For this photoshoot, I visited the sandunes. I recreated some of the activities presented in Justine Kurland’s book ‘Girl Pictures,’ as well as creating images doing some activities that I used to do in my own youth. The plan was to sledge down the 100 foot sand hill, because that is what I used to do in my youth quite a lot, but now there are signs up saying it is not allowed, so we couldn’t do that. Instead, we decided to climb up it and run down it, not only so that the trip here was not wasted, but because this is something I also used to do while I was at the sandunes when I was younger.

Contact Sheet

The images that are highlighted green are the images I have decided to edit, because they are my best images, with the best composition and explore the theme of youth and identity the best.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, texture and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and vibrancy. I did this, so that I could add more warm tones and vibrancy to the grass. I also wanted to add more texture to the grass to make it more of an interesting photo, by using the visual elements.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, texture, clarity, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, whites, blacks and highlights. I did this, so that the image has less of a white overcast on it, due to the lighting and time of day these images were taken. I also wanted to make the grass and sky more vibrant, to add more colour to the image.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, whites and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more vibrant, and so that there was contrast between the dark tree branches and the bright white like sky.

I edited this image, by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks, highlights and whites. I did this for a similar reason as the image above. I wanted to increase the vibrancy, so the grass around would be more bright. I also wanted to create a contrast between the darker coloured tree branches and the bright white like sky.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, texture, clarity, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be brighter and more exposed, because it was quite dark due to the shade from the tree. I also wanted to add contrast and texture to the photo.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, white, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was less exposed, because of the time of day the images were shot and the lighting there was a white cast on the image. I also wanted to make the image more vibrant, so the colours stood out more.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I also added a yellow tint to the image, so that the sand was more yellow, rather than more pale, so that the angel was more visible.

I editing this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, white, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights. I also added a yellow tint to the image, for the same reason above.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, white and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights, blacks and saturation. I also added a yellow tint. I edited this image in this way, so that the image was more exposed and was more warm.

I edited this by increasing the contrast, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks, whites and saturation. I also added a yellow tint to this image. I did this, so that the image would be more warm and so the contrast between the shadows and highlights were more visible.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, texture, clarity, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I also added a yellow tint to this image. I did this, so that the image was more warm, so it almost looked like it was taken at sunset instead of midday. I also wanted to make the sand a darker yellow colour and add texture to it.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, white, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights. I also added a yellow tint to this image. I did this so the image would be more exposed and so the sand would be brighter.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, blacks and highlights. I also added a yellow tint to the image. I did this, so that the sand would be darker, so the texture of the footprint were more prominent.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, white, texture, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights. I also added a yellow tint to this image. I did this, so that the image would be more exposed and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks, saturation and whites. I did this, so that the colours in the image are more vibrant and there’s less of a white cast on the left.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, white, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy, texture and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly less exposed, so that the lighting was better.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, texture, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing highlights, whites and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed, so it was a bit brighter.

I edited these images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the images would be more vibrant.

Intention

My intention with this photoshoot is to explore the female identity and my own identity through this photoshoot as well, just how Justine Kurland found her own identity through her work. I am going to explore the female identity and present all different female identities through my work. I want to present that the female identity isn’t just what is stereotyped, but it can be whatever you want it to be. In ‘Girl Pictures,’ Justine Kurland states that, ‘Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it…’ She is stating that the girls in her book were all these things. She has done this, so that she can present to the viewers that they too can be whatever identity they wish to be, no matter how different or not socially acceptable it may be. I also want to present this in my work, so that I can portray to my viewers that identity is just what you make it, instead of it being what makes you.

Through this work I also want to investigate into different stereotypes and present images that oppose these stereotypical ‘norms.’ Justine Kurland presented these girls ‘in the dominion of boys’ and ‘they were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ She did this, so that she could combat against female stereotypes, so that she could present to the viewers that these stereotypical ‘norms’ aren’t just what we should be allowed to be and do, but instead girls should also be able to do anything a boy can do and act in a way that a boy would. I think this is a really important message and I want to display this message well in my work, by presenting the young girls in a more rambunctious, ‘boy like’ manor, combating these stereotypical ‘norms.’

However, I want to make a twist on Justine Kurland’s work, for my own work, and I intend on doing this, by showing a larger spectrum of stereotypes, and showing stereotypes, that are not being combated. For example, I want to display these young girls following these female stereotypical norms, just how Cindy Sherman presented these stereotypical norms, because I want to display to the viewers, and to all other young girls that may see these images, that your identity can be anything you make it, and you don’t have to feel like you have to oppose these stereotypical ‘norms’, if that is who you truly are and what your identity truly is.

I always want to explore youth through my work, just like Justine Kurland did in her ‘Girl Pictures.’ As I said I also wanted to explore my identity through this project, so to explore these two things I am going to be looking back into my youth, or my ‘Girlhood’ and replicating some of the activities I used to do in my teenage years. This will help me explore youth, especially my youth and it will help me explore my identity, to see what stereotypical ‘norms’ I followed, or didn’t when I was younger. This will also help me compare my identity back then, to it now. I think youth is also a really important aspect to explore, because Justine Kurland’s whole book was based off this idea of youth and ‘girlhood,’ so to also put a twist on her work, I am making my work more internal to me, by making it relative to my youth, ‘girlhood’ and my life. I also think that youth is a very important development stage, which helps to build your identity, so I also think it would be interesting to compare my youth, to the youth shown in Justine Kurland’s book, ‘Girl Pictures.’

Ideas

During my review and reflect of all my previous blog posts and topics, I discovered that I much preferred taking pictures of people rather than landscapes, whether that was portraits, tableaux images, or street photography. However, I think portraiture is my biggest strength and what I enjoy the most.

I also found the topic femininity and masculinity a really interesting topic that I found I could write a lot about. I find researching and creating different stereotypes in my photographs the most interesting part, and I really enjoyed making my images fight against these different gender stereotypes. I really enjoyed this topic, because as a women stereotypes is something I hear and see a lot of and I feel like I could do a lot for this topic and write a lot about it, because it is so internal to me and my identity. I also enjoyed how in this topic Claude Cahun for example explored her identity, by becoming a more masculine version of herself and I feel like if I were to do something related to this topic I would also be able to explore my identity.

Artist Research Thoughts

I enjoy how Justine Kurland’s images are of young girls, because I am myself a young girl, so this is something I really relate to and is internal to me, so I feel like it would be easier for me to gather my friends to create similar images. I also feel like I could produce better images, as the topic of ‘girlhood’ is so much more internal to me, as I am experiencing my girlhood right now. I also like how she also fights against stereotypes, b getting the girls to ‘try on boy,’ which I feel like I would be able to do and create up to standard images. I am also going to explore female stereotypes, as well as opposing female stereotypes, because this is how I am going to put a twist on my photos, compared to Justine Kurland’s.

I am also going to be using the same photographic technique as Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall, which is producing tableaux images, that look like candid images. I am going to create these tableaux images in scenic outdoor environments and capture normal social interactions, that I would do in my youth. I am also going to pull ideas from the activities and the settings used in Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures.’

For my photoshoot, I am going to use Justine Kurland for my main inspiration, but I am also going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from Jeff Wall and other Historical paintings. I am doing this, because both Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland pulled compositions, ideas and concepts from famous paintings.

I am going to pull composition ideas, such as the fore ground, middle ground and background, as well as using the rule of thirds and other compositional ideas, because Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have used these compositional ideas, and I think they have worked very well. I am also going to use similar visual elements, such as tone, shape, patterns etc. that they have both used.

Photoshoot Plan

Justine Kurland- Girl Pictures

Examples of my youth:

During my teenage years, I went out with my friends a lot. Some of the outdoor places we would go, would include:

• Harve Des Pas Beach
• FB Fields
• Fort Regent
• St Brelades Bay
• Frigate
• People’s Park
• St Ouens Beach
• La Marrais
• Town
• In my car
• Georgia’s shed
• Campfire

The reason I am only choosing places which are outdoors, is because during my youth, I had more fun and did more things, while I was outdoors, instead of inside. I also wanted to keep the setting of my images still quite similar to Justine Kurland, because I think the images will relate to ‘Girl Pictures’ more, and will come out of a better standard visually.

During my youth I did many different activities including:

• Jumping off the Lido at Harve Des Pas
• Swimming in the sea
• Wave surfing at St Ouens
• Playing hide and seek at La Marrais
• Camping at St Ouens
• Have BBQ at the beach, or in gardens
• Picnic
• Get a snack/ meal
• Tan/ chill with a book
• Make a campfire

Other place ideas:

I also wanted to include settings that were used in ‘Girl Pictures,’ because I think they are visually pleasing settings, and they really help display the combat against stereotypical norms, because a dirty woods is not usually associated with femininity. Some places I have decided to include are:

• Street
• Public Bathroom
• Field
• Woods
• Barn/ shed
• Lakes/ rivers/ pond
• Mountains/ cliffs
• Walkway path
• Sandunes
• Roadside
• Under a Bridge
• Reservoir
• Rocky coast

Similar Places in Jersey:

• Cycling path along the avenue
• Snow hill, St Ounes etc.
• Field- nans garden
• St Catherines woods
• Georgia’s shed
• Sandunes
• Underground bit at harbour
• Resoviour
• Cliff paths St Brelade
• Beach
• Fort Regent park
• St Brelades campfire

Stereotype Ideas:

Female Stereotypes-

• Use of makeup in my images
• Doing hair
• Emotional shots eg. crying
• Using colours such as pink

Male Stereotypes-

• Strong eg. use of weights
• colours such as blue
• Emotional shots eg. anger and violence
• Messing around

To fight against these stereotypes, I will have girls do these male stereotypes, so that I can present girls acting like boys, as well as girls presenting as more feminine, because these were some activities I did in my youth and they just happen to be more feminine.

Narrative of different Image Ideas:

• Playing on swings in a park
• Running down the street
• Getting ready/ washing in a public bathroom
• camping
• smoking
• eating ice cream/ other snacks
• Making fires
• Shooting glass bottles
• swimming
• playing catch
• Fighting/ boxing
• Hula hooping
• Playing an instrument eg. Guitar
• Blowing bubbles
• Catching sweets in mouth
• Reading books
• Walking a dog
• Climbing trees
• Washing feet in a river
• Picking flowers
• Fixing a car
• Roadtrip
• Sand castles/ lying at the beach
• Roasting marshemellows
• Climbing fences
• Sledging down the sandunes

Tools/ props needed:

• Make up
• Perfume
• Hair brush
• Soap
• Cigerettes
• Snacks
• BBQ
• Glass bottle
• Toy gun
• Balls
• Hula Hoop
• Instrument
• Bubbles
• Books
• Car
• Bucket and spade
• Marshmellows
• Sledges

Composition

Different compositions that Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall used included compositions from famous paintings, so I am also going to pull ideas from famous historical paintings to create some of my photos. I am also going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from Justine Kurland’s work and Jeff Wall’s work.

Some example of historical paintings that I am going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from are below:

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

I want to take inspiration from these paintings, not only because they have a good composition, but because they also tell a story, which I could tell through my photographs, but make it applicable to modern times, and to the subject of identity and youth, because that is what I’m exploring.

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, The Burial of Manon Lescaut.

For this historical painting, I am going to take a picture of the same composition and actions. I am going to have one of my friends lying down being buried, like the women in this image, and have another friend burring her, but the concept behind my photograph is going to be different to the concept of the painting. In the painting the man is burring the women after she has died, but in my photograph I am going to make a modern version of this painting, and I am going to relate this photograph to my theme of youth. I am going to do this, by having the concept of my image being too young girls playing at the beach instead, because this is something I used to do when I was younger.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

For this historical painting I am going to use the same composition and setting as this historical painting and I am going to position my model in the same way. However, I am going to try and find a daisy field, so that she could be picking daisies in my photograph, instead of the concept of the painting. In the painting, she is looking into the distance at a faraway farmstead and a cluster of structures, and she is portrays the artist’s neighbor, who was unable to walk due to polio, so she would drag herself around.

For another photograph, I am going to take inspiration from Edouard Manet’s painting above, as well as the photographs Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have made by pulling concepts, ideas, and compositions from Edouard Manet. I am going to do this, by creating a similar setting and composition as they all have. I am going to do this, by going to a scenic outdoor area that is similar to the settings they have used, such as a woods, and I am going to use the same compositional method that they have all used, with a person in the foreground, middle ground and background.

To take inspiration from these images in the best and easiest way, I am going to print off these historical paintings and my chosen artists photos, so that I can visualise what I am trying to create while I am out on my photoshoot, and so I can see them side by side.

I am also going to be focusing on my composition quite a lot throughout all my photoshoots, as I am taking inspiration from Jeff Wall, Justine Kurland and famous historical paintings. Some examples of compositional tools I use are the foreground, middle ground, background, rule of thirds etc..

I am also going to be focusing on the visual elements that I can present in my photographs, and the visual elements that are being used in the historical painting, as well as Jeff Wall’s work and Justine Kurland’s work.

List of Visual Elements:

• Colour
• Tone (light & dark)
• Texture (surface)
• Shape (2D, flat)
• Form (3D)
• Pattern (repetition)
• Line
• Space (3D concept)

Jeff Wall

Jeff Wall is a Canadian photographer, who was born the 29th September 1946. He is artist best known for his large-scale back lit photographs and art history writing. He began drawing and painting at an early age and in the mid-1960s, and he studied art history at the University of British Columbia while continuing to make art, until 1970. Since the 1970’s he has problematized the relationship between photography, documentary and art in his dramatizations of apparently ordinary street scenes and social encounters. He pulled ideas, concepts and compositions from famous historical paintings (masters). He takes historical paintings and also puts a twist on them with his work, as he creates photographs with similar concepts, compositions and ideas to the paintings, but he creates a modern day version of the paintings. However, he is best known for his large-scale back-lit Cibachrome photographs and art history writing.

His Work

Jeff Wall’s carefully composed tableaux depicts everyday social relations which are based on his knowledge of Classical paintings. For example here he has depicted what a scene of a picnic looks like in the 21^st century compared to Seurat’s depiction of the bourgeoisie by a lake in the 19^th century France.

He borrowed the idea and concept of a picnic, however he made a modern day version of this picnic in the 1800. He slightly changed the concept of his photograph, compared to the painting in order to do this, as in modern times families do not usually go out to a park with lots of other families to have a picnic, but this is what is was like in the 1800, as the painting presents. Instead, he has had this modern day family go out into their garden and he has staged this image by manipulating the composition, positioning etc. as his images are tableaux images. Although he has changed the concept slightly he has kept the composition quite similar, with the trees in the background, just like in the painting, and he has had the father sit slightly more in the foreground, mother in the middle ground and daughter in the background to present a similar composition to the painting. However, the composition is not the exact same, as he has much less people in his photograph, compared to the painting.

Jeff Wall recreated historical paintings such as this and made modern day photograph version, because by recreating episodes that he has witnessed from his own memory, he gives himself room to add his own narrative and aesthetic elements. Rather than accepting reality as it is, he distorts it and enhances it to his preferences.

Jeff Wall also pulled ideas from quite a few of Edouard Manet’s paintings, similarly to Justine Kurland, as seen above, because Wall’s earliest photographs of the late 1970s and 1980s, clear references are made to some of the most famous paintings in the history of art since the Renaissance. He admits that in nodding toward the titans of early modern painting, such as Delacroix and Manet, he was ‘trying to continue an idea of historically and theoretically informed production.‘ At the time, many contemporary artists were rejecting the presumed grandeur of fine art painting in materials, style, and subject matter. 

In this image above he has borrowed the composition of the women being in the foreground and the man being in the background, in the same way the women in he painting is in the foreground and her reflection is in the background. He has also used the rule of thirds in his photograph, just how the rule of thirds was used in the painting as well. I his photograph he has the women in the left hand third, the man in the the right hand third, and in the centre third is a camera, which is supposed to be the viewer. He has also used a mirror in his photograph, just like in the painting. However, Jeff Wall has positioned the women in the left side of the frame, whereas in the painting there is a centre balance, with the women in the centre of the frame and the line of the the bar going horizontally through the image, creating a sort of cross.

Examples of his compositions

Similarly to Justine Kurland he has taken inspiration from Edouard Manet, Le Dejeuner sur L’herbe 1863. He has created a tableaux image, where he has manipulated the positioning and location of the models and himself. He has also borrowed the composition in the same way that Justine Kurland has, by having the three people in the foreground on the left, the person on the right in the middle ground and the far people in the background. He has also pulled from the setting a little bit, as the setting is in field like area with trees on the left. However, he has made a more modern day version of this painting by including the bridge, which is a modern day structure in his photograph.

Similarities with Justine Kurland

Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland both take photographs, which they have pulled ideas, concepts and compositions from famous historical paintings. They both also take images of ordinary street scenes and social encounters.

When pulling ideas, concepts and compositions to create tableaux images, both Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have created a photograph similar to the paintings they have taken inspiration from, but have made the concept of the photo applicable to modern day times.

How I am taking Inspiration from him

For my personal study I am going to take inspiration from Jeff Wall, as I am going to be pulling concepts, ideas and compositions from his work, just like he does with Historical paintings. I also want to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from historical paintings that he has taken inspiration from, like Edouard Manet, as well as other historical paintings. Some examples of historical paintings I want to take inspiration from are:

I want to take inspiration from Edouard Manet’s painting, because both Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have taken inspiration from this photograph. I also want to take inspiration from Jeff Wall’s photograph, that he has pulled ideas, concepts and compositions from.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

I want to take inspiration from these paintings, not only because they have a good composition, but because they also tell a story, which I could tell through my photographs, but make it applicable to modern times, and to the subject of identity and youth, because that is what I’m exploring.

I am also going to be taking photos of ordinary street scenes and social encounters, as I am going to be taking pictures of my friends and I doing activities in outdoor areas that I used to do in my youth.

Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland was born in 1969 and is an American fine art photographer, based in New York City. She first gained public notice with her work in the group show, called Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery.  The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes she chose the ‘secret places’ of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, ‘owned’ only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with school girls there.

About ‘Girl Pictures’

‘The girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home, that much was clear. They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ Floating a raft down the Mississippi. Tucking smokes into the sleeve of a T-shirt. Having a rumble. Living off land. Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it. – Justine Kurland.

This is the first paragraph in Justine Kurland’s book, where she sets the narrative of her ‘Girl Pictures’ for the viewers. The narrative of this story is that these girls have ran away from home, so that they can explore and have fun and be whoever they wish to be. She sets this narrative in these tableaux images, by having the girls pose doing all these different activities, such as swimming in rivers, or camping in forests.

She also explains what she wants the viewers to take in from this book and from her images, which is that you too can be anything you dream of in your imagination. She states that they are pirates, cowboys etc, because in ‘Girl Pictures’ these girls aren’t just girls, they are whoever they want to be, as they are finding their true identity during their youth. She also states that they are trying on ‘boy,’ because in society standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to gender stereotypes, which have been seen through many centuries. I feel like in this book ‘Girl Pictures’ she is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, and this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told what they should be or how they should behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls.

Kurland also began dating women shortly after completing her ‘Girls’ series, working with an undercurrent of sex and female sexuality. As of 2018 she had been dating her current female partner for three years. I think that, because of her work fighting against stereotypes and researching identity, it has impacted her and also allowed her to fight stereotypes and socials norms in her own personal life and help her find her true identity.

‘Girl Pictures’ is also about finding your identity and exploring youth as ‘girls’, because during youth you do not know who you fully are yet and being able to explore every aspect of your youth, even if it does not comply with social ‘norms’ allows you get the truest sense of your identity possible. Justine Kurland presents the girls finding their identity throughout the the book, because she states and presents, ‘Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’ This quote states that the girls could be anything they wanted to be even if it was the boys ‘dominion.’

Importance of the Topic

This topic of girlhood is really important to me and all other girls, because it explores our identity and youth. The way Justine Kurland opposed social norms in this book is important for girls all over the world, especially young girls that are exploring their identity, because this may influence people to decide their own identity, instead of following social standards.

Justine Kurland also explores opposing female stereotypes, which is really important to women and girls all around the world, because this will allow and influence other women and girls to oppose these stereotypes as well, so that they can be anything they want to be, instead of just confined to a certain range of lifestyles and careers.

The importance of this topic for me during my personal study, is that I can relate to Justine Kurland’s work, as well as adding my own experience, as I have experienced girlhood and youth. This will allow to me explore my youth and see how my identity has changed through the course of my life. I really want to explore this, so that I can figure out my own identity.

Girl Pictures

Composition

Justine Kurland carefully composes all her tableaux images, as she manipulated the narrative to be whatever she desires. She manipulates the position and distance of the girls and herself, to create a good composition.

Justine Kurland borrowed ideas, concepts and compositions from old historical paintings (masters/ famous paintings). An example of her borrowing from a master is ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ by Edouard Manet, which was created in 1862-63.

This painting includes a nude women in the foreground of the painting, who is lunching with two fully dressed men, who are in the middle ground of the painting. They also seem to be having a picnic in a woods, which is presented by the setting of the painting and the picnic basket containing fruit. This suggests they are lunching, as the title of the painting states. ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ is French and states ‘Lunch on the grass.’ There is also a half dressed women in the background of this painting, who is washing herself/ swimming in the lake. This painting was a very scandalous back in the 1800, as public nudity was seen as vulgar and frowned upon by society. This was because nudity was a very private concept back in that time, so the models for this painting would have most likely been prostitutes, as a respectable women would not have done this, or been allowed to in this time period.

Justine Kurland borrowed the concept and the composition from this famous painting. As seen in the painting and the photograph, the settings are quite similar, as they are both scenic landscapes, which are wooded, with trees in the distance, as well as the lake in the background. She has also borrowed the nudity concept from the painting, as she has a young girl life her top in the photograph, as if she is undressing to get in the lake. She has also borrowed the composition from the this photo, as well as other visual elements. Justine Kurland has used the same layout of having the ‘nude’ girl in the foreground, with people in the middle ground, as well as more people in the background down near the lake.

Analysis of one image

The lighting used in this image is artificial lighting, because the image is taken inside. The image also has a high level of control, because it is a staged tableaux image, where the girls position, distance and location was manipulated the way Justine Kurland thought best fitted. This image is a colour image and has quite warm tones throughout out, because of the warmness of the light (not a harsh florescent light). The layout of these girls was manipulated, so that there was a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads the viewers eye around the page from front to back. This make the girls the main viewpoint of this image.

This photograph displays ‘run away’ girls living out of public restrooms, as they are exploring their sexuality and ‘trying on boy.’ This photo is largely about fighting against stereotypes, as they are acting in a way that is seen as more masculine. These images are also about exploring identity, because in these images the girls can be anything they want and desire, from princesses to cowboys and more.

What I am taking Inspiration from

I am taking inspiration from the way Justine Kurland takes her images. She takes tableaux staged images, that look like candid shots, which is what I am going to replicate for my own personal study. She also takes pictures of young girls doing a range of activities, ranging from camping to shooting. I am also going to be taking pictures of a group of young girls (my friends) doing a range of similar activities, but I am also going to include a few different activities that are feminine according to society, because Justine Kurland only explored the girls ‘trying on boy,‘ so she only explored opposing female stereotypes. In my study I am also going to explore opposing female stereotypes, but I am also going to present female stereotypes, so I can present a larger range of identity in my study. Justine Kurland also has a distinctive outdoor settings in her images, including places such as the woods, rivers or roads, which I am also going to use for the setting of my images. However, I may take a few images inside, as a few of my youth memories were inside and I also want to explore these.

I also want to take inspiration from her carefully thought out compositions, that she took inspiration from old historical paintings. Not only do I want to replicate some of her compositions, as well as creating my own compositions to suit the setting an activities that are being done. I may also try and take inspiration from old famous historical paintings, just like she has, so that I can really stretch myself further and challenge myself. Some ideas of masters that I could recreate the composition of are below:

I want to take inspiration from this painting by Edouard Manet, because both Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall have taken inspiration from this painting. I also want to take inspiration from Justine Kurland’s photograph, which has taken inspiration from this painting.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

I have chosen to recreate these famous historical paintings, because not only do they have good composition, but they also tell a story, which I feel like I would be able to present with my photographs, but make it applicable to modern day and to the theme of youth and identity, because that is what I am exploring.

The personal study is based around the theme observe, seek and challenge.

Mind Map

Mood Board

Mood Board Analysis

My mood board includes a large range of ideas for my personal study of observe, seek and challenge, because I am not sure what theme I am planning on doing for my personal study yet, so I have included them all the get an idea of my options. I have included the themes which I have talked about on my mind map.

This is a rather large mood board containing quite a few images, compared to the usual mood boards I make, because I wanted to include a large range of themes that I could explore.

Audit of all my work.

Portraits

What I did- For this topic of portraiture I used the studio in school to take my images. I experimented with three different types of lighting, which were;

• Rembrandt
• Chiaroscuro
• Butterfly Lighting

I also experimented with different backgrounds (black and white) and I also experimented with editing (creating black and white copies and coloured copies). I also had my models do different poses, that I think looked best.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt lighting is used to create shadows and contrast, and the ‘triangle of light’, beneath someone’s eye. This causes an element of drama and psychological depth onto the individual, who’s photo is being taken. Rembrandt lighting is an effective device to draw the eye.  It is widely used in promotional photographs of film stars showing them in a dramatic and eye-catching way. An example of these film stars is Marylin Monroe and Keanu Revees;

How I did it-

Light: Lighting styles are determined by the positioning of your light source.  Rembrandt lighting is created by the single light source being at a 40 to 45-degree angle and higher than the subject. Use cans use both flashlights and continuous lights.

Lens: Use a 35mm or 50mm if 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 really nicely for portraits and will give a nice depth of field if you’re shooting at a shallow aperture. But a 35mm will give you a wider point of view and is great to fit more of the body in of your subject.

Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is a type of portrait lighting technique used primarily in a studio setting. Its name comes from the butterfly-shaped shadow that forms under the nose because the light comes from above the camera. You may also hear it called ‘paramount lighting’ or ‘glamour lighting’. Butterfly lighting is used for portraits, because it is a lighting that flatters almost everyone, as it can highlight cheekbones and create shadows under them, as well as under the neck, which makes the model look thinner. This makes it the most commonly used lighting setups. This lighting has also been used for famous stars, from classic Hollywood and that’s why it’s also called Paramount lighting.

How I did it-

Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun. A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup and not to the quality of light – it can be soft or hard light depending on the effect you want. If you want to create a soft light, you’ll need to use modifiers. A beauty dish is perfect for glamour photography as it distributes the light evenly and smooths the skin. You can also use a softbox or an umbrella. Instead, if you want to have hard light, you can leave the light source as it is. Alternatively, you can use grid spots to direct it and create different effects.

Experimentation: Once you have the key light set up, it’s time to fill the shadows. You can use a reflector to bounce the light back up and soften the shadow under the chin and the one from under the nose. To do so, position the reflector under the subject’s face. Start at waist level and see how it looks. If the shadows are still strong, move it closer to the face and so on. Experiment with different positions to achieve different effects. You can also change the colour of the reflector. A white one will give you a neutral tone, while a golden one gives a warming overcast. Once you’re happy with your butterfly lighting, direct the model to have a striking fashion pose or whatever the desired pose or expression you’re looking for. Just keep in mind that the subject’s face needs to be towards the light in order to have the butterfly shadow under the nose.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a visual element of art, which is defined as a bold contrast between light and dark. It is called chiaroscuro, because it is an Italian word meaning light dark. A certain amount of chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting where 3-dimensional volume is suggested by highlights and shadows. It first appeared in 15th century painting in Italy and Flanders (Holland), but true chiaroscuro
developed during the 16th century, in Mannerism and in Baroque art. Dark subjects were dramatically lighted by a shaft of light from a single constricted and often unseen source was a compositional device seen in the paintings of old masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.

How I did it-

Chiaroscuro lighting uses one key light and a variation using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.

My Images

Rembrandt

Butterfly Lighting

Chiaroscuro

Evaluation

What went well- I think these images came out really well, because I displayed the different types of lighting well and my models made the images more exciting by doing different poses. I also like the editing in these images, especially the black and white copies. I also really enjoyed taking these images, because I much prefer taking pictures of people, rather than landscapes for example.

Even Better If- Next time, I would want to experiment with more models and poses. I would also like to create more black and white copies of my images, because I much prefer black and white images over coloured images.

Environmental Portraiture

What I did- For this photoshoot, I took photographs of people in their natural environments eg. work and school.

How I did it- I visited shops through town, such as the market, Love Bird Pottery Shop, Next, Schuh etc. I visited these specific places, because this was where my friends were working, so I was able to get photos of them there. I also wanted to take photos of my friends, so that I could get them to pose, and not feel awkward about it. I also went round school and took photos of students and teachers in their natural environment.

Environmental portraits can reveal somebodies life, like where they work, or what their home is like, or what they do at home. These portraits can be used to have an insight on another’s life, or to have an insight on a profession. These portraits can also be called historical, as they may show jobs, which are no longer professions, or show how homes used to look and what people would do in their homes. The images also shows people not in the present. These environmental portraits help feel a connection between the photographer and the person getting their picture taken, unlike how it would be on a phone.

My Images

Evaluation

What went well- I really enjoyed this photoshoot, because I really enjoy taking images of people. However, this also allowed me to move around and take pictures in different places, with different scenery, which I also really enjoyed. I also enjoyed being able to pose my models how I wished, because this allowed me to make my images exactly how I want them. I also enjoyed editing these photos and making black and white copies.

Even better if- Next time, I would make sure to check my camera settings, because some of my images are slightly blurry. I would also create more black and white copies of my images. Another thing I would do differently is maybe photograph strangers, so I can get out my comfort zone, and I would go to other places than school and work. I may also try different places of work eg restaurants, offices etc. instead of just retail.

Femininity & Masculinity

What I did- For this photoshoot I explored what was meant by masculinity and femininity. I explored their different stereotypes and the meanings behind them.

How I did it- I took photoshoots in the studio, as well as outside. I used different poses and props to display the different stereotypes. For example, I made a boy pose with his muscles, because a stereotype is that men are strong. I also had girls pose with makeup and other girl related products to present the feminine stereotype. I also used different lighting (pink and blue) to portray the stereotypes.

My Images

Evaluation

What went well- I really enjoyed this topic, because it was something I was able to write a lot about and really dive into, because it really interested me and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the freedom I had for my images, because I could display femininity and masculinity in any way I wanted. I also enjoyed how I was taking photos of people, because that is my favourite photographs to take, because I am able to have them pose the way I’d like and I just find the photos more interesting. I also enjoyed editing these images and creating black and white versions of these images. I also enjoyed the use of props in some of these images.

Even better if- Next time, I would try and experiment with masculinity slightly more, and I would work on my lighting technique slightly more, so I don’t create shadows on the background.

Anthropocene

What I did- For the Anthropocene topic, I explored three issues, which were; abandoned buildings, litter on the beach and industrialisation.

How I did it- For abandoned buildings, I took inspiration from John Divola, and I explored different abandoned buildings in Jersey, such as St Saviours Hospital and Bouley Bay Hotel. I took pictures of the rubble left there.

For the litter theme, I went to Harve Des Pas beach, and I walked along the beach looking for litter and cigarette butts and I took photos of all the litter I saw. Then, I used the litter I had found and collected on the beach to make patterned photos out of it in the studio, in response to Barry Rosenthal.

Finally, I took photos of industrialisation, especially in town.

My Images

Evaluation

What went well- I really enjoyed taking pictures of the abandoned buildings, which is different for me, because I much prefer portraiture. I think I enjoyed this because I enjoyed exploring these abandoned buildings. I also enjoyed editing these images in colour and black and white. I also experimented with photoshop for this topic, which I thought went really well. I used things such as AI.

Even Better if- However, I didn’t enjoy taking photos of litter and industrialisation as much, because I found it quite boring, because I was quite uninterested, so I would not want to do this again.

St Malo

What I did- I took street photographs, which are candid shots of people going about their day to day lives.

How I did it-I observed the people around me and waited for the decisive moment (Henri Cartier-Breson).

My Images

Evaluation

What went well- I really enjoyed this trip to St Malo, and I really enjoyed taking these street photography images, because I much prefer taking images of people. I also captured lots of good images, using head shots and hip shots, so I could try and go undetected. I also experimented with photoshop at lot in this topic, more than any other topic. I experimented with motion blurring, colour selecting, and lots of different ways to crop my images. I also enjoyed making this zine, but usually I do not enjoy making them.

Even better if- If I were to do this again, I would try get a few more closer up shots, while still trying to be undetected, and I would try to get more photographs with peoples faces in, rather than their backs.

Jersey Harbours

What I did- I visited the harbour, as well as the fisheries in it and the maritime museum. I also visited the fish shop, where they sold all the fish. I took photos of anything that I saw that related to what I had been researching, such as the cod fisheries in the maritime museum. I also took images of people, boats, the harbour, fish, graffiti, information, maps and anything else I found interesting.

How I did it- I started at one end of the harbour, at the maritime museum and made my way down, making sure I took pictures of everything. I also asked people if I could take portraits of them.

My Images

Evaluation

What went well- I really enjoyed taking pictures of the fish, because I thought they came out really well, and I enjoyed being able to visit the fisheries with all the alive shellfish still inside. I also enjoyed visiting the maritime museum, but I didn’t enjoy taking photos in there and none of them came out very well. I also enjoyed editing these images. I also asked people if I could take portraits of them. I enjoyed taking these portraits, because it was a lot more fun that taking images of the harbour and I much prefer taking images of people.

Even better if- Next time, I wouldn’t visit the maritime museum, because the photos weren’t very good. I also wouldn’t want to walk round the whole harbour again, as I found it very boring. I only enjoyed taking images of the fish, rather than the boats and the rest of the harbour.

Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland was born in 1969 and is an American fine art photographer, based in New York City. She first gained public notice with her work in the group show, called Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery.  The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes she chose the ‘secret places’ of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, ‘owned’ only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with schoolgirls there.

About ‘Girl Pictures’

‘The girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home, that much was clear. They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ Floating a raft down the Mississippi. Tucking smokes into the sleeve of a T-shirt. Having a rumble. Living off land. Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it. – Justine Kurland.

This is the first paragraph in Justine Kurland’s book, where she sets the narrative of her ‘Girl Pictures’ for the viewers. The narrative of this story is that these girls have ran away from home, so that they can explore and have fun and be whoever they wish to be. She sets this narrative in these tableaux images, by having the girls pose doing all these different activities, such as swimming in rivers, or camping in forests.

She also explains what she wants the viewers to take in from this book and from her images, which is that you too can be anything you dream of in your imagination. She states that they are pirates, cowboys etc, because in ‘Girl Pictures’ these girls aren’t just girls, they are whoever they want to be. She also states that they are trying on ‘boy,’ because in society standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to stereotypes seen through genders. I feel like in this book ‘Girl Pictures’ she is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, and this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told they should be or behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls.

Kurland also began dating women shortly after completing her ‘Girls’ series, working with an undercurrent of sex and female sexuality. As of 2018 she had been dating her current female partner for three years. I think that, because of her work fighting against stereotypes it impacted her and also allowed her to fight stereotypes and socials norms in her own personal life.

Girl Pictures

Analysis of one image

The lighting used in this image is artificial lighting, because the image is taken inside. The image also has a high level of control, because it is a staged tableaux image, where the girls position, distance and location was manipulated the way Justine Kurland thought best fitted. This image is a colour image and has quite warm tones throughout out, because of the warmness of the light (not a harsh florescent light). The layout of these girls was manipulated, so that there was a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads the viewers eye around the page from front to back. This make the girls the main viewpoint of this image.

This photograph displays ‘run away’ girls living out of public restrooms, as they are exploring their sexuality and ‘trying on boy.’ This photo is largely about fighting against stereotypes, as they are acting in a way that is seen as more masculine, as they are travelling and acting in rambunctious ways.

This image is also a mirror image, because it is a reflection of Justine Kurland the photographer. It is a reflection of her and very internal to her, because she is a lesbian photographer, who also had to grow up in these stereotypes and during these social norms that girls had to behave a certain way, that was socially acceptable. It is also a tableaux image, even though it looks like a documentary candid image. This is because it is a staged image.

Doug Aitken- New Opposition

Doug Aitken is an American multidisciplinary artist. Aitken’s body of work ranges from photography, print media, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to narrative films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, installations, and live performance. He was born in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California. He moved to New York in 1994 where he had his first solo show at 303 Gallery. He is best known for his work with video, and the characteristics that define that medium are apparent within ‘New Opposition.’

Aitken has a large range of work, including an array of site- specific installations, sometimes synthesizing interactive media with architecture, for example New Horizon. He has also made video installations since the mid 1990s and has created them by employing multiple screens in architecturally provocative environments, for example the diamond sea (1997). He has also made outdoor film installations. He has also written books, done sound experiments, made sculptures, light boxes and taken photographs.

About ‘New Opposition’

Aitken is well known for his many photographs, which often explore spatial and temporal disruption and narrative suggestion like his installations. In ‘New Opposition’ the photographs do not work as the self-sufficient one-off frames, but rely on each other for meaning. The optical tricks that the landscapes form when put together give the impression to the viewer that they are either falling into the centre of the earth, or are on top of it looking down as if from the apex of a pyramid. The active involvement by the viewer and the three-dimensional sculptural sensations of the photographs can also be seen in the elaborate installations that often accompany hid videos.

‘The series New Opposition consists of three pieces and was started in 2001. I was interested in the fragmentation of the image. I wanted to formulate an image that was whole but also broken apart. So these are multiple images working as one. I wanted to find a way to blend together different moments in time, different spaces and different locations. I wanted to bring them together in a central unifying image. They are not portraits or cityscapes but more an entropic progression. As the series progresses it becomes increasingly abstracted and denser and you get a sense of motion. The elements in the last image are ones you might just walk past in dally life – there is nothing special about the land. You can imagine someone who is surveying the land taking them. I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the images, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by composition. The images create a cycle of different places, but they can all be tied together through the central unifying theme of the horizon, which cuts, perpendicular, through them. I was after a three-dimensional quality. Working as well are the ideas of montage and editing, basically filmic concepts, as is a repetition. I wanted the eyes to constantly search for the horizon. When the images are brought together they collapse and create a feeling of retreating or expanding.’ – Doug Aitken.

New Opposition

Analysis of an Image

The type of lighting used in this image was natural daylight in all four of the sections, because these are all landscape images. There is also shade within this image, especially in the top two sections of this image, because it looks like a rocky mountain range to me, which would create a lot of shade, due to the rocks blocking the sun. There is little control in this image, because Doug Aitken cannot manipulate the landscape. However, he can manipulated the position he is in, where he point the camera, his editing and the distance he wants to stand at, and this can alter the levels of light, shade and just how the images look. There is lots of warm tones throughout this image, as the colours in this image are sandy brown colours. However, the bottom right section is the exception and has more cool tones, as the colours in this image are blue and a chalky white. There are quite a few dark and light tones throughout these images, due to the shade and lighting within them. There is also a lot of texture throughout these image, as you can see the texture of all the different rocks. The image is also very 3D due to its editing and due to the chosen landscapes. There is also lines and a pattern of repetition in his work, because of the lines separating the four quadrants.

The composition of these images are organised and arranged into their four sections during the editing process. The images are cropped and the angle of them is manipulated to create these images. The viewpoint of this image is the horizon. There is also harmony between the images, as they are all similar landscapes, but there is also contrast between the bottom right section and the other sections, due to the change in tone and colour. The editing in this image also gives depth of surface illusion, as it looks like the images are falling.

Doug Aitken wanted to create these images of ‘boring’ landscapes and create an image that would capture the viewers eye and leave the searching for the horizon in the image. He was also interested in the fragmentation of the image, as he wanted to form an image that is broken but whole. He did this to blend together different locations at different times.

This image is a mirror, because it is a documentary image of four different landscapes that have been pieced together. These images show the exterior world and are not a reflection or internal to Doug Aitken, because they do not reflect him in any way. These images have not been staged or manipulated.

RECORDING > Based on the theme of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ – and with relevance to your Personal Study – produce 3 images that are documenting reality – ‘windows of the world’ and another 3 images that are staging reality – ‘mirrors of the world’.

PLANNING > Produce a blog post where you plan and sketch out a few ideas in relation to the photo-assignment. You may use some of the images or artists references we looked at earlier in the week as inspiration and put together a mood-board, that will act as inspiration for your shoot.

In the next lesson tomorrow (Wednesday) you will be given a camera to make initial responses. Be creative and use this opportunity to experiment with ideas or approaches to image-making that you might want to extend further in your Personal Study. The expectation is that you make a set of images during the lesson using the school environment (inside or outside) creatively. The photographic studio is also available where you can explore different ideas using different lighting techniques…Rembrandt lighting…Butterfly lighting…Chiaroscuro…reflected light…coloured gels etc.

Mood Board

Mind Map

Windows

Doug Aitken

Doug Aitken is an American multidisciplinary artist. Aitken’s body of work ranges from photography, print media, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to narrative films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, installations, and live performance. He was born in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California. Aitken takes documentary images of all different landscapes, but not only does he do that, he also edits them and uses photoshop, to create a square like shape of 4 different landscape images.

Window- The images Doug Aitken takes are window photographs, because they are documentary images, of the exterior world. This gives these images a sense of realism and objectiveness, because they are truthful images of external views of the world. He takes images of all different landscapes, such as mountains, forests, ocean, dessert, rocky areas etc. All these images present the world in its truest form, as it is not staged, or fiction, but instead candid shots.

My Recreation- To recreate Doug Aitken’s images, I am going to take images of all different landscapes, such as the beach, woods, sand dunes, fields, etc. My landscape images are going to be slightly different to his, as I am more limited then he was, because we do not have places, such as desserts and mountains in Jersey. However, I am also going to edit my images in the same way as Aitken, so that they look like his work and relate to his work. I want to edit my work how he did, because I think it is unique and aesthetically pleasing and that is why I have chosen him for my window photographer inspiration.

I also want to recreate images like this with all the same colour scheme, but I also want6 to create images that have 4 different colours, so I can put my own spin on his work.

Mirrors

Justine Kurland- Girl Pictures

Justine Kurland is an American Fine Art Photographer, who was born 1969 in New York. She is a female photographer, who explores the life and activities of other young girls. Kurland first gained public notice with her work in the group show Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery. The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of neo-romantic landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent.

Mirror- The images that Justine Kurland take look like candid images of girls having fun, but in reality these images are tableaux images, because they are staged images, which she has manipulated and had young girls pose for. These images also have a very personal element for her, because she was once a young girl and this is her way of expressing her childhood memories, through photography. These images are internal of her memories, thoughts and feelings. Not only are these images personal to her, but they resonate with all other young teenage girls, including myself, because I relate to these images, and these ‘activities’ that they are doing in these images, because these are activities I have also done, or still do in my teenage years.

My Recreation- I want to remake these images, because I relate to them, because these images are targeted at teenage girls, like myself. These images will also be a mirror for me, because I am going to take images of my friends doing activities that we would usually do. I will also make these tableaux images, even though they may look like candid images, because I am going to stage the image and have my friends pose in which way I think is best. I am going to make tableaux images, that look like candid shots, because that is what Justine Kurland did. I am also going to try and recreate some of the images that Justine Kurland made in ‘Girl Pictures,’ so that I can later compare them and edit them in a way that looks like Justine Kurland’s images.

Some Activity Ideas:

• Bonfire at beach/ forrest
• Bubbles in a field
• Around a lake
• Eating snacks/ takeaway in car
• Star gazing
• Camping
• Large open field
• Football/ games on beach
• Sand dunes
• swimming in sea/ lake
• Public bathroom
• Climbing trees
• Long road in countryside
• Cliff path

Images I want to recreate:

I want to recreate these images, because these are images that I would be able to recreate in Jersey at this time of year. I also want to recreate these images, because these images relate to me, because these are things that I would do, or have done with my friends, so I feel like I can really reflect myself onto the recreation of these images.

I also want to do my own twist on my images, because I want to take photos of activities I do, which aren’t displayed in ‘Girl Pictures,’ like indoor activities, because I want these images to be a reflection of me and my girlhood.

1. Read two texts above (John Szarkowski’s introduction and review by Jed Pearl) and select 3 quotes form each that is relevant to your essay.
2. Select two images, one that represent a mirror and another that represents a window as examples to use in your essay.
3. Use some of the key words that you listed above to describe what the mirrors and windows suggest.

Essay plan
Introduction (250 words): Reflect on the origin of photography and describe in your own words the difference between the two photographic processes, Daguerreotype and Calotype. Consider how they could be viewed as either a mirror or a window of the world according to John Szarkowski’s thesis. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s text and comment if you agree or disagree.

Paragraph 1 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a mirror and analyse how it is a subjective expression and staged approach to image-making. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review which either supports of opposes Szarkowski’s original point of view. Make sure you comment to advance argumentation in providing a critical perspective.

Paragraph 2 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a window and analyse how it is an objective expression rooted in the notion of realism. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review and follow similar procedure as above ie. two opposing points of view and commentary to provide a critical perspective.

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

My Essay

The origin of photography started back in 1822, when Nicephore Niepce created the Niece Heliograph, which is the earliest photograph produced with the aid of the camera obscura. In 1829 Niepce partnered up with Louis Daguerre, who continued to experiment and improve the heliograph after Niepce’s death in 1833 and he went on to create the Daguerreotype. To create a daguerreotype image a daguerreotypist polished a sheet of silver-plated copper to a mirror finish, then he would use an air gun, so that there was no dust on this plate, that would ruin the photograph. Then it is exposed in a camera for as long as was judged to be necessary, which could be as little as a few seconds for brightly sunlit subjects or much longer with less intense lighting. Next, he torches it, with mercury vapour, so that the image is visible. Then, he removed its sensitivity to light by liquid chemical treatment, which was rinsing it with cool water to cool the hot metal plate down and dried it and then sealed the easily marred result behind glass in a protective enclosure.

The images produced by a daguerreotype tend to represent a mirror in photography, because the image is on a mirror-like silver surface, so light was reflected back through the image. The image was also on the edge of being present, as it was on the surface of the metal mirror, instead of like paper, where the image sinks into it. This meant that the metal one could be wiped away with a finger. These images were also described as, ‘a mirror with a memory.’ This images were often also portraits of people, which has a very personal element to them. They were also often tableaux images that were taken, as the image was staged and manipulated, instead of a candid shot. The daguerreotype also took a lot of time and effort to use to create the images, so the images taken by it also are also very personal to the photographer, because of the time taken and the effort they put in to produce these images. This makes it represent a mirror also, because of how personal the images now become to the photographer due to the daguerreotype.

In 1841, Henry Fox Talbot created another photographic process, which was called the calotype. Talbot first began with a piece of high-quality writing paper, which was first washed with a solution of sodium chloride (table salt), left to dry, then evenly coated in the dark with a solution of silver nitrate, and left to dry once more. When objects such as lace or ferns were placed on the sensitized side of the paper and exposed to sunlight, a negative silhouette would be created. Exposure times were fairly long, and areas not protected from the sun gradually darkened. Since the silver deposits on the paper reacted and changed tones during exposure, this was called a “printing-out” process. The print would then be washed in another solution of sodium chloride, which stabilized the image and reduced its sensitivity to light. Overall, calotypes were extremely better than Daguerreotypes due to it being easily distributed, reproduced and were much cheaper. Whilst they both used light sensitive silver salts, the Daguerreotypes required a lot more tools and metal plates which had high monetary value.

The images produced by a calotype tend to represent a window, because they were most commonly used for taking pictures of the external world. These images were documentary images, because they were candid images and not staged, but instead truthful. These images have a level of realism to them, as they are objective. Henry Fox Talbot also tended to take images of the external world, such as ferns and trees etc. which are window images, as the lens is like the window that you are looking through onto the world. Compared to the daguerreotype these images could be produced quicker and many positive images could be produced from the negative image, whereas with the daguerreotype this wasn’t the case. This meant that it didn’t take as much time and effort for the photographers to create the photos, so this also takes away that deep personal element of the images, because they didn’t have to work as hard or put as much time into creating these images. This represents a window even more so now, because there is even less of a personal element to the images now.

Mirrors

For my example of photographs as mirrors, I have used an image by Cindy Sherman. Cindy Sherman is a female photographer, who took images of herself dressed up as many different female stereotypes. In this image the stereotype that she is presenting is a generic housewife, who is in the kitchen. This image is a powerful image, because back in 1970-1980, which is when this image was taken, the ‘norm’ for women and the social standard for women was to be very domestic and stay at home to cook, clean and look after the children, while the men went out to work.

This image is a mirror, because it is a reflection of herself as a women and a reflection of her identity, because this is the stereotype she had to live through and this is what was considered to be socially acceptable of her and all other women in this time. This is also very personal and internal to her, as she is the one who has lived her life this way and being told she must live her life this way. She has also manipulated this image and staged the image, by using kitchen props in a kitchen setting. She has manipulated and positioned the props in the way she thought was best. She is also dressed up wearing an apron to really portray the housewife stereotype. She is also posing in this image, which makes it not a candid shot, but instead a tableaux image. This image is also very subjective and can interpreted in many different ways by the viewer, because it is such a simple, yet powerful image of her stood in the kitchen, with an apron on. This image is also a mirror, because it is a self-portrait of herself, that she had taken on a timer for her camera.

Szarkowski idealises that ‘a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it,’¹ however, Jed Pearl suggests that ‘Szarkowski thesis gives little value to photography’s a priori status as a realist activity. The very technology of photography contains an admission that the “world exists independent of the human attention”- a photograph is, after all, a record of nature, of the world’s light and shadows. A photograph provides, to use Szarkowski’s word, an “autobiographical” response to a realist situation.’²

Windows

For my example of photographs as windows I have used an image by Rafal Milach. He took this image during a road trip across Iceland. He travelled across Iceland stopping at certain point to take images. This was a image he took in either a bar/ diner of a couple and their friend.

This image is a window, because he travelled across Iceland taking documentary candid images of whatever he saw that interested him, and in this image it was these three people. This image is very external to him, because he does not know these people, and most likely never saw them again, but he spotted a decisive moment and acted. He is looking out onto these people for this image, instead of looking at his reflection, or onto himself. There is also an element of realism and truthfulness in this image, which is what makes it a window, because it is a documentary image, instead of a candid image, which is staged or fictional.

Szarkowski’s thesis of ‘a window, through which one might better know the world?’³ and Jed Pearl’s review stating ‘It is the realist view that the world exists independent of human attention,’⁴ support this image as a window, because this image is a ‘realist view,’ because this image was not staged, but instead a documentary image, instead of a candid shot.

To conclude, photographs can be both windows and mirrors of the world, because windows, such as Rafal Milach’s image above, are realist documentary images, which present the truest form of the exterior world. Window images are candid images, so they present the world in it’s truest form. These images present to the viewer our exterior world. The importance of these images is that they are objective, they are used to present to the viewer the exterior world, and this can be really important for specific issues, such as war etc. These window images present issues of the world, as well as just landscape images. These images are metaphorically known as window images, because it is like you are looking out of a window (the camera lens) onto the exterior world. However, mirror images, such as Cindy Sherman’s image above, are tableaux images that are subjective to the viewer, so the viewer can interpret the image in any which way. This is important, because the viewer can interpret this intimate image, and may be able to relate to it and apply it to their own lives, as well as the photographers. These images are metaphorically called mirrors, because they are a reflection of the artist who made it, so this can be really important for photographers, so that they can display a sense of themselves through their work. They can also be used to display issues that are important and relate to the viewer, similarly how window images can be used to spread awareness.

The opposing concepts of photography: objectivity, subjectivity; documentary, tableaux; interior, exterior etc. provide alternative perspective of what photography is. However, these opposing concepts can overlap and cause ‘blurred lines.’ For example, these opposing concepts can overlap when the photographer takes documentary images that also reflect themselves etc. Therefore, photography may not be as split as Szarkowski and Jed Pearl state. The function and purpose of the photographs can and will change depending on who wields the camera and what they point their camera at, and how these images are presented.

1. Szarkowski John. (1978). Mirrors and windows. New York; Museum of Modern Art  ↩︎
2.  Jed Pearl. Review published in the photography magazine, Aperture in spring 1978. ↩︎
3. Szarkowski John. (1978). Mirrors and windows. New York; Museum of Modern Art ↩︎
4.  Jed Pearl. Review published in the photography magazine, Aperture in spring 1978. ↩︎