Write a Statement of Intent of 250-500 words that clearly contextualise; What you want to explore? Why it matters to you? How you wish to develop your project? Which form you wish to present your study (photobook, film, prints etc) When and where you intend to begin your study?
What I want to explore:
My intent with this project is to explore the female identity and how social media has had an impact on girls growing up. I am going to present all different aspects of female identities throughout my work. I would like to focus on how social media has impacted girls’ lives through showing the development in my photoshoots, for example, photos of girls “before” social media, how it has had an impact on girls and the present.
Why it matters to me:
This topic matters to me as I believe that social media has had the biggest impact on females and society as a whole. I feel deeply around the changes of femininity throughout the years and the evolution of the media within the changes of beauty standards nowadays.
How I wish to develop my project:
I would like to develop my project by analysing the artists Justine Kurland and Francesca Miller-Hard as they explore contrasting ideas around feminism. In my opinion, I feel like Kurland explores
Which form I wish to present my study (photobook, film, prints etc):
I wish to present my study in a photobook, as I feel that will present a clear understanding of the development of females through the impact of social media, which I would like to produce.
When and where I intend to begin your study:
I intend to begin my study through a photoshoot with the inspiration of Justine Kurland, as I would like to present ideas around femininity before social media. For this photoshoot, I will be using a forest as the setting, with a few girls as my subjects. As I continue working on my photoshoots, I will develop ideas around how social media has impacted girls in this society, and present this through photos.
I would like to produce photographs that represent the lives of girls nowadays, and how social media and the internet has impacted our lives. I feel like as we have grown up, girls have decided to rather ‘fit in’ than ‘stand out’. To a certain extent, this means changing their personalities. Some examples may be the change from a colourful childhood, to colourless teenage years.
Here, I found a collection of archives from when I was younger. Clearly, there was a lot of vibrant colours, which conveys this idea around happiness, and liveliness. I would like to use these sort of images as a comparison to my life now.
Here are a few examples of the type of photography I will be taking, but also challenging. As you can see, most of the images are colourful and lively, but I would like to challenge this idea by looking into the reality of teenage girls, and not just the fun side of it.
To notice or perceive something and register it as being significant.
Synonyms:
Notice, see, discover, detect, examine
Seek
What is the definition of seek?
To attempt to find something.
Synonyms:
Explore, follow, investigate, pursue
Challenge
What is the definition of challenge?
A call to prove or justify something, or participating in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.
Synonyms:
Stand against, opposition, dispute, provocation
Mindmap:
For this mind map, I read an old exam essay for inspiration, and took words and terms from that essay that I thought linked when thinking about the words ‘observe, seek, challenge’. I used these to help think about ideas that I could use for my new personal study. I decided to chose to do girlhood for my personal study as I have loads of ideas I could use to expand people’s knowledge of every day lives of girls nowadays.
My mood board of ideas:
My ideas:
For this topic, I am aiming to produce photos which represent ideas around girlhood, feminism and gender roles. I will include photos from my own childhood, and how I have grown up as a girl. I want to include aspects of stereotypical themes around females, this may include wearing pink, using make-up, perfume, having long hair, having long nails, dressed in dresses, skirts, and heels, being sensitive, and engaging in activities that are traditionally associated with femininity, such as talking about relationships. But I would also like to challenge these ideas and produce photos around unfeminine stereotypical aspects; for example, showing dominance, having short hair, wearing plain coloured clothes and not involving themselves in any beauty activities like makeup.
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.
Select two images, one that represent a mirror and another that represents a window as examples to use in your essay.
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 or 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 a sense 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.
Final draft:
The Daguerreotype and Calotype are two photographic processes which were widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. The Daguerreotype was said to be the first ever successful photographic process in the history of photography. It was created in 1839 by the inventor Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre. A daguerreotype is made on a sheet of silver-plated copper, which is polished to a mirror finish. Then, the sheet is treated with iodine to make them sensitive to light and it is exposed in a camera. Finally, to develop the image, warm mercury vapour is used. The Daguerreotype is very accurate, detailed and sharp. As it is created on a metal plate, it is delicate and needs to be well looked after. Unlike the Calotype which is not as delicate as it is created on a sheet of paper. The Calotype was introduced in 1841 and was created by the inventor William Henry Fox Talbot. Talbot was best known as the British inventor of photography and in 1834 he discovered how to make and fix images through the action of light and chemistry on paper. This led him to the discovery of Calotypes. Calotype is made using paper coated with silver iodine. It produces a monochrome, blue coloured print on a range of supports, often used for art, and for reprography in the form of blueprints. According to John Szarkowski’s thesis, I believe that the Daguerreotype can be seen as mirror photography because it is ‘reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it’- John Szarkowski. In contrast, I think that the Calotype is viewed as window photography because it is showing the external world, and the realism of it.
Mirrors- chosen image:
Cindy Sherman- 1954 “UNTITLED FILM STILL #84”
This particular image, created by Cindy Sherman, is an incredible representation of mirror photography. It clearly portrays the story behind it through the body language and facial expressions of the female model. Cindy Sherman bases her photography around depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. She does this by reflecting on stereotypical femininity through a series of black-and-white photographs. The construction of this image shows an idea of the narrative behind this image, but her photographs never actually deliver a specific plot. This keeps viewers engaged and allows them to create their own narrative for the photographs. The clear facial expression of tiredness shows the harsh reality of the lives of women. Also, the bag full of shopping food, which is lying on the kitchen floor, clearly reflects on the stereotypical idea that it is a woman’s job to provide food for the household. Furthermore, I think that this image looks quite natural, although we know as the viewers that it is staged to reflect the artist. I think that this image reflects not only the artist, but all women around late 1950s, to provide a clear understanding of the gender roles around this time, and how women felt as a whole. In John Szarkowski’s thesis, he says that ‘a mirror reflects a portrait of the artist who made it’ (Szarkowski, 1978), which supports my image here as Sherman’s photograph not only reflects herself, but women as a gender. When a photo is resembling a mirror, it is not clear what the message and main theme of the photo is, and viewers must interpret in their own ideas what they believe the story is. Szarkowski believes that mirror photographs are personal and romanticized, which is portrayed as powerful and meaningful for viewers.
Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair, New York City, 1964
Garry Winogrand was an American street photographer, known for his portrayal of U.S. life and its social issues in the mid-20th century. American photographer and curator, John Szarkowski, called Winogrand the central photographer of his generation. Winogrand was one of the most prolific, and passionate, street photographers of his time; he shot over 5 million photographs in his career. However, Winogrand hated the term “street photographer” and would rather have been known and seen as simply a “photographer”. As he was born and lived in New York, he spent most of his life photographing city streets, recording crowds and individuals and capturing the tension and exuberance of public life. Therefore, it’s clear that this image is an example of window photography as he captures the realism and spontaneity of New York city life. This photograph reflects the chaotic aspect of New York, and it examines humanity and social interaction between, what it looks like, close friends. The photograph looks quite natural and brings a sense of reality as no one is posing, or even making eye contact with the camera, therefore it hasn’t been staged or manipulated. These types of photos make it easy for viewers to understand the outside world and they act as a window into diverse realities, which reflect the importance of other experiences in the real-life world. It’s clear that this photo was taken during the mid-20th century due to the clear clothing style worn by the women in this photo. John Szarkowski once said, “is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?” (Szarkowski, 1978). This links back to Winogrand’s photograph, as it suggests that we are viewing New York City through Winogrand’s eyes during the 20th century, depicting a story behind it. The fact that the bench of people is mainly made up of females, apart from the two men on either side of them, reinforces an idea of femininity and shows this idea around “second wave feminism”, which focused on feminist activity and gender inequality. I believe that this particular photograph shows the importance of females as a gender, and it was very powerful for viewers around this time.
In conclusion, both images portray an aspect of the 20th century, and they give us a glimpse into reality around this time. Overall, Szarkowski’s theory is that, in metaphorical terms, mirror photography is seen as a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on things and sights of this world; whereas, window photography is seen as the exterior world being explored in all its presence and reality. Among the “mirrors” photography, there are a few leading practitioners, who are Paul Caponigro, Jerry N. Uelsmann, Robert Heinecken and painter Robert Rauschenberg. Foremost, among the “windows” group is Garry Winogrand who Szarkowski feels will be “the central photographer of his generation”. Sherman’s photograph presents a more personal feeling as there is only one woman in it, whereas, in Winogrand’s image there is a few people, mainly woman, which shows an aspect of publicity and spontaneity. In my opinion, I prefer Winogrand’s photograph because it is natural, and it hasn’t been manipulated into a way that makes it look staged and fake.
For this photoshoot, I went down to the photography studio and used my friends as actors for the photos. I really like how these images came out, and I think it was more successful than my mirror photography.
I used some props for these photos, e.g. drums and microphones, to give off the idea that I was visiting a band. I was aiming for these photos to look natural, and not staged, so I made sure the models were not giving direct eye contact to the camera.
Edited images:
I loved this photoshoot and how the images came out as I feel like, although it was staged, both of the subjects were unaware of the camera, meaning I could capture the natural aspect. I decided to edit them in black and white as I was inspired by Garry Winogrand, who created his street photography in black and white. I cropped the edited images into squares, so I could make a montage of my final best images.
For this photoshoot, I experimented with a variety of different poses, which I thought somehow reflected me and my emotions in that moment. I don’t like some of the photos I created, as I felt they were a bit rushed and could’ve been improved through the angles and lighting.
I did like this project because I felt like it was different to my other ones, but I think it was quite difficult to successfully produce images which shows a clear story within it.
Edited images:
Cropping:
After experimenting with many different facial expressions, as well as different lighting, I am happy with these final outcomes as I like how there is a variation of different moods. We used soft lighting and a black background to create a dramatic affect, so that all the focus is on the subject.
For this topic, I would like to focus my photographs on identity and feminism. I want the result of my photographs to depict the ins and outs of girlhood, and show the difficulty within the lives of women.
Photoshoot 1: For this photoshoot, I am planning to use the photography studio to take photos for window and mirror photography. I am looking to focus on the story behind the photographs by making them unique and understanding. I will use different lighting and angles to accentuate my ideas.
Photoshoot 2: For my second photoshoot, I will go to the studio again and aim to improve my creative skills within the photography. I will try and use different props, like a microphone for example, to present different narratives. I will also make sure my model is using a range of different body language and facial expressions to exert different moods to do with personal identity and individuality.
Question: What are the differences between photographs that are windows and mirrors?
Mirror photographs are romantic expressions of the photographers sensibility and shows a reflection of the photographer. Mirror documentation in photography provides an insight into our inner world, projecting our own subjective interpretation or attempting to reveal our inner world to an outside audience.
Window photographs show the exterior world in all its presence and reality. They document the world around us and provides the viewer with a window on that world.
The difference between these two images is that the first one clearly looks staged, and it is reflecting the artist as if it is a mirror. Whereas, the second one looks more natural and it is an example of viewing the exterior world in all it’s reality, through a metaphorical window.
John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski was an American photographer, curator, historian, and critic; best known for his role as the director of the Museum of Modern Art’s Department, from 1962 through 1991.
This is my virtual gallery for the topic of Jersey Harbours, presenting my final edited images. I also used these images in my zine. I’m really happy with the layout of them, and I like how all of the images have a similar aspect of the reality of the harbour. I feel like I may have added too many images, as it can be seen as cramped and chaotic, and sometimes less can be more effective.
Overall, I am really pleased with how my zine turned out. Initially, I used these same images but in a different order to experiment with the layout and find which one I liked the best. Eventually, I liked this order and layout the best because the images flowed well to create a story. I chose to use 2 images together that linked to each other really well, or one image by itself which I think worked well.
