Cindy Sherman, born 1954, is an American whose work consists primarily of self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough of work is often considered as her collection of ‘untitled film stills’. This collection consisted of 70 black and white photographs of Sherman depicting herself as typical female roles in performance media. I have chosen Sherman as a case study as she demonstrates the stereotypical views that most people have on women and this is shown in her photos.

Untitled Film Stills

In her series of ‘Untitled Film Stills’ Cindy Sherman herself poses as various different stereotypical women based on the 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, Film noir, B movies, and European art-house films. These photos represent clichés of stereotypical females, these included the typical office girl, bombshell, girl on the run, house wife and more. In each of these photos the woman is facing away from the camera and outside of the frame which adds a sense that it is from a movie which fits in with the name of this collection ‘Untitled Film Stills’. Sherman is not only the photographer but she is also the subject of these photos which allows her to be able to portray herself in a way which sends the correct message to the viewer.

Sherman named all her photos as ‘untitled’ as she wanted to allow the viewer to be able to interpret their own meaning rather than each photo having one singular meaning. In December 1995, the Museum Of Modern Art acquired Cindy Sherman’s entire collection of Untitled Film Stills (sixty-nine). Later on Sherman decided to add one final image to this collection bringing it to 70 photos in total. This photo was her final photo in her collection of ‘untitled film stills’.

“I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.” Cindy Sherman

Analysis

In Cindy Sherman’s collection of self-portraits named ‘untitled film stills’ she presents herself as typical female roles within performance industry. This photo shows Sherman herself acting as a female in a movie stood over a sink whilst holding her stomach. This photo can be used to show the stereotypical views of how women meant to act and what they were meant to do back in that era. This can be implied by the apron that she is dressed in as women were meant to stay home to cook and clean whilst the man went to work, the blurred pot in the foreground of the photo can also show this stereotypical view on women back then. The way that Sherman is holding her stomach and looking over her shoulder could suggest that she is pregnant and fearful of what is to come. It could also suggest she is in a toxic situation as scared for the child. The haircut in this photo, as well as it being black and white, implies that the photo is meant to have an older look as this hairstyle was popular during the early 20th century. There is a slight grain texture to the photo which adds an older look as well.

Planning a response

In order to respond to Cindy Sherman I will have to take my photos outside of school in a home environment. I will take photos of my model doing tasks that used to be widely associated with women back in the 20th century such as cleaning and cooking. I aim to create two photoshoots based on Sherman’s work.

I chose to take photos in response to Cole Ndelu’s project ‘a study on femininity’. To respond to this I will take my photos in a home environment using a white curtain for the background as Ndelu also uses plain simple backgrounds in her photos. I chose to take photos of my family members holding things such as flowers and leaves in a similar way to Ndelu.

Photoshoot 1:

In this first photoshoot I took 43 photos using a mix of fake a real flowers as a prop. I chose to use similar poses to the ones used in Ndelu’s collection of photos.

I went through my photos and flagged them with either a white flag, meaning the photo was good, or a black flag, meaning the photo wasn’t.

Best photos:

These are my best photos as they are clear and most similar the Ndelu’s work.

Editing photos:

 First edit:

Original photo before editing:

I found that the photo before editing was slightly too dull and I didn’t like the stray hairs as they showed up clearly against the white background and made the photo look less sharp. In this shoot artificial lighting was used.

To improve the photo I removed some of the stray hairs from the top of the head as well as the hand using the healing tool in adobe Lightroom. This made the photo look sharper and cleaner.

Final outcome:

For my final edit I decided to use the vignette tool in order to draw the views eyes towards the centre of the photo where the models eye is. I also cropped the photo to remove the extra space around the model and the flowers. The flowers add a feminine aspect to the photo as they are widely associated with women due to their beauty. The flowers also add in an aspect of nature to the photo which is also associated with women and the stereotypical idea that they are meant to have a nurturing personality. The photo has more of a warm tone in comparison to the original version of it.

Edit 2

Original photo before editing:

Finally, I cropped the photo to get rid of the extra unneeded space from both sides of the photo.

Final outcome:

In this photo the model is holding a glass jar of white flowers, whilst editing I chose to leave the models hands in the photo as I think it gives a nurturing look to the photo which is a stereotypical aspect of a woman. I created a soft look to the photo by reducing the texture, I did this to enhance the nurturing sense of the photo as it makes the model look gentle and kind, which are stereotypical traits of women, rather than adding a sharp texture which wouldn’t give the same look. The pink tone to the photo shows colour stereotypes, women are associated with the colour pink whereas men as associated with blue. The composition of this photo has the model and the flowers in the centre causing them to be the only focus of the photo, there is also little background space which makes sure the viewers attention isn’t taken away from the main focus.

Photoshoot 2

In this shoot I used a different model in a different environment, I also used different flowers. I experimented with different poses in a similar way to Cole Ndelu. In this shoot natural lighting was used.

I again labelled my best shoots using either a white (good) or a black (bad) flag so that editing and selecting my final photos would be easier.

Best photos

Editing:

Original photo before editing:

Due to taking photos against the light the photo has a dull look to it so using adobe Lightroom I will improve this.

I made the photo sharper so that the details would stand out more. I also moved the highlights point towards a more pink tone so that the flower would stand out. By adjusting the saturation and vibrancy the photo appeared brighter and less dull. I also cropped it so that the attention was on the model rather than the background of the photo.

Final outcome:

Comparing my work to the photographers work:

My photo is similar to Ndelu’s photo as they both have brightly coloured flowers in the model’s mouths. The models are posed in the same way in both mine and Ndelu’s photograph however in her photo the model is turned more towards the side, showing their side profile. Both photos support Ndelu’s aim of her photography which is to represent that both women and men can be as equally as beautiful.

Cole Ndelu is an awarded conceptual portrait and fashion photographer who is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated during 2016 from the Stellenbosch Academy of design and photography with a degree in visual communication and a major in photography. Ndelu works mainly with photography however she also works with mediums such as text, sound, collage, and motion.

A study on femininity

The series ‘a study on femininity’ is a collection of images by Cole Ndelu which shows her beliefs towards going against the stereotypical associations of femininity. With this work she aims to disturb the norm and display the models, who are both male and female, as beautiful, resilient, and powerful.

“My series is aligned with what I consider to be the purpose of my work as an artist – which is to create work that celebrates and honours the marginalised.”

Analysis

In the photo there is a male with a yellow flower coming from his mouth. This challenges stereotypical masculinity as males are not often associated with things such as brightly coloured flowers, he is also wearing an earring which is often seen as a feminine piece of jewellery. The composition of the photo causes the model to be the main focus as he is in the centre of it. However, there is also some empty space surrounding him which contrasts with the shape of the model in various areas, especially the back. This photo clearly shows Cole Ndelu’s aim of her project ‘a study on femininity’ as it shows that a male can be just as beautiful as a female can.

Planning a response

In order to create a response to Cole Ndelu’s work I will need props such as flowers and leaves to recreate some of her photos from her project ‘A study on femininity’. I will take these photos outside of school using a camera. I am aiming to do two photoshoots based on Ndelu’s work with two different models and flowers.

Masculinity is seen to be the trait which emphasises ambition, acquisition and wealth. Whereas femininity is seen to be the trait of caring and nurturing behaviours. However these days people challenge these older views using things such as social media and political movements. This has led to these views changing overtime meaning women can also be seen having those masculine traits and men can now be seen having those feminine traits. One large aspect which has challenged these views is photography from photographers such as Claude Cahun and Cole Ndelu.

In photography masculinity and femininity can be challenged for example by dressing a woman in a males suit it challenges the idea that women are able to wear masculine clothing. This is also challenged by men putting on makeup it shows that men can also be feminine like women.

Angela Marklew is a photographer who mainly focuses on portraiture, in particular the headshots area of it. Marklew was born in Canada however she now takes residence in Los Angeles. Marklew takes multiple different types of portraiture photos however the ones which I particularly like are her coloured gels photographs. She also takes photos for beauty as well as advertising.

Analysis:

In this photo there is a woman holding an orange leaf, this implies it has been taken during the autumn time. Along with the orange leaf there is also orange makeup added to the model’s cheeks to enhance the colour and make the face stand out with the leaf. Angela Marklew’s photos often have a soft look to them which is demonstrated in this photo. this is created by using soft pastel colours rather than harsh bright ones which would stand out against each other too much. By removing majority of the background from the photo Marklew is able to make the model the main focus of the photo. This was also done by using a white background and a white shirt as this causes them to blend together rather than standing out and taking any focus away from the models face. There is a warm tone to this photo due to the warm orange and yellow tones in the leaf and the cheeks of the model as well as the hair colour.

Analysis 2:

This photo is also of a woman however it is not of her full face despite the face being the main focus. Due to half of the face being out of the photo an interesting composition is created. In contrast to the previous photo this one has more of a cooler tone due to the cool tone of pink used on the cheeks and the models blue eyes. This photo also has a soft look to it due to the way that the model blends into the background in the top right section of the photo.

Planning a response

To respond to Angela Marklew’s work I will be using coloured gels to create pictures inspired by her coloured gel photography. I will take these photos in the studio as I will need to use the lighting set up.

Headshots are a type of portraiture photography which are usually used for websites, press releases, publications and social media profiles. The term ‘Headshot’ just means that the photo is cropped in order to make a persons face the main focus of the photo rather than the space surrounding them. People use headshots usually to capture peoples individualism and personal brand.

Butterfly lighting can be seen all the way back in the golden age of Hollywood. It was used mostly by Hollywood glamour photographers during the 1930s-1940s, it was used to capture the beauty of Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. Butterfly lighting creates a dramatic butterfly shaped shadow under the subjects nose. Another name for this is ‘paramount lighting’, named for the Hollywood studio and how they lit their most glamorous actresses. All that is required for a butterfly setup is a light source (preferably a soft box or umbrella) placed behind the photographer and slightly to one side. Then you can experiment with the position of the light to find the most flattering angle for your subjects face.

Examples of butterfly lighting:

My photoshoot

During my photoshoot I took over 100 photos all together and these are the successful butterfly lighting photos which all include the butterfly shaped shadow under the nose of the subject.

Best photos:

These photos are some of the most successful ones from my photoshoot as each of them have a clear butterfly shaped shadow under the nose.

Editing:

The edit before any editing is good however I am going to make it black and white to that the shadow stands out more.

After making the photo black and white by removing the saturation all the details stand out much more. I did this using picsart. The photo is also in good focus as all aspects are in focus and the background is plain making the subject stand out.

The term Rembrandt lighting is relatively new. The term was originally coined by 20th century filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille when he made the film The Virginia Warriors. As the story progressed, he borrowed several spotlights to recreate a lighting scheme in which the actors’ faces were half illuminated.

Rembrandt lighting is a technique using one light as well as a reflector or two separate lights. It is a popular as it gives an image a dramatic look as well as a natural look. it is recognisable through the lit-up triangle on the subjects unlit side of their face.

My photoshoot:

Best photos:

Editing:

Before and after:

Next I cropped the photo to remove some of the background to ensure the model was the main focus of the photo rather than the space around.

Final edit:

I think this edit is successful as there is a clear triangle under the models left eye which shows that it is a Rembrandt inspired photo. I also think the black and white makes the highlights brighter and the shadows darker which enhances the contrast between them, this is especially useful for the triangle under the eye and it makes it clear. By cropping the photo and adding the vignette effect the focus of the photo is drawn to the centre, the model.

In photography lighting is one of the most important aspects for a good photo. However there are many different types of lighting and lighting techniques which people use depending on the photo and environment. For example studio lighting is a main type of lighting which photographers use, another is natural lighting provided by natural things for example the sun.

There is also hard light and soft light:

As you can see the hard light has much harsher and darker lines in comparison to the soft light.

Lighting in photography can also be used to create powerful shadows and silhouettes as shown above.