‘Widely recognized as one of the most important American artists of her generation, Cindy Sherman revolutionized the role of the camera in artistic practice and opened the door for generations of artists and critics to rethink photography as a medium.’
This series of photos created by Cindy Sherman in her exploration of film and caricatures pushed into women in Hollywood. my interest in these images is not the themes they surround but instead the may they are made utilising projected backgrounds that create a rustic and film like appeal.
I believe using the technique of projecting the background in some of my images will create a sense that the image is just a screenshot from a film, contributing to the story’s I intend to tell throughout my photography.
In 1980 Sherman stopped working on ‘The Untitled Film stills’ and began working in colour with the Rear screen projection series, she continued to create self portraits using only herself as a model and transforming her appearance with many varying wigs, makeup, outfits, leaving the narrative of her scenes deliberately vague. However instead of using pre existing scenery and lighting she created a manufactured environment for her photography using specific lighting and projected scenery in the controlled environment of the studio. ‘Unlike the Untitled Film Stills, with their artificial narratives set in real locations, this series presents women no longer bound by their physical surroundings.’
“Most of my likeness [daguerreotypes] do look unamiable; but the very sufficient reason, I fancy, is because the originals are so. There is a wonderful insight in heaven’s broad and simple sunshine. While we give it credit only for depicting the merest surface, it actually brings out the secret character with a truth that no painter would ever venture upon, even if he could detect it.” (Holgrave in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House o f the Seven Gables, 1851)
we approach the photographs in the show either as mirrors, reflecting the photographer’s consciousness and concerned primarily with self- expression, or windows, openings onto the external world concerned primarily with exploration.
The idea of photographs functioning like windows makes total sense. Like a camera, windows frame our view of the world. We see through them and light enters the window so that we can see beyond. Photographs present us with a view of something. However, it might also be possible to think of photographs as mirrors, reflecting our individual view of the world, one we have shaped with our personalities, our subconscious motivations, so that it represents how our minds work as well as our eyes. The photograph’s surface reflects as much as it frames. Of course, some photographs might be both mirrors and windows.
Windows
a window in photography is an objective view of the world around this could include documentary, realism, candid, optical photography.
With window photography it is difficult to infer much about the photo and requires little to no creativity to create.
Nan Goldin – Nan and Brian in bed, NYC. 1983 Cibachrome
this would be considered a window photography because it is an honest, unedited, unfiltered view of the world around.
Mirrors
A Mirror is a reflection of the photographers subconscious and conscious self expression. “Mirrors” were images meant to mirror the photographer’s own sensibility.
Robert Heinecken – Figure Sections/(Multiple Solution Puzzle), 1966
this image is very subjective and clearly the photographer is trying to communicate a deeper message than is objectively presented in the image
Cross-Over
of course in some photos there is cross over between the two contrasting approaches to photography where the photo at first seems objective and could be considered a Window to the outside world but upon deeper inspection the could also be considered Mirror because of the subtle inference and and underlying themes.
is this photo a window or mirror?
when first approaching this image i believe it to be an objective photo taken of perhaps and football pitch, with the chalk lines framing the photo but upon further research i discovered this is a image by Richard Long and is named– A line made by walking, England 1967, this image was created through longs performance after of walking in a line over and over and and killing/treading down the grass bellow his path and then documented through photography. so in fact despite its appearance this image is quite subjective. I believe it to be a combination of both approaches.
‘A photo zine is a self-made, printed issue built of photos and captions. The term comes from the word “magazine”, as zines follow the style of magazines with headings, text, and illustrations put on a grid. An important feature of a photo zine is visual storytelling.‘
Mood Board
Focus Of Experimentation
I want to experiment with they key elements of a photo form, colour, shape and texture and work with combining those elements in order to create and interesting and stimulating photo zine.
I also what to experiment with mirroring and flipping images to create optical illusions throughout.
for my first image i wanted to create a combination of both colour and black and white using harsh lines and shapes to truly demonstrate what i intend illustrate throughout the zine
in this image i wanted to create the impact of an optical illusion
My focus for this zine was not to tell a story with word but in fact let the images speak for themselves using vivid colours, sharp lines and complex editing to create interesting images. i intended to create symmetry with in the layout and images in order to create optical illusions and a sense of da-ja-vu when viewing.
