I choose the book “F E M A L E” by Jitka Hanzlova. This book has 115 pages with different women with different culture, background and everyone is unique in their own way including the background. It tells a story that everyone has there own little bubble and are just other people in peoples lives. Photography captures’ peoples lives and moments forever. I like this photobook because it tells a story from so many different perspectives and lives. There are younger kids, older women and overall a range of ages which shows the growing up and how people growing up in different generations can affect you as a person. Most people are pulling a straight or sad/mad face which you could say shows the rage and anger some women have to go through because of misogamy an what some men are like. Some women may be scared to leave the house and I think this book represents a lot of women in todays society. I have made some images similar revolving around girlhood and misogyny to try and raise awareness and show people that life can be tough and isn’t perfect. I think that Hanzlova tried to make elements of this in her photobook too.
The book “F E M A L E” by Jitka Hanzlova. Hanzlová grew up in Rokytník, a village in eastern Bohemia. She was initially interested in painting and drawing before discovering photography as an artistic medium in 1983. Inspired by the works of Diane Arbus[2] and the anonymous portraits of Walker Evans, she undertook her first trip to America in 1986. In 1987 she began studying visual communication at the University of Essen with a focus on photography, which she completed in 1994. In 1989, Stern published her first group of works under the title “Man Calls It School” about a school for asylum seekers.[3] After the fall of the Wall and the end of the communist regime, she travelled back to her Czech homeland for the first time. I think that she made the female book to raise awareness for women and show people how different we all are, we al need to stick together and be kind to each other. This book is for everyone to view and can change peoples perspectives on life. This book drew me in because it shows people how everyone’s life is so different and we all live in each others life like characters. It sends a message that says you should be kind and look out for everyone because you never know what people are going through at the end of the day, we are all beautiful and perfect in our own special ways.
The book female, its thick and heavy. It smells like an old book and there is a range of different colours. The book has 121 A4 pages that are white with the image in the middle on the right page, they feel smooth and soft with a hard cover on the front and back with a printed image on the front, a white female wearing all black with a coffee in her hand looing blankly at the camera which gives some insight on what the book may be about. The title is red and spaced out with normal font and her name is above the picture which is relevant when it comes to all the images in the book. I think that it tells a story of history, its not just images of loads of different women. its about culture and background. The realisation we all grew up differently and this plays a huge part in our life as women. We are all unique. It has this repeating idea of strength and culutre and this is why I think its about awareness and strength. She’s repeated pretty much everything in the mood and it has the same layout for the whole book which again repents the idea of repation.
I started my girlhood shoot at Le Hocq in jersey around the beach and in my fiat 500. I took images of many different things such as girls putting on lip gloss, laughing (caudinid) and walks a long the beach.
Here are my favourite images from this shoot. I like that the lighting for the shoot was natural daylight, which illuminated the scene and the atmosphere of the beach. The soft sunlight created a warm, golden glow. I used a focused aperture to highlight the moments of joy and expressions of the girls. With a low ISO sensitivity, the images maintained a clean quality, preserving the sharpness of the scenes even in the bright daylight. For the warm tones, I set the white balance to a slight “cast” setting, allowing for a soft, sun-kissed glow that added to the overall nostalgic and dreamy feel of the shoot and the sense of girlhood.
How is feminism and girlhood portrayed through photography?
Introduction
In todays society, there is still significant male patriarchy, and feminist perspectives are often marginalized but I’m interested in the aesthetic on how feminism and girlhood are portrayed through the lens of photography.
I’ll be analysing the works of Cindy Sherman and Laura Mulvey, two artists who both offer powerful insights into how women are treated and viewed. Cindy Sherman is best known for her self-portraits, where she transforms herself into ‘strange’ female characters using costumes and makeup. Through this, she challenges traditional ideas of femininity. Sherman’s work deconstructs the idea of a fixed female identity and forces us to question how we view woman/girlhood.
Laura Mulvey’s work as a feminist film theorist is influential to women, especially her concept of the “male gaze.” Some of her ideas about how women are objectified in visual media are crucial to understanding photography as well. Mulvey argues that women are often framed in ways that make them passive objects for the male viewer, seen as sex objects. This theory is powerful when applied to photography, where women’s bodies are often objectified and are presented in a sexualised way, not seeing them as a person.
Both of these artists shows the world how we criticize the ways that women and girls are represented and treated in society. Sherman does this through performance and images, while Mulvey does it through theory. In my work, I plan to explore the idea of girlhood and femininity. Within this project I hope to better understand how photography plays a role in shaping feminist ideas about girlhood. Ultimately, I’m hoping to show how women grow and blossom, as well as what some challenged women may go through or what some women are put through. Through this exploration I hope to seek awareness for women and girls during their lives.
PARAGRAGH ONE
Feminism and girlhood in photography have been hugely shaped by Laura Mulvey and Cindy Sherman. These two women have shaped how we look at gender, identity, and how girls and women are portrayed in pictures ,in society and in general. Their ideas challenge the traditional ways women and girls have been portrayed, offering new ways of understanding femininity, girlhood and the struggles many women have to go though.
Laura Mulvey is best known for her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975), where she talks about the “male gaze.” This idea says that in movies and media, women are often shown as objects for men to look at and desire, sexualised and treated like trash which is seen a lot. “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly“. Mulvey is saying that in a world where men hold most of the power, looking and enjoying images is split between men and women. Men are the ones doing the looking, while women are often shown as objects to be looked at. The “male gaze” means that men project their desires onto women, and women are usually portrayed in ways that match those desires, rather than being shown as full, active people in their own right. Mulvey argues that this makes women passive, meaning they don’t have control over how they are seen. Her theory made people start thinking about how women in photos are usually shown as passive, or just there to be looked at for men. Feminist photographers began questioning how women and girls are shown in images. Mulvey’s ideas pushed us to think critically about how girls and women have been represented in visual art and media for a long time which you could argue is getting worse as time goes on.
Sherman is famous for her self-portraits, where she dresses up in different costumes and challenges ideas. She uses herself as the model in her photos and challenges the way women and girls are shown in the media. By acting out stereotypes of women, Sherman shows that femininity and girlhood aren’t fixed, they change depending on society’s expectations and what people expect us to do/be.
I think that the way these pictures come through me is mostly intuitive—unless I have something specific in mind, like with the sex pictures; I definitely had ideas of what each one was about. But I don’t title them. I’m not going to thrust the issues in my work into people’s faces with words. Sherman talks about her creative process. She says that most of the time, her art comes from her gut feeling, without planning everything out. But when she’s working on something specific, like her sex-themed pieces, she has a clearer idea of what she wants to express. She also mentions that she doesn’t use titles for her work because she doesn’t want to push her thoughts onto the audience. She prefers to let the art speak for itself and give people the freedom to interpret it however they like. In a way, Sherman takes on board the control of the “gaze” Mulvey talks about. Instead of just being the subject of a photo for people to look at, Sherman is actively making the image herself and showing herself off in an unusual way. This gives her the power to change how girlhood and femininity are represented. She makes us think about how we see girls and women in photos, this is what she is most famous for. Together, Mulvey and Sherman have completely changed how we think about girlhood in photography. Mulvey’s ideas help us understand how images of women and girls are often controlled by a male perspective, while Sherman’s work shows us how we can change how women are presented in the media. Mulvey made us realize how damaging these traditional ways of representing women can be, and Sherman’s photos give us a new way of looking at the power women have. Their work encourages us to think differently about how girls and women are seen in photography. We’re now more aware of how gender, power, and identity play a role in these images.
Para 2
Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey; she lives and works in New York. Sherman is famous for her self-portraits, where she dresses up in different costumes and challenges ideas. She uses herself as the model in her photos and challenges the way women and girls are shown in the media, the misogyny women have to go through, ranging from the 1900s all the way to the 21st century. Women are stereotyped and shamed upon for this stereotypical way that women need to cook and clean whilst the man goes to work and make all the money. Mulvey agrees with this – “Woman then stands in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his phantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by im- posing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning.” ― Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. This quote from Laura Mulvey is about how women are often portrayed in movies and society. In a patriarchal culture, women are seen as objects for men’s fantasies. They don’t have their own voice or power to create meaning; instead, they are shown as silent and passive, with men controlling how they are seen. Women are often represented in ways that fulfil men’s desires, rather than being allowed to shape their own stories or identities, which agrees with what Sherman is trying to represent.
Sherman construct images using herself as the model of feminine women. She shows elements of sexual desire and domination. Sherman recognizes those fixed identity concepts surrounding women, suggesting the possibility of women’s self-authorization in reality (self esteem). This is done by dressing up, posing, and photographing herself in different scenarios, Sherman critiques the way women are portrayed in popular media. This area is particularly for Sherman’s elaborately “disguised” self-portraits that comment on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes. Sherman is trying to make a move and a change into women’s lives within her images. Her images have a message, they are not just a picture
One of my favourite images that Sherman took is the one in black and a white of a women on the kitchen floor.
This is because of the stereotypical change Sherman’s trying to make. The type of lighting is black and white, imitating that the image was taken in the early 1900s. The white balance is cool/cold. There is a deep historical meaning within this because of this huge male misogyny and what women have to go through i.e. cat calling. Men get away with it and women “have to suffer in silence”. Even in 2024 some women are scared to leave the house at night but Sherman tried to raise awareness about that. ” I didn’t have any interest in traditional art” – Cindy Sherman. This shows that she did not care about making something beautiful or the art in itself – she cared about raising awareness for women and making them seen/heard rather than making something for money or fame. Sherman wanted to target everybody with her are for the people to take in and claim conceptually within their own thoughts. If her audience resonates with an image because of its portrayal of womanhood, or perhaps it makes them think of their views of women, that is simply what that viewer took from her art
Para 3
I’ve been looking at how photographers use the human body to express ideas about identity, and to gain further insights Laura Mulvey The writer and academic, , I have chosen to look closer at the writings of Laura Mulvey. Even though Mulvey is best known for her work in film theory, her ideas about the “male gaze” are really relevant to photography too, especially when it comes to how identity is portrayed. In her famous essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey talks about how women are often shown as objects to be looked at, rather than as active characters with their own story. She explains that in traditional films, women are often passive, only to be admired by male viewers, while male characters are more active and in control, “leaders”. Here is a quote that backs my point. “As a woman, you never escape the male gaze“. This is true because no matter what you do or where you are there is usually always misogyny happening and men feel like they have power and ownership over us as women which is unjust. Women are trapped in this sort of loop hole that men think they have the power which is not true.
I find this theory really interesting because it makes me think about how people are shown in photography. If a photographer only focuses on the body, or sexualizes their subject without considering their personality or story, it can create the same kind of objectification Mulvey talks about. After reading her work, I started to think about how I can challenge that in my own photography, in my images I want to capture more of a women’s story and personality.
In my own images, I’ve tried to move away from the idea of showing someone as an object. One of the things I did was give my subjects more powerful, active poses. I took one of my friends sitting alone, looking out the window with her arms crossed.
It wasn’t just an image of her looking pretty, but a moment where she seemed deep in thought and in control of her space. This made her seem more active in the image, rather than just something to look at. It helped show a side of her that felt more real and personal. I also worked with framing to show my subjects as part of a bigger story, rather than just focusing on their body. In one image, I showed more of the environment around the subject, giving context to who they are and where they are. This made the image feel less like a snapshot of just a body and more like a glimpse into a person’s life or emotions. I believe that these images relate to Mulvey’s theory and they are trying to make awareness for what she believes.
When I look at my own work now, I realize how important it is to think about the message I’m sending with each image. The way I frame a shot, use lighting, and choose my subject’s pose can all say something about their identity and how powerful or vulnerable they seem. I’ve learned a lot from Mulvey’s ideas, and I’ve started to challenge the way women, in particular, are usually portrayed in images. My images now feel like they capture the personality and depth of the subject rather than just how they look. It’s been a really eye-opening experience, and I’m proud of how I’m learning to express identity in a more thoughtful way.
It is said that analysing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it.” ― (Laura Mulvey, Visual And Other Pleasures – reference it using Harvard system). This is a good quote because it suggests that overanalysing the experiences of beauty and pleasure can take away the immediacy and emotional impact. It can ruin the feeling and make it less special. You can see this in the media and Mulvey means this by where women are just looked at and not take seriously which to us, takes away the power and beauty of us and it belittles women. They are more than just an object.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the work of Cindy Sherman and Laura Mulvey has really influenced how I think about how women and girlhood are shown in photography. Both artists challenge the usual ways women are represented and offer new ways of looking at femininity, identity, and power. Their work has helped me realize how important it is to think about how women are viewed in society and how we can change that through photography.
Cindy Sherman shows that femininity isn’t something fixed, but something that changes depending on what society expects of women. I think her work makes us think about how we see women in photographs and how stereotypes are created. In my own work, I want to explore girlhood and femininity in a way that questions these stereotypes, just like Sherman does in her images.
Laura Mulvey’s idea of the “male gaze” also has had a big impact on how I approach photography. In her writing, Mulvey talks about how women are often shown as objects for men to look at in movies and media. This idea is also important for photography because how we frame women in images can either objectify them or show them as real people with their own stories. I’ve tried to avoid focusing just on the body in my images. Instead, I aim to show more of my subject’s personality and story. I want my images to feel real and not just like something for others to look at.
Both Sherman and Mulvey have taught me a lot about how women are shown in art and how we can change that. They’ve made me more aware of how images can influence how women are seen and how we can use photography to challenge stereotypes. Like Sherman, I want my work to question traditional ideas of femininity, and like Mulvey, I want to make sure my subjects are shown as full, complex people. Through my photography, I hope to contribute to the conversation about how women are represented and help make space for more empowering images of girlhood.
Bibliography: Google – photoquotes.com, goodreads, wikipedia.
I feel like these images relate to the beauty within females in our society. They reflect confidence and power, showing women that we are strong and beautiful. Out of the 100 photos we took I managed to narrow it down to two images that are my favourite. This is because its pin pointing the beauty of this particular female.
These images are just the start of showing female and feminist poses to attract attention and
I want to explore the theme of misogyny, feminism, how men expect us to act and want us to act. How women are objectified and men are passive, women are active. John Berger said “Men act women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” This quote means so much more than what it says. He is trying to say that women are self-conscious because of men and have to act a certain way or will be looked down on. Men can make women feel uncomfortable, with things that happen daily such as cat calling, sexual harassment and all these things relate to the quote as women have to put up with the horrors from these men even in the 20th century. This could be raising awareness for women and could help them as its focussing on the points that need to change. Cindy Sherman explored the theme of stereotype and how women are portrayed in the 1970s which is why I also will speak about her and be referencing her in my project.
Why does it matter to you?
This area matters to me because its about raising awareness about women that have been going through this for centuries. Women are sexualised, objectified and treated like nothing. There is domestic abuse ,rape, violence, misogyny, a patriarchal society and so much more. However speaking about these issues can bring a light to these issues and could get some women to speak up in case they’re scared or maybe could change society bit by bit. I like speaking about issues especially when it could make change and make women feel comfortable enough to speak up about it.
How you wish to develop your project?
I will develop my project by exploring the complex and deeply interconnected themes of misogyny, rape culture, and feminism through the lens of visual storytelling. I aim to use photography as a view to see harmful stereotypes and raise awareness about the lived experiences of women. I plan to experiment with various photographic techniques, such as portraiture, landscape photography, and symbolic imagery, to create emotional and psychical work that sparks conversation. My goal is not only to highlight the core of these horrific issues but also to empower individuals to engage with them and try to speak up. This could change social justice and equality as women have go through a lot which I don’t like and I think its not fair.
Here is some of the images that I am inspired by and want to do similarly to this.
When and where do you intent to begin your study?
I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.
Research & Concept Investigate how photography reflects and challenges themes of feminism, beauty, and female identity. Key questions to explore include: How do beauty standards shape women’s identities? How can photography break traditional representations of women? Look at artists like Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, and Laura Zalenga for inspiration. Their work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation.
Personal Theme Develop a central question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?”
Techniques Use portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real, unposed moments that move away from stereotypical beauty standards.
Visual Style & Symbolism Use symbolism in your photos, like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities to reflect the variety of female experiences and challenge narrow beauty ideals.
Photo Shoot Planning Focus on photographing diverse female subjects to reflect a range of identities. Choose settings that feel personal or empowering, like home, nature, or urban spaces. Be intentional with clothing and makeup, either to highlight or challenge beauty norms.
Editing Keep editing minimal to preserve authenticity, but consider using black-and-white or color choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers, can help reflect the complexity of female identity.
Reflection Reflect on how your photos address themes of feminism and beauty. Consider how your work questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation.
Conclusion Conclude by summarizing how your work adds to the dialogue around women’s identity, beauty, and empowerment.
Herr are the top 3 artists at the top.
I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.
Laia Abril (born 1986) Abril was born in 1986 in Barcelona, Spain, is a Catalan artist whose work relates to bio-politics, grief and women’s rights. She won the PhotoBook festival in Kassel and the PhotoEspaña Best Book Award. Her books include The Epilogue (2014), which documents the indirect victims of eating disorders; and a long-term project as seen down below.
Laia Abril’s Misogyny is a powerful exploration that confronts the enduring issue of gender-based violence and the horrific things women go through. Abril goes into the nature of misogyny, shedding light on its harmful impact on women and how it can affect them. However she is trying to challenge this misogynistic attitude and shape individual lives. Abril’s approach is deeply personal, as she captures not only the physical harm and deception of violence but also the psychological scars left by the hate.
Her work engages with silence that some women have to do, such as a domestic abuse relationship that which is not shown in the media but is present in the lives of women. Abril’s photography often uses symbolism and conveys an message, always. For example the silencing of a women’s voices in patriarchal systems. The intimacy of her portraits and the message she tries to convey emphasizes the complexity of misogyny.
By confronting the world with harsh truth that no one wnats tp hear, Abril wnats us to look at gender inequality, abortion and all the probelms we a swomen face etc…
Through Misogyny, Abril uses photography as a tool for artistic expression but also as a means of social activism, using the camera to bring silenced voices and hidden stories to light. Her work therefore tells us so much about women’s life.
My favourite image
This is my favourite image because its an image that you could argue shows a women “suffering in silence”. She looks drained and almost as if she is going though a rough time. This image is in black and white which apposes that she is going through some sort of barging or depression as its a dull colour and that’s what you would relate these colours with. She is clearly a feminist and has a very strong opinion on what and how women suffer. Women Suffer In Silence! which is the sad truth of reality. I love how she is one of the only women who will speak upon it and isn’t shy about the horrors. Abril is a strong independent women who isn’t scared to speak on the harsh truth.
Her books
Laia Abril is a powerful voice in contemporary photography, using her work to explore complex social issues, particularly those affecting women. Through her books she attaches themselves too so many issues such as rape, abortion etc. Abril goes into themes of trauma, gender inequality, and the unseen struggles women face. Her intimate yet unapologetic approach to storytelling has a profound impact, encouraging a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of women today. Abril’s ability to blend personal narratives with broader social commentary makes her work not only a visual experience but a call for empathy and change, empowering women to reclaim their stories and challenge societal norms.
Women today continue to face deep-rooted challenges, such as misogyny. This remains widespread, everyday in discrimination, verbal abuse, and gender violence. Many women still struggle against social expectations and stereotypes (norms) that dictate how they should look, act, and live. Despite progress in gender equality, issues like sexual harassment, assault, and rape continue to haunt women, leaving emotional, physical, and psychological trauma. In many places, women are still denied equal rights in education, work, and politics, and their voices are often silenced, such as Afghanistan – the Taliban. The pressure to meet beauty standards, combined with the constant threat of violence, creates an environment of fear and low self-esteem.
Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey; she lives and works in New York. American artists who came to artistic maturity and critical recognition during the early 1980s.
Cynthia Morris Sherman is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. She is based around and the misogyny women have to go through, even in 2024 – the present day. Women are stereotyped and shamed upon for this stereotypical way that women need to cook and clean whilst the man goes to work. I think that Sherman tries to show this within her images of photography, here are some of Sherman’s images.
She photograph’s very feminine women. She shows elements of sexual desire and domination, the fashioning of self-identity as mass deception. Sherman recognizes those fixed identity concepts surrounding women, suggesting the possibility of women’s self-authorization in reality (self esteem).
This is done by By dressing up, posing, and photographing herself in different scenarios, Sherman effectively critiques the way women are portrayed in popular media. These images challenge the viewer to question their preconceived notions about identity and the roles society imposes upon women.
How does this relate to observe, seek & challenge?
This is particularly for Sherman’s elaborately “disguised” self-portraits that comment on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes. Sherman is trying to make a move and a change into women’s lives within her images. Images have a message, they are not just a picture. Especially when they are for the good.
One of my favourite images that Sherman took. This is because of the stereotypical change Sherman’s trying to make. The type of lighting id black and white, imitating that the image was taken in the early 1900s. The white balance is cool/cold which I really like in an image. There is deep historical and a connection to Sherman’s work which is this huge male misogyny and what women have to go through i.e. cat calling, women have to go through, whereas men get away with it and women “have to suffer in silence”. Even in 2024 some women are scared to leave the house at night but Sherman is trying to raise awareness for that.
Similarly, another one of Sherman’s images is one of her on the kitchen floor, cleaning and doing chores’ – once again you could assume this is for a man with kids. Which doesn’t just have thought but also the essence of the work itself. This image has low exposure for the shutter speed, the ISO is high light sensitivity and the white balance is cold temperature. Sherman is sitting down the floor, almost looking tired from doing so much. Each of her images have value and the deeper you go the deeper meaning each image has. The tone of Sherman’s image is dark (black and white) which you could say shows a sense of depression. The rule of thirds is in her images too you could argue.
Comparing both images
However comparing both images, you can see that they both rely deeper meaning within the image about women’s historical views such as equality and equal pay, women’s rights and women being able to vote. In 2024 you see a lot less of Using intimidating or humiliating behaviour to destroy a woman’s self-confidence and undermine her. Discriminating against women, for example a woman is not offered a job that she is qualified for because she is a woman or it is assumed that a woman can’t do something because she is a woman from what you would see back then which is why I love Sherman’s products as she projects issues from so long ago and is trying to make awareness just with a photograph. They are both in B&W of a “stereotypical” beautfuil housewife.
In my opinion I think that my favourite project was when I did portraits, here are some of my images that I took and analysed, edited too.
Portraits can contain an individual or multiple subjects. At a minimum, the subject is captured from their head to their shoulders, but many artists enjoy telling a story with the whole body. Before the advent of photographs, the most accurate way to preserve the visual essence of somebody was in a portrait picture.
The lighting of each of my pictures are so different, some of them appear to be a natural daylight image whereas the others appear saturated and toned down. I love this project because you can show so many different versions of people and you are able to position lights and people in so many different ways whether it looks staged or not. There is a range of aperture but with the darker, my personal favourite ones they are more of a blurred aperture. The shutter speed seems to differ from image top image but for the darker it is underexposed but it does vary even with the editing. (The brighter images are overexposure). Lastly the ISO and white balance is high sensitivity and cool temperature for the darker, edited cooler images which I used for my mock exam.
I enjoy doing portraits because its such a popular form of photography used by everyone day to day and its a beautiful form of art. It show history and I love the way it shows you so much about people, shows their beauty and it tells a story just within a picture. It can show everything from culture to religion.
The visual elements’ of portraits and the one – the tones are light and dark, there is almost a constant pattern of repetition within the poses and the face symmetry. I made one image upside down and edited it on light room, highering the contrast and colours etc.
Cindy Sherman
I am really inspired by her images.
Cindy Sherman began her career in the late 1970s, she posed as various female characters. Her work challenges traditional representations of women in media and art, making her a key figure in contemporary photography and feminism.
Cindy Sherman is famous for her self-portraits that really make us think about what it means to be a woman. In her photos, she transforms into different characters, showing how women are often viewed in a parochial society. It’s an interesting way to reflect on your own identity and how you see yourself. Sherman’s images challenge stereotypes, by using costumes and makeup, she shows that identity isn’t fixed; it can change and evolve. In today’s world of social media, her work makes us think about how we represent ourselves and what’s real. Looking at Sherman’s art can help young people understand themselves better which could help with self esteem and maybe even things people go through… It’s a powerful reminder that everyone’s story is unique and everyone matters no matter who you are.
I could start my personal study based on her with some of my images relating to hers – here is some examples!
Conclusion
I love the idea behind these images and the messages they portray and this is why I want do something like this. The essence of work means so much to females and could be a big move in the 20th century. The ideas in this idea of a project are aesthetic and all com together. This is why its an amazing idea for someone like me to do my personal study base on this.
