Sensitivity
• Emotional

In the 1900s, and only up until recently, women were often objectified and seen as ‘less’ than men. This was a common stereotype that was shared across the world. It was expected that women were to stay at home with their children and spend their days cooking and cleaning for the family. Whereas men were expected to go out and do work in order to provide for the family. Women were not allowed to get jobs as it was only viewed as a ‘masculine’, meaning people assumed they were not capable of doing a mans job. This made life tough for women as well as young girls growing up because they were portrayed as weak and incapable.

However, perspectives began to change soon after when many women began standing up for themselves. Although, it was tough at first and men continued to belittle them, women eventually began claiming power and often proving to people they were capable of doing anything a man could do. This became more and more successful over time and proved they were as strong as them. Today, women are still fighting for equal rights to men, but the stereotypes and expectations of women have adapted and improved.

Binary opposition:

The themes of ‘FEMININITY and MASCULINITY’ are a binary opposite – a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

Binary opposition originated in Saussurean structuralist theory in Linquistics (scientific study of language) According to Ferdinand de Saussure, binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. Using binary opposites can often be very helpful in generating ideas for a photographic project as it provides a framework – a set of boundaries to work within.

The concept of identity politics and culture wars in photography is an important aspect to look at. This is because it studies your administrative identity combined with your physical characteristics, such as your date and place of birth. A photographic identity allows you to reveal yourself, to stand out among the crowd of photographers, to ensure your individuality and your irreplaceable artistic fingerprint. I believe this is extremely beneficial for modern day photography as it allows each and every person to decide how far they want to take either the masculine or feminine approach in their photographs. Identity politics also aims to eliminate negative misrepresentations (stereotypes) of particular groups that have served to justify their members’ exclusion or assimilation to the point of erasure. A great example of this is identity politics in the United States, which developed in the 1980s and ’90s as a reaction to the perceived failure of liberal civil rights legislation to eliminate identity-based inequities, such as racial and sexual discrimination. In the view of many critics, liberal ideals of equality, such as equal rights were misguided because their transcendent nature made it difficult in practice to justify policies designed to achieve greater social equity exploited groups, particularly African Americans. Indeed, during this period conservative activists and government officials frequently invoked the liberal value of “colour blindness” to resist racial affirmative action programs in education, employment, government contracting, and other areas.

Identity politics

Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity. Some examples of this are

• Race
• Nationality
• Sexual orientation
• Religion
• Gender
• Social background
• Social class

Culture wars

In political science, a culture war is a type of cultural conflict between different social groups who struggle to politically impose their own ideology (beliefs, virtues, practices) upon their society. An example of a culture war is the gamergate controversy.

Impact on society

These stereotypes and identities had a very large impact on society because over recent years society has adapted to these changes, and they have become known and believed worldwide.

Professional headshots are a type of portrait photography typically used for websites, press releases, publications, and social-media profiles. The term “headshot” just means that the portrait photo is cropped somewhere in the middle torso – so that the focus is on your face.

Some common rules in order to produce successful headshots are:

• Don’t bend your head too far forward or back – you want to be relaxed and natural-looking.
• Don’t sit in an awkward position – you want to look comfortable and confident.
• Don’t look down at the ground – keep your chin up and make eye contact with the photographer.
• Don’t use outdated corporate headshots.
• Eyes must be open and clearly visible, with no flash reflections and no ‘red eye’
• Facial expression must be neutral (neither frowning nor smiling), with the mouth closed
• Photos must show both edges of the face clearly
• Photos must show a full front view of face and shoulders, squared to the camera 
• The face and shoulder image must be centred in the photo; the subject must not be looking over one shoulder (portrait style), or tilting their head to one side or backwards or forwards
• There must be no hair across the eyes
• Hats or head coverings are not permitted except when worn for religious reasons and only if the full facial features are clearly visible
• Photos with shadows on the face are unacceptable
• Photos must reflect/represent natural skin tone

Headshots Mood Board:

Thomas Ruff- Artist Research:

Thomas Ruff was a German photographer born on February 10th 1958,  who lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany. He has been described as “a master of edited and reimagined images”. Ruff shares a studio on Düsseldorf’s Hansaallee, with fellow German photographers Laurenz Berges, Andreas Gursky and Axel Hütte. Thomas Ruff’s photography suggests the possibilities of his chosen medium, as he might use digital manipulation for one subject and antiquated darkroom techniques for another. Ruff works in series, creating defined bodies of work whose subjects include empty domestic interiors, appropriated interplanetary images captured by NASA, abstractions of modernist architecture and three–dimensional computer–generated Pop imagery.

Ruff is a unique photographer because he explores the boundaries of photography and challenges traditional ideas of representation. He experiments with different techniques such as digitally manipulating them or using large-scale formats in order to create visually striking photographs. His work often prompts viewers to question the nature of photography and our perception of reality.

Bruce Gilden:

Bruce Gilden is an American street photographer. He is best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a flashgun. He has had various books of his work published, has received the European Publishers Award for Photography and is a Guggenheim Fellow.

Bruce Gilden is one of the most iconic street photographers known for his confrontational and graphic images of a close-up subject. His work is around this due to being fascinated by the life on the streets and the complicated and captivating motion it involves in his childhood. His work has a high degree of intimacy and directness which have become signature in his work called FACE. Typically, people used are not the average person and have blemishes or look uncomfortable/awkward. Many people may say he is the most aggressive street photographer due to the rawness and realness of his images.

I like Gilden’s work because it has a sense of realism throughout. It is effective because he has a unique style that captures raw and candid moments. He often gets close up to his subjects, which I think creates powerful and intense images. His photos also have a a gritty and unfiltered quality which easily grabs attention and evokes strong emotions.

Print screen 1:

Print screen 2:

Print Screen 3:

Final Virtual Gallery:

This is my final virtual gallery, which overall I feel looks pretty successful. I like how I have incorporated a range of the different lighting techniques we experimented with. I think my favourite lighting technique is the chiaroscuro because it shows a deep contrast between the light and the shadows, and gives a mood of mystery

Henry Mullins, the renowned headshot photographer, was born on June 12, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. From an early age, he exhibited a passion for creativity and art, particularly in the field of photography. As a teenager, he would spend countless hours exploring his neighbourhood with his trusty camera, capturing the essence of the people and places he encountered.

He was one of the most prolific photographers represented in the Societe Jersiase Photo-Archive, producing over 9,000 portraits of islanders from 1852 to 1873 at a time when the population was around 55.000. The record we have of his work comes through his albums, in which he placed his clients in a social hierarchy. The arrangement of Mullins’ portraits of ‘who’s who’ in 19th century Jersey are highly politicised.

His portrait were printed on a Carte de Visite as a small albumen print, (the first commercial photographic print produced using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper) which was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a Carte de Visite is 54.0 × 89 mm normally mounted on a card sized 64 × 100 mm.

In Mullin’s case he mounted his Cartes de Visite into an album. Because of the small size and relatively affordable reproducibility, Cartes de Visite were commonly traded among friends and visitors in the 1860s. Albums for the collection and display of cards became a common fixture in Victorian parlours. The immense popularity of these card photographs led to the publication and collection of photographs of prominent persons.

More of Mullins’ work:

Throughout his career, Mullins collaborated with numerous acclaimed actors, directors, and production teams. Not only did he provide stunning headshots, but he also worked on set, capturing behind-the-scenes moments and promotional images for various films and television productions.

In addition to his commercial success, Mullins dedicated his time to giving back to the community. He conducted workshops and mentoring programs for aspiring photographers, serving as an inspiration for the next generation of talent. Mullins believed in nurturing young minds and encouraging them to unlock their artistic potential

Henry Mullins’ passion, dedication, and artistic eye revolutionized the world of headshot photography. His ability to showcase the true essence of his subjects made him a trusted collaborator for actors, models, and performers worldwide. Today, his legacy lives on through the countless aspiring photographers inspired by his work and the impact he made on the industry as a whole.

Chiaroscuro editing:

Also known as split lighting, the aim of this photo was to make one side of my face luminous while the other side is dark. This was my portrait before any editing, I think this lighting technique is effective as it gives a mysterious look. We ensured to keep the continuous lights off in order to achieve the dark look on one side of my face. This helped because it added a sense of drama to the photo making the left side very dark, and illuminate the brighter side of my face which created a successful contrast.

History of editing:

Final image:

This is my final edited image. I decided to keep the temperate and tint the same as before because my main focus was not to make the image look warmer. If I had adjusted the temperature it would decrease the dramatic effect, which I didn’t want. Instead I decreased the texture to give myself a smooth appearance, which prevents the viewer from being distracted. Additionally, I increased the saturation which helped illuminate the bright side of my face, which also increased the contrast between the light and dark side.

Rembrandt editing:

This was my original photo before any editing. We struggled to achieve the idea of a triangle appearing under the models eye, as we decided to make the background black for this photoshoot. We chose to do this because we thought it would enhance the triangle effect, however it did not turn out as successful as we thought it would.

History of editing:

Final image:

This is my final edited image for Rembrandt lighting, where I tried to highlight underneath the models right eye by increasing the shadows by an immense amount. I also increased the contrast because this would make the image appear brighter on the side where the flashlight hit, yet darker on the side where there was no light. By decreasing the vibrancy, it allowed me to achieve the black and white effect more successfully, as it instantly made the image appear more catastrophic.

Butterfly editing:

This is my photo before editing. We tried to achieve the butterfly effect by using a flashlight instead of a continuous light, as we thought we would achieve the strong, eye-catching deep shadow under the models nose. However, we used a reflector when taking these photos, which meant that our photos were significantly less effective. We soon realised that this was not as effective as it would have been if we used continuous lighting, because it also meant we were in less control of the outcome. This is because we made the room dark in order to receive the full potential of the flash, meaning we could not see what was working in the photo and what wasn’t.

History of editing:

Final image:

This is my final edit for our butterfly lighting attempt. Although it did not work as successfully as we hoped, I think the use of the editing process significantly helped improve the look of the photo and achieve the butterfly effect to an extent. I decreased the exposure a notable amount as it helps dull the image, which in a way helps increase the dark shadows. In addition to this, by increasing the contrast it helped bring out the shadows against the light, enhancing the butterfly effect. I decreased the vibration and exposure to -100 as it made my final image black and white, which I think is the more successful version for this technique of lighting.

More final edits:

In photography, lighting is extremely important for every photograph, as it adds a mood to each photo. There are three different common types of lighting, shown below:

Rembrandt Lighting:

Rembrandt lighting is a technique that was taken from a famous painter in the 1600s, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. It’s a popular technique because it creates images that look both dramatic yet natural. This technique is a way of lighting the face so that a small upside-down triangle of light appears just under the models eye, on the less illuminated side of their face. It is a simple, effective photography lighting setup that’s flattering to a wide variety of faces, and is easy to master quickly. It’s possible to achieve this using just your camera and a single light source, which is why its so popular.

Examples of Rembrandt lighting:

The Rembrandt lighting technique is mostly known for dimension and depth it adds to portraiture. By using it you instantly create shadows and contrast in your photos. It also adds an element of drama, which is effective in photography because it draws the viewer’s attention immediately.

Lighting set up:

Light – lighting styles are determined by the position of your light source. Rembrandt lighting is created by the single light source being at a 40 – 45 degree angle and higher than the subject. Both flashlights and continuous lights can be used for this technique.

Lens – a 35mm or 50mm lens will work the best for this technique if your space is at a premium. Or, if you’ re looking at including more of the subject than just the head and shoulders. A 50mm works very nicely for portraits, and will give a nice depth of field if you’re shooting with a shallow aperture. However, a 35mm will give you a wider perspective, meaning you can include more of the background in a photo. However, this is usually not needed in portraits as we want to focus on the subject.

Butterfly Lighting:

Butterfly lighting is a lighting pattern used in portrait photography where the key light is placed above and pointing down on the subject’s face. This creates a dramatic shadow under the nose and chin that looks like a butterfly. One of the most famous photographers to use butterfly lighting was George Hurrell, who was known for his dramatic portraits of Hollywood stars, and since, the technique has grown more popular.

Examples of butterfly lighting:

Butterfly lighting is primarily used in a studio setting. It is named “butterfly” because of the butterfly shaped shadow that it creates just under the models nose. This occurs because of the lighting in the shot, comes from above the models head. Butterfly lighting is mostly used for portraits, as it is flattering on everybody.

Lighting set up:

Light – Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit, or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural, meaning you have a lot more choice in which lighting you think would benefit your photos a lot more. Butterfly lighting can be varied, soft or hard depending on the objective of the image.

Lens – The most popular lens used for butterfly lighting is between a 50 – 85mm lens. This helps the photo because it allows a larger depth of field.

Chiaroscuro lighting:

Chiaroscuro lighting is a high-contrasting light technique that utilises a low-key lighting set up to achieve contrast between the subject and the dark background. Window light is the most accessible for this technique, as it focuses on only half of the models face being seen. By using window light, the photographer is able to enhance the exposure to avoid any distraction in the background of the photo. This helps keep the spotlight on the model. The window must be the only source of light when using this technique, if there is other background lighting then the focus will drift from the model into the background.

Examples of Chiaroscuro lighting:

This technique is mainly used in film to create striking images or evoke a certain feeling. The contrast between light and shade can help frame a subject more effectively. Drawing viewers eyes to things they would not usually focus on in the image.

Lighting set up:

Light – Chiaroscuro mainly uses one key light, and a variation using a reflector which helps deepen the contrast between the shadows.

Print Screen 1:

To start with, I opened up a plain gallery photo I found on the internet, I chose this one because there is lots of space where I can add my own images in. I began with these two images because they are definitely two of my most successful images that I have taken and edited so far. I thought that by adding these to the sides without any other images near them, it prevents distractions when looking at them, and means the viewer can focus on them more. By using photoshop I was also able to add shadow effects, and slant the images on the sides to add a sense of realism, it already began to look professional.

Print Screen 2:

I then moved on to the back section of the gallery, where I added another still life image I had taken in the middle. I did this because it looks efficient if my still life photos are equally separated. I did not need to add any shadows to this image because it was a neutral shot, meaning I can not see any of the sides.

Final Virtual Gallery:

This was the final result of my virtual gallery, after I added in my final images. For the final two, I decided to incorporate photos of tools, which was inspired by Walker Evans and Darren Harvey-Regan. I did this because it created a realistic contrast of photos you could find in a real art gallery. I like the effect of the two tool images separating the still life because it creates disparity, and therefore makes each detail in each image more noticeable and eye-catching.

What is Environmental portraiture?

An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The most common purpose of environmental photography is to inform and educate people about how their actions affect the environment.

Mood Board:

About Environmental Portraits:

A good environmental portrait is a photograph of a person that connects them with their natural surroundings. The photo will provide more of a story about the person than a formal portrait would. A portrait of a person in their natural environment adds depth to both them and the location.

Typology in photography:

A photographic typology is a single photograph or more commonly a body of photographic work, that shares a high level of consistency. This consistency is usually found within the subjects, environment, photographic process, and presentation or direction of the subject.