Shannon O’Donnell is another photographer who I would like to incorporate into my work as an inspiration because her work is very moving and attempts to grasp an understanding of the way gender can be represented in a fast-growing society.

Shannon O’Donnell:

Shannon O’Donnell is a contemporary artist, photographer and short filmmaker currently living in Jersey Channel Islands. Her work is documentary yet performative which explores a gendered experience which focuses on the characteristics and traits of femininity and masculinity. The outcomes she produces challenges the traditional stereotypes placed on women and men in a sociological way, attempting to gage an understanding on how gender is seen in general society. Her work that particularly stands out to me is That’s Not The Way The River Flows (2019).

That’s Not The Way The River Flows (2019) is a collection of images that playfully explores the themes of masculinity and femininity through a series of self-portraits. However, this (similar to Cindy Shermans work Untitled Film Stills) comes from selections of stills from moving scenes of her masquerading as different personas however she opens up to a multitude of different sub-categories of gender differentiating from male or female: non-binary, transgender and gender fluidity. By doing so, this unpicks the traditional conforming narrative of gender causing the viewers to re-imagine our society and understand what makes us who we are and how we identify. This project gives another insight into how the photographer may have conflicting thoughts on her own identity and gender experiences. This project is fundamental to a growing and fast-changing society because it helps people (especially those who find it harder to comprehend) see the struggles and hardships that many people during the exploration and acceptance of themselves, revealing the pressures, stereotypes and difficulties that they face whilst growing up in a strongly gendered society.

That’s Not The Way The River Flows (2019) is from a short film, described as a moving visual poem demonstrating the claustrophobia of identity in peoples lives and the demanding pressure to ‘fit in’. This piece also pokes fun at the ideals surrounding masculinity and femininity and pushing the boundaries and characteristics that were dictated to these themes.

Image Analysis:

I find this image one of the most powerful of the visual poem series. Initially, the monotone to the image creates drama with a sense of seriousness and professionalism. Due to this, the clothing on the subject has a high contrast from the pale wall behind, with the aspect of blankness throughout the image this means that the detail of the blazer and the material over the face gives the ability to focus on the textures more. The most appealing part of this image for me is the face in this headshot. The greyscale linen looking material draped over the face seems to be pulled back and behind the subjects head, covering the identity and ability to differentiate the gender of this person which highlights one of points of this series; the growing exploration of gender fluidity within society. However, as the material is sheer, the subjects pained expression through the pulling of the material describes the suppression and pressure that people struggling with their gender identity have to face. I also feel the panic in the subjects face shows how terrifying this must be in a society that has strong expectations and set propositions of gender. Alongside that, I feel the headshot represents this theme really well as the closeness of the camera to the subject makes a connection with the viewer which forces them to listen. The way that the subjects face is only partially visible through this material that almost blends into the wall in the background, means that we can infer that this makes people want to hide away their struggles with their gender and attempt to fit in. The focal point of the image is on the subjects face with the shoulders slightly blurred so that the raw emotion of the image really speaks to the viewer too, which means that it educates them on how difficult this matter is in a visual manner. I think the photographers intentions of displaying the claustrophobic pressures of gender identity has been represented really well in this image.

For my photoshoots, my inspirations are going to be photographers who explore the themes of identity, and the binary opposite of femininity and masculinity. Another binary opposite I want to incorporate in my work is empowered vs victim because I feel like this is relative to the stereotypes associated with femininity or masculinity and want to show both sides of it.

Francesca Woodman:

Am I in the picture? Am I getting in or out of it? I could be a ghost, an animal or a dead body, not just this girl standing on the corner?

Francesca Woodman created over 800 self-portraits before her untimely death in 1981, just 22 years old. She was a body-orientated feminist who emerged in the art movement during the 1970s. She first documented these images when she was thirteen in 1972, where she is sat on the end of a sofa in an un-identified place wearing an oversized jumper and jeans. Her arm is loosely hanging from the armrest, with her face concealed by her hair and the foreground with a blur to it. I think the oversized jumper is a large part of this image because the body is completely misshaped and unidentifiable, beginning to show how the focus of her images is linked to the body and the obscuring of her own identity by hiding her face.

Public opinion has generally been favourable towards Woodman’s work and continues to be the subject of much positive critical attention, years after her death at the age of 22, in 1981. For example, at the 1998 exhibition in Paris, many people had “strong reactions” to her “interesting” photographs. A number of people have found Woodman’s individual photos (for example “Self-portrait at 13”) or her photography as inspirational. Many critics and historians have commented on how Francesca Woodman’s work was influenced by myths, artistic movements and other photographers. One comment is that her work is inspired by gothic fiction – identifying with gothic heroines of stories where a female figure is made to be in solitude turning her mad, full of angels, mirrors, demons and tombs. However this is just an inference because she studied Surrealism immensely alongside the work of Duane Michals. She did this by following this movement’s tradition of not explaining her work and demonstrated a “desire to crack the code of appearances.” This is why I find her work so intriguing because it’s open to interpretation and can become unique to the viewer as it has the possibility of being more personal.

Her work gives the viewer a feel of displacement, set in rooms that are broken down, old and being wasted away where she tends to blend in with the surroundings. These rooms are typically very sparse with furniture, characterised with old furniture, peeling wallpaper, smashes mirrors or glass and rough surfaces such as lifted tiles off of the floor. In these images, parts of her body are often blurred which causes her to disappear into the background, giving a lack of distinction between self vs world, another binary opposition. Her photographs are often thought-provoking and emotionally powerful, demonstrating the power of photography to capture the essence of a moment and the intangible.

Image Analysis:

Things looked funny because my pictures depend on an emotional state… I know this is true and I thought about this for a long time. Somehow it made me feel very, very good.

Francesca Woodman created a series of images similar to this one where she conceals parts of the body and face, hiding her identity. In these photographs, she reveals the body simultaneously as being there, whilst somehow being absent. By doing this, she dissects the human body by emphasizing isolated parts, hiding and revealing certain sections in each image. This gives a tone of presence and absence all in one image.

The image has been taken at a wide angle to capture the background surrounding her. Towards the left side of the image the wall in the background appears blurred and out of focus as she, being the subject, is the focal point of the image. The image looks slightly under-exposed as it is really dark however there has still been a lot of detail captured sharply such as the pillar in front of her. Using a slow shutter speed to create a motion blur on the upper portion of her body specifically her head symbolises confusion and almost as if she is attempting to get out of her mind.

These images represent her state of mind before she ended her life so the abandoned and run down atmosphere and environment may symbolise how in her mind she felt lost and empty just like these rooms in a sort of slow decaying way. The wallpaper looks incredibly old and we can see as it peels away there is another floral piece behind it. I think this may represent how she felt as if her mind was break down and almost rotting, as she suffered from suicidal thoughts. By putting her images into black and white, I feel that making her work monotone may also symbolize the absence of light/happiness and colour in her life, so by making the image so colourless she accurately shows how empty her life is, especially from the sparse rooms too. This makes a strong contrast. She tends to appear off centre in different creative positions, in this image speeding under a table in a manic way. Wearing a long floral dress alongside some flat black shoes, her hair down and behind her causes her to appear feminine, however the concealing of her face hides her identity which can be interpreted as if she is attempting to blend into the background too to get away from standing out and becoming noticed.

The genre of Surrealism is clear especially in this image because there is no clear story to explain the intentions behind the image, causing the viewer to question the strangeness she has created and add personal narratives to it.

I really like this meaning behind her work because it tells the viewer about herself and evokes emotion in them.

In my work, I am going to attempt to use motion blur on the face whilst the body being in focus because it gives a tone of mystery and disclosed identity which I find really enticing and interesting.

The definition of Femininity:

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls.

“she alternated between embracing her femininity and concealing it”

This can be understood as being a social construct, a characteristic interpreted differently in each culture around the world. Generally speaking, this is associated with women or girls and is used in photography as a form of self-expression of someone’s identity. However, the use of this in magazines for example can create societal expectations such as beauty standards, as these images can present an unrealistic idea of a woman which can be damaging. Traits traditionally cited as feminine include gracefulness, gentleness, empathy and sensitivity, typically very stereotypical expectations of how a woman should behave or act. The term ‘femininity’ has been adapted over decades, for example during more traditional times women were seen to be fragile and loving, to stay home and be maternal. However, this idea is stereotypical and moving forward, women are breaking this boundary that was created.

A good example of femininity photography is Cindy Sherman:

Cindy Sherman is a female photographer who portrays female stereotypes of the 1950’s and 1960’s. When creating her images, she is not only the photographer but the subject too, masquerading as different women in society. Each image creates a high level of suspense, mystery, disguise, melancholy and vulnerability. These stills encapsulate femininity during this era playing on the feminist idea that gender arises exclusively within culture and deconstructs dominant gender ideologies. This is extremely powerful because it represents the underside of the ‘definition of a woman’, breaking a barrier from the idea that a woman or girl should act a certain way in society.

The definition of Masculinity:

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men or boys.

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

Masculinity is also considered as a social construct, with an altering meaning in different cultures and societies. Traits traditionally viewed as masculine in Western cultures include strength, courage, leadership, power and assertiveness. When women’s labour participation increased instead of having to consistently be maternal, there were men who felt less comfortable in their masculinity because it was increasingly difficult for them to reconfirm their status as the breadwinner, due to the fact that they were no longer the only provider for the family. The concept of masculinity alters through history. For example, in religion or even Greek myths, stories are told of men being powerful gods and heroes, battling to protect their wives, setting the stereotype and expectations for men to be strong and fierce. This led to the idea that men or boys must act a certain way too, for example they were expected to be unemotional or to not cry otherwise this made them weak. However, through time, this idea is slowly being broken down similar to femininity, as while society grows people find more ways to express themselves and try to not fit into set categories of behaviour.

CLAUDE CAHUN:

“one of the most curious spirits of our time.”

Claude Cahun is a perfect example of someone who wanted to push the boundaries of gender roles in a stereotypical society.

Claude Cahun, born Lucy Schwob was a French photographer, sculptor and writer. her most well known work is her surrealist self-portraits in which she represented a multitude of different personas. Moving to Jersey in 1937 with her stepsister and lover, Marcel Moore, she resisted the occupation taking place on our island. During their lives together in Jersey, the women decided to mount an underground resistance campaign following the Nazi’s occupation of the Island in June 1940. The two campaigned against them, provoking them in a risky manner for four years until 1944 when the Gestapo investigated them. Narrowly avoiding a death sentence, the two were freed from prison on the 9th of May 1945 following Jersey’s Liberation. Remaining on the island until 1953, Cahun suffered from ill health which unfortunately resulted her passing in hospital on the 8th of December. After this, Moore continued to live on in Jersey for many more years until sadly ending her own life.

Her life was a representation of resistance, defying the conventional ideas of beauty and femininity with her shaved head and male attire, challenging them. This was almost revolutionary in the 1930’s, being in a same-sex relationship and exploring her identity in a difficult time period of traditional values. Whilst Claude Cahun was alive, she produced many pieces of work which The Jersey Heritage Trust collection represents. Her work challenged the politics of gender and identity, alongside the work of many male Surrealists who depicted women as objects of male desire. She used domestic settings such as a cupboard at home and introduced something interesting and new to this environment, exploring gender fluidity.

For example, in this double exposure image, Cahun is seen with a shaved head in men’s clothing in a monotone way. Her explanation was “Under this mask, another mask; I will never finish removing all these faces.”1 (Claude Cahun, Disavowals, London 2007, p.183)

Claude Cahun’s work is important in society today because it breaks down the idea that females must be feminine or males should be masculine, being a vision of gender fluidity and breaking down the gender roles that were traditionally assigned. This pioneered gender photography.

CLAUDE CAHUNS WORK:

I conducted a photoshoot in the studio using a honeycomb head and snout head on the lights, putting coloured gels in front of them to give me a more dynamic lighting style instead of an ordinary white and yellow-toned light. I played around with different colours, placements and angles of my subject whilst also using a white or gold reflector so that the light would bounce into my subjects eyes as they are the most compelling section of a persons face.

My best images:

My favourite image:

This is my absolute favourite image as I have added in a creative aspect to it. I took the circular coloured gels out of the snout light and chose 3 colours that complimented each other well: red, orange and yellow. I placed them into my subjects hand as she rested it on her face as I felt it would look more natural and genuine. I really like the way this turned out as the shapes aren’t entirely opaque so that her features have still been brought through but in a completely different colour. I put a green gel into the snout light and used a very pale yellow on the honeycomb light as if I used a bolder coloured this would’ve ruined the illusion I was aiming to create. I used a black curtain behind my subject as this meant she was the focal point of the image and made it look more dramatic. I didn’t have to edit this image very much as I shot it quite well.

After this, I opened all of these into Photoshop where I created a Diamond Cameo using inspiration from Henry Mullins. Unlike him, I created mine in a more modern way as the colour in my photos would not work aesthetically with an old-fashioned style background.

Diamond Cameo:

I added shadows around the bottom and highlights at the top as this creates an illusion of it being framed which is what a Diamond Cameo looks like. Instead of filling the background with a block colour, I decided to fill it with a gradient from white to black, reversing the style of the ‘frame’ around the images, I really like the contrast in this. I chose the use monotone colours because I didn’t want to wash out the saturation of my images, using these more bland colours means that my images pop out to the viewer and catch attention a lot more because they look entirely different to the background as they have bright and bold colours. As the background of the images are black too, I feel like it gives a mirror effect as the background is dark too, making the image not only more mysterious but it points out the colourful lighting used and my subject a lot more.

IDENTITY POLITICS: a political approach based on a particular identity, such as; race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, caste, and social class.

This can be conceptualised being about the presentation and representation of identities. This is founded in the shared experiences of injustice of members of certain social groups, typically aiming for political freedom (at times wishing minority groups) within a society where they are not able to exist freely, attempting to make others understand what it is like for them in a day-to-day life.

The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of large-scale political movements—second wave feminism, Black Civil Rights in the U.S., gay and lesbian liberation, and the American Indian movements. Identity politics is greatly connected to the idea that some social groups are oppressed which can lead to stereotyping, violence, appropriation of identities or even erasure of them. The term was coined by the Combahee River Collective in 1977 and gained use in the 1980s, gaining currency with the emergence of social activism, manifesting in various dialogues within the feminist, American civil rights, and LGBT movements, disabled groups, as well as multiple nationalist and postcolonial organizations, for example: Black Lives Matter movement.

For example, in more recent years, the Black Lives Matter movement gained immense news coverage of people of all identity speaking up on the injustice that this group of people face within a society. This movement seeks to highlight racial violence and police brutality within society against black people, with the hashtag created in July 2013. This formed after the after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of a teen Trayvon Martin 17 months earlier in February 2012. It became nationally recognised for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two more African Americans, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, being only some of the protested names of people who died at the hands of racial violence by the police. In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 US election. The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016. Street demonstrations and public protests emerged of people, regardless of who they were, standing up for this cause.

CULTURE WARS: a type of conflict which occurs when different beliefs and cultures clash against one another, the struggling for dominance of their personal values. It commonly refers to topics on which there is general societal disagreement and polarization in societal values. This can occur on a micro or macro scale, able to give explanations for violence or even wars.

Cultural conflict is likely to emerge when the rules and values of one cultural group are substantially different from another, and members of the cultures come in contact with each other. This is commonly also phrased as a culture clash.

This term is usually used in western politics concerning issues such as homosexuality, transgender rights or racial viewpoints based upon personal views, morals or lifestyles. An example of cultural conflict is the debate over abortion in the United States, where it is legalised in some states however illegal in others. Ethnic cleansing is another extreme example of cultural conflict. Wars can also be a result of a cultural conflict; for example the differing views on slavery were one of the reasons for the American Civil War.

In my headshots I am going to use a range of photographers to inspire my work so that I can make my images more exciting and mysterious.

Thomas Ruff:

I would like to use inspiration from Thomas Ruff’s work as his images resemble a passport photo using the deadpan aesthetic. This would be the criteria for his subjects.

• eyes must be open and clearly visible, with no flash reflections and no ‘red eye’
• facial expression must be neutral (neither frowning nor smiling), with the mouth closed
• photos must show both edges of the face clearly
• photos must show a full front view of face and shoulders, squared to the camera 
• the face and shoulder image must be centred in the photo; the subject must not be looking over one shoulder (portrait style), or tilting their head to one side or backwards or forwards
• there must be no hair across the eyes
• hats or head coverings are not permitted except when worn for religious reasons and only if the full facial features are clearly visible
• photos with shadows on the face are unacceptable
• photos must reflect/represent natural skin tone

I really like this form because the photographs produced are clean cut and look extremely formal.

The Deadpan Aesthetic:

The word “Deadpan”  can be traced to 1927 when Vanity Fair Magazine compounded the words dead and pan, a slang word for a face, and used it as a noun. In 1928 the New York Times used it as adjective to describe the work of Buster Keaton, however Thomas Ruff familiarised himself with this aesthetic i his work too.

Deadpan photography shows people in their natural state, emotionless and detached. These subjects are not posed, are not dressed up for the occasion, and seem completely honest. I really like this aspect because it gives a tone of authenticity to the work and broadcasts people in the real world truthfully.

This style originated in Germany and is descended from Neue Sachlichkeit, New Objectivity, a German art movement of the 1920s that influenced the photographer August Sander who systematically documented the people of the Weimar Republic.

Deadpan portraits are typically shot in a straightforward, uncontrived manner. The photographer does not use any special angles, lighting, or props to create an emotional or dramatic effect. Instead, the subject is simply captured as they are, in their natural environment.

In my work, I could use coloured gels to add more life and saturation into the image as my subjects will be emotionless.

Bruce Gilden:

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

I like this aspect of his work because once again it documents the reality of life on the streets of places such as  America, Great Britain, and Colombia during 2012-14

Man Ray:

Man Ray took multi exposure photographs which is something that greatly intrigues me in my work as they provide a great sense of mystery to the viewer. I also personally feel that the images this technique creates can resemble identity depending on how the subject is represented, such as this:

Man Ray made his “rayographs” without a camera by placing objects-such as the thumbtacks, coil of wire, and other circular forms used here-directly on a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposing it to light.

Usually, to take multi-exposure photographs you:

1. Take your first photo. The camera shutter opens to expose the film to one image, then closes.
2. Rewind the film and take your second photo.
3. Develop both images in one photo

Examples of his work:

Surrealism:

Man ray was a surrealist photographer, which is what multi-exposure photography stems from. Artist have used these techniques to explore Surrealist Ideas and evoke dream-like imagery, or imagery that explores time / time lapse.

Surrealism aims to revolutionise human experience. It balances a rational vision of life with one that asserts the power of the unconscious and dreams. The movement’s artists find magic and strange beauty in the unexpected and the uncanny forms of the human face, the disregarded and the unconventional.

This art form was developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I. The art produced depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. 

It can be described as : “psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express – verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner – the actual functioning of thought.” – André Breton said this which can be more simply defined as an artists way of seeing past reason and rationality, thinking outside the box into something that makes the viewer question the image. This can be described as a dream-like art form.

Definition: a type of portrait photography typically used for websites, press releases, publications, and social-media profiles.

The term “headshot” or “head shot” just means that the portrait photo is cropped somewhere in the middle torso – so that the focus is on your face. The subject’s face should be the main focus, and the framing should be done in a way that draws attention to the eyes and facial expressions.

In headshots it’s important to consider:

• Lighting: soft, hard
• Framing: Headshots
• Focusing: focus on the eyes
• Expression: Explore different moods and emotions.
• Pose: Manner and attitude. Use hands too…

Soft and hard lighting:

Soft lighting has a few hard shadows that’s bright yet balanced. The transition between light and shadow is a gradient instead of being bold and separate from one another.

Hard lighting does not only emphasize facial features, it also create the dark and broody mood you want with a tone of mystery. Chiaroscuro and Rembrandt are good techniques to achieve this as they cast harsh shadows and draw attention to a specific part of a photo. In hard lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is very harsh and defined.

Framing:

Rule of thirds is a good technique in framing the face in headshots so that the face is equally distributed across the image. For example, you should aim to align your eyes with upper-third line of the grid when cropping tight, and if you’re cropping wider, be sure that your head is positioned within the top third of the image. However if you are looking to be more creative you can alter this technique. The subject should look relaxed and confident by keeping their chin up and making eye contact.

Focusing on the eyes:

By placing your camera directly in front of your subject it allows fine-tune and focuses on the eyes, making them sharp. This way the colour and pattern in the eyes can be seen more as they are the most distinct part of a persons face. This makes the image more engaging for the viewer where they can look around the image more. Reflectors can help this.

Expressions and emotions:

Exploring different expressions is important as it highly reflects the mood and tone of the image especially if paired with the appropriate lighting. You want to project confidence and competence to make others feel at ease. The face is the centre of attention so it is important to have a compelling expression, yet not to over-do it entirely as this may make the image unappealing.

Posing:

The pose performed in the image also sets the tone and mood for the image. This can act as a cue for an emotion out of the viewer too so that it makes them feel something. The hands are very useful in this as they can also conceal certain areas of the face and add to the emotion of the subject. For example, the Power Pose is a classic stance that exudes confidence and strength. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, place your hands on your hips, and tilt your chin slightly up. This pose will make you look assertive and in control – perfect for professional headshots.

The camera settings I am going to use:

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 50mm portrait lens

I used photoshop to create these multi-exposure images using the photos from my headshots photoshoot. I did this by layering the images over one another and using blending options to change the opacity of the second image so that they would both be visible to give that mysterious look that I was trying to achieve. I think this has worked very well especially due to the coloured gels I used for my lighting as this made it more interesting to look at.

I especially like the last image as one image was a warm toned lighting however the other was cool toned which are polar opposites. I wanted to merge these together as they were separate sides of her side profile and I think its made the image look very mysterious. I like the way she’s smiling on the warm side however it’s unable to see her expression on the blue side, giving the impression it represents sadness.

In my photoshoots, I want to experiment to demonstrate more creativity than I did in my portraits to make them more exciting for the viewer.

First experimentation:

For my first plan I am going to use a Diamond Cameo. This is where four small oval portraits (1″ x ³/₄“) were placed on a carte de visite in the shape of a diamond, each portrait being of the same person photographed in a different position. To do this in my photoshoot I am going to have my subject sit straight on, side profiles of the left and right, then looking slightly off to the side of the camera. Then I will arrange it into the correct format shape – the diamond.

Second experimentation:

I am going to use double/multi exposure for my second experiment. This is photographs in which two or more images are superimposed in a single frame which gives off a very mysterious look due to the illusion it gives. I really want to use this experimentation idea because it makes the image become really interesting and adds motion to the image. This can be achieved in the camera settings, or on Adobe Photoshop by creating layers and then using blending options and opacity control.

Third experimentation:

For this I am going to use photomontage as I have used this method before during my art gcse and I took a big liking to it as it was really effective. This method consists of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. I really like this as you take a regular boring image and create an interesting piece out of it by taking it entirely apart and joining it back together in a completely new way. It adds a new perspective on the image which is something I want to put into my own work.