Art

John Constable – The Hay Wain 1821

This is a very famous painting which was created by John Constable in 1821. John Constable was one of the first artists of the Romantic movement to create landscape paintings which were directly inspired by nature, rather than idealised depictions. He was also, interestingly, one of the first painters to paint trees green, rather than a yellowish-brown and he was known for his realistic paintings of the sky/clouds. After realising how low landscape art was in the hierarchy of art, John Constable created his ‘6 footers’ in an attempt to put landscape art out there to more people. Altogether, Constable succeeded with this and, as a result, he increased the hierarchy of landscape art. This oil painting was originally titled ‘Noon’ and it depicts a rural landscape near Flatford Mill in Suffolk. John Constable painted this landscape in his London studio on a canvas measuring 130.2cm x 185.4cm canvas. This painting depicts 3 horses which appear to be pulling a large farm wagon across the river and a small cottage to the left named ‘Willy Lott’s Cottage’. Constable’s father owned the Mill nearby and this cottage belonged to a tenant farmer, Willy Lott. The name of this piece being changed to Hay Wain, a hay wagon drawn by horses, suggests that the subject of the photo is in fact the horses pulling the wagon. It is suggested that the horses where stationary in the water in this painting so that the wagon’s wheels could cool down, as well as them, and so they could have a drink of water. What we don’t see in this image is that it was based on the times of the Industrial Revolution, where workers would have been going to work in factories, rather than on farms, leaving the people working on farms having to struggle and work harder, making them suffer in poverty because machinery was taking their jobs. In addition to this, he subject being the wagon in this image may be a way of emphasising the hard work that the lower class had to undergo at the time of the industrial revolution to survive. Finally, this painting was presented to the National Gallery in London by Henry Vaughan in 1866 and it has been there ever since.

Photography

Roger Fenton

Roger Fenton

Roger Fenton was a War Photographer and previous lawyer who was known for staging his photographs, manipulating the truth. For example, this image, ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’:

This image displays cannon balls on a road which are believed to have been placed there, perhaps between exposures.

This is another image by Roger Fenton, much different to my previous example. This image features the location in which the painter Samuel Palmer had been inspired by the natural beauty of this river valley. As a result, this indicates that Fenton was also inspired by nature and romanticism when taking this image in Wales. By looking at this photograph, it is clear that Roger Fenton wanted to emphasise the beauty of subject matter, tonality and composition of this image, rather than document the reality. Finally, it looks as if this image had been taken using a slow shutter speed to show the movement of the water. This can be seen by what looks like white haze amongst the water which makes the picture look heavenly.

Fernando Maselli

Source 1 and Source 2

Fernando Maselli is a Photographer, based in Madrid, who is inspired by Edmund Burke’s romantic conception of the sublime and its connection to nature. Maselli creates montages of mountains to make one extraordinary landscape from various existing landscapes that will produce concepts of the Sublime. Maselli takes photographs of mountains at different times throughout the day and at different angles then used fragments, cuts, repetitions and overlaps to build the artificial landscapes. He is fortunate to have trained as a climber to make his photographs possible.

Fernando Maselli stated ‘I seek to recreate an imaginary landscape, almost perfect, where the repetition and accumulation of the elements creates in the viewer a disturbing sensation.‘ This shows that the aim of his photographs are to represent the Sublime.

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism is an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe in the late 18th century. Previous to Romanticism being introduced was the Age of Enlightenment, also known as The Age of Reason. This was when emotion had been sucked from art and literature and people focused mainly on science and logic, whereas, romantics later rejected the whole idea of science and reason. During the Age of Romanticism, people explored the beauty of nature, emotion and life, creating an idealised reality within art and literature. The Age of Romanticism was also introduced during the industrial revolution, the development of cities and machinery, which may also explain the obsession with nature as it could have been an escape from the new reality.

Romanticism in Photography emerged alongside this movement, in the 19th century, and it involves capturing images with dramatic lighting, sublime scenes and dramatic landscapes, creating a sense of awe and nostalgia. Romantic photographers evoke these feelings and emotions through techniques and paying attention to the smaller details like the lighting, focus, composition and depth of field. In Romantic Art, Artists used small, close strokes of complementary colours to create brilliance and vivid visual effect. Overall, romanticism is defying realistic and scientific views on the world and, instead, exploring the emotional effects of the beauty and power of nature.

Here are some examples of Romanticism:

Art

Photography

What is the Sublime and how does it link to Romanticism?

Typically, Sublime is when something is really great, however, the Sublime in photography is when images evoke intense emotions and feelings of awe, whilst also being overwhelmingly beautiful and powerful to the point that they cause terror. This is because it makes people feel small and insignificant. The Sublime links to Romanticism as it’s the emotional effect which is created by romantic photographs and paintings. 

Edmund Burke and The Sublime

Source 1, Source 2 and Source 3

Edmund Burke was an Irish Political Philosopher who was best known for his . He served as a member of the parliament between 1766 and 1794 in the House of Commons of Great Britain and has published many books based on political arguments. Burke was the founder of modern conservatism with his publication of the ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’ in 1790. Back in 1757, Edmund Burke published ‘A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful’. This was the first to separate the beautiful and the sublime into their own categories. Edmund Burke stated that the beautiful is aesthetically pleasing, whereas, the sublime is something that has the power to both compel and destroy us. Altogether, Burke transformed the meaning of the Sublime to ideas of the human experience and how things which are so beautiful can fill us with such horror.

What is Landscape as a Genre?

The Genre ‘Landscape’ is most often used within art and photography and it is the depiction of the natural elements/scenery around us, such as trees, rivers, forests, waterfalls, mountains, beaches and more. There are various types of landscape including:

• Natural Landscapes -the original landscape that exists before it is acted on by human culture

• Urban Landscapes – outdoor environments that are dominated by urban/man-made structures such as buildings, harbours, factories and more.

• Coastal and Marine Landscapes – ocean-related landscapes which may include waves, beaches, ships, cliffs, etc.

• Cultural and Historical Landscapes – historically significant places which show evidence of human interaction with the physical environment.

• Agricultural Landscapes – depicting farming and agriculture, such as farms and fields with crops.

The term ‘landscape’ originates from the Dutch word ‘landschap’, meaning ‘region, tract of land’. Landscape is now defined as ‘a picture depicting scenery on land’, this definition was acquired in the early 1500s.

Mood board – The Evolution of Landscape Photography

A Timeline of Landscape as a Genre

16th Century – Albrecht Altdorfer

Previous to the 16th Century, paintings of landscapes were seen as a setting for religious and figural scenes, rather than a genre themself. Albrecht Altdorfer was a German printmaker who was known for the 9 landscape etchings he produced between 1518 and 1522, the first known artwork to celebrate landscape as a primary subject matter, according to the met museum website. This particular etching is the Alpine Vista with mountains around it and it was created during the Renaissance.

17th Century – Nicolas Poussin

In the 17th Century, the Classical Landscape was born. In a Classical Landscape, the positioning of every feature, such as trees, flowers, rocks and animals, are considered. Nicolas Poussin was a French artist who is known for perfecting the Classical Landscape, along with Claude Lorrain. Nicolas Poussin worked to higher the status of landscape art because he believed that landscapes could express the same powerful emotions as history paintings. At this time, landscape art remained inferior, however, it became more popular as time went on.

18th Century – Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes

In the late 18th Century, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes worked to convince the Academy and his contemporaries that landscape painting was worthy of a higher status because he believed that it was. He published a book in 1800 on landscape painting, emphasising how the ‘historical landscape’ should be based on the study of real nature. The Academy created a prize for ‘historic landscape’ in 1817 in response to the success of this book.

19th Century – Theodore Rousseau

During the 19th Century, there were many milestones for landscape art, including the birth of landscape photography and romanticism. With the industrial revolution, it pushed more people to become interested in the genre of landscape and it became more popular around the world. Theodore Rousseau, among other Barbizon (realism) painters, focus less on classical landscapes and, instead, focused on plain air painting. Plein Air Painting is when the artist paints outdoors with the subject in clear view.

20th Century – Ansel Adams

In the early 20th Century, painters continued to support the landscape whilst landscape photography also grew in popularity. Ansel Adams is a very well-known photographer from this time who photographed breath-taking views of the American countryside, including locations such as various National Parks

Within the second half of the 20th Century, the definition of landscape was challenged and different concepts of the genre of landscape were introduced, such as urban landscape and landscape architecture.

Final Outcomes

Inspired by Hannah Altman’s ‘Indoor Voices’

Inspired by Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures’

Virtual Gallery

Inspired by Hannah Altman’s ‘Indoor Voices’

Inspired by Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures’

Compare and Contrast to Artist References

Hannah Altman’s ‘Indoor Voices’

I personally think that my work is very similar to Hannah Altman’s in terms of displaying the relationship between a mother and daughter. I also attempted to make use of natural light, as also seen in Hannah Altman’s photos. On the other hand, I think that my photos also oppose her work as the relationship displayed in my photos appear more normal and traditional. What I mean by this is that in a lot Hannah Altman’s photos the subjects appear to be doing things such as holding an orange in their feet or sitting together on the side of a bathtub which are not things you would expect to see a mother and daughter do in person, whereas, in my photos, you would naturally expect to see a mother and daughter doing each of these things and consider them ‘normal’.

Additionally, I think these photos relate to Cindy Sherman through the use of ‘selfies’ as I took these photos of myself and my Mum by setting up a camera with a timer. Another way that my work relates to Cindy Sherman’s is by conveying female stereotypes, a mother caring for her daughter. Alternately, my work also differs to Sherman’s as she never displayed her real identity through the camera but in my photos my Mother and I aren’t depicting characters and are in fact just being ourselves.

Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Photos’

I personally think that by photos are quite similar to Justine Kurland’s in the sense that the girls are in a group outside having fun and exploring. These images also relate to Justine Kurland’s as they appear to have run away from home and are in random fields, however, the locations I took these photos weren’t anywhere near as good as Justine Kurland’s. For my photoshoot, I asked for my friends to wear jeans as they are mostly what is worn in Justine Kurland’s photos and I also made sure that we went to big, open grass spaces, similar to some of Kurland’s photos. On the other hand, my images are quite obviously less professional than Justine Kurland’s as they were taken on my phone and also went through less effort to find locations as we had no way of transport to the places we would have wanted to go.

My photos contrast to Claude Cahun’s in the sense that the girls in the photos appear confident with their identity, rather than trying to hide it. This is shown through the fact that they are just doing as they like with a smile on their face, whereas, Claude Cahun would dress up to oppose their identity and make you question whether they were actually male or female but you can clearly see that the subjects in my photos are females just living their lives.

I think that this image specifically relates to Justine Kurland’s work as the girls look like they are running away from home to go explore the outside world.

Finally, I believe that this photo also portrays the girls as runaways who are potentially exploring the woods to build somewhere to stay. This relates to Justine Kurland’s work as a lot of her work portrays the subjects to have run away from home.

Evaluation and Critique

I am very proud of all my final outcomes as I think they definitely display and define femininity through two of the most important feminine relationships, with both a Mother and friends. Both photoshoots link to Girlhood, growing up into a woman.

This is my personal favourite photo I took for this photoshoot as it was taken through the mirror, as you can see by the picture frame on the left. I also like the use of natural light as it has created shadows from the stair rails onto my face and the bottom of the stairs above. This photo gives off the impression that my Mum and I are having a nice conversation of the stairs after just getting out of bed, due to our clothing, my Mum’s body language and my facial expressions. I am very happy with this photo, therefore, I don’t think I would do anything to improve it as I just like how it looks natural.

I also like this photo as, again, you can see the use of a mirror and natural light which I think makes it much more effective and looks well-thought out.

This is one of my favourite images I took, inspired by Justine Kurland. I think that this photo relates to her work through being outside, a common theme throughout Kurland’s ‘Girl Photos’. I also think this photo relates to her work as the subjects appear to be having fun and appear to have possibly found this trampoline whilst exploring. Additionally, I like how my friend is doing a handstand as gymnastics is seen as quite a feminine thing, linking to the theme of femininity. Finally, I enjoy looking at this photo because it just looks like a very natural, caught in the moment photograph and it gives me a somewhat peaceful, free impression due to the fact that they are enjoying the outside and you can see the sea far into the distance. If I were to change this photo to improve it, I would probably step a bit further back from the trampoline so that you can see more of the field around it.

Photoshoot 1 – Inspired by Hannah Altman

Contact Sheet/Image Selection

These are a combination of my photoshoots inspired by Hannah Altman ‘Indoor Voices’. I took these in various places around my house using a tripod and my camera with a 10 second timer.

Image Sub Selection

I have decided to go back through my most successful photos and colour rate them to determine which ones to edit. Green is yes, yellow is unsure and red is no.

Edits

Edit 1

I found that the original image for this edit was very pixelated and not the best quality so I edited it by, firstly, making it darker by lowering the exposure, contrast and highlights. I then increased the texture so things are more defined but lowered the clarity and increased dehaze so everything appears smoother.

Edit 2

My aim for this edit was to make the colours of my hair and my Mum’s face look less orange, therefore, I lowered the exposure, highlights and vibrancy. Similar to the previous edit, I also increased the texture and lowered the clarity.

Edit 3

I edited this photo by cropping it then lowering the exposure, highlights and texture. I also increased the shadows and clarity. Finally, I lowered the vibrancy and saturation to make the colours less bright in the photo and make the image more tranquil.

Edit 4

I edited this by, firstly, cropping it then lowering the exposure, highlights and vibrancy. After this, I increased the shadows, texture and clarity to make the lines in the photo more defined.

Edit 5

I started off editing this photo by cropping each side then lowering the exposure and contrast slightly and increasing the texture and clarity.

Additionally, I used the brush tool to increase the exposure of the bottom half of the window so that it can’t be seen through.

Edit 6

I edited this by lowering the exposure, contrast, highlights, whites and clarity then increasing the texture. I did this to make the image just a little bit less bright and more defined.

Edit 7

To begin editing this photo, I started off by cropping the sides. After this, I lowered the contrast, highlights and exposure and increased the shadows, texture and clarity. Furthermore, I attempted to use the brush tool to get rid of the glisten in my eye, however, it just made it look worse so I kept it how it was.

Edit 8

I personally think that the original photo doesn’t need editing, however, I decided to try edit it anyway which I actually prefer the outcome of. To edit this photo, I decreased the exposure, contrast, highlights, whites and vibrancy and just increased the texture.

Edit 9

I edited this photo by lowering the exposure and clarity then increasing the highlights and texture. After this, I lowered the vibrancy to give the photo a bit less warmth as it makes it look better quality.

Edit 10

This was my last edit to represent a mother and daughter relationship and I edited it by lowering the exposure and whites then increasing the highlights. After this, I increased the texture and clarity to make everything more smooth yet defined. Finally, I finished off by cropping it then lowering the vibrancy and saturation to make the colours less lively to fit the sense that we are in pyjamas and look tired.

Photoshoot 2 – Inspired by Justine Kurland

Contact Sheet/Image Selection

Image Sub Selection

I have decided to go back through my chosen images and create a sub selection of the specific ones that I am going to edit, shown in green.

Edits

Edit 1

I only subtly edited this photo by lowering the exposure to make it more vibrant, increasing the highlights, decreasing the shadows and then increasing the blue and yellow hue.

Edit 2

I edited this by, firstly, cropping it then lowering the exposure, increasing the highlights and texture and increasing the yellow and green hue.

Edit 3

I edited this photo by, firstly, cropping it then lowering the exposure, whites and texture and increasing the clarity and highlights.

Edit 4

I personally think that the original photo was too dark so I edited it by increasing the exposure, whites and vibrancy and decreasing the shadows and clarity. Finally, I slightly cropped the bottom.

Edit 5

I edited this photo by cropping the bottom then increasing the texture, clarity and contrast to make shapes and lines more defined. I then lowered the exposure, highlights, shadows, vibrancy and saturation because I think that the original photo was too vibrant.

Edit 6

I edited this photo by decreasing contrast, shadows, clarity and exposure and increasing highlights and texture. Finally, I finished off by cropping the bottom of the photo.

Edit 7

I edited this by slightly cropping the top of the image then increasing the exposure, contrast, texture, clarity and vibrance then decreasing highlights and whites to make the image a little less bright.

Edit 8

I edited this by cropping the bottom then making small adjustments to the exposure, contrast and clarity.

Edit 9

To edit this photo, I cropped it then increased texture clarity and highlights and lowered the exposure.

Edit 10

When editing this photo, I attempted to remove the orange tint in my friend’s face and hair. I did this by lowering the exposure, highlights, vibrancy and saturation then increasing the contrast, clarity and texture. After this, I finished off by experimenting with the hue and saturation of green and blue to make the grass a bit more vibrant.

Edit 11

I edited this image by slightly cropping the bottom then decreasing the exposure and highlights to make the photo less bright then increasing whites, texture and clarity.

Edit 12

This is my final edit for this photoshoot inspired by Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures’. I edited this photo by just slightly adjusting the exposure, highlights, texture, clarity and vibrancy. Finally, I finished off by cropping the top and bottom, as well as a little bit off the left.

My Ideas for Photoshoots

Idea 1

My first idea is to try and find old photos of both my mum and grandma when they were around my age and recreate them with myself as the subject to capture the generations of females within my family. I would also capture photos of myself and what it’s like as a female in my own generation. This may be quite hard to find some photos as when my Gran was around my age she may have not had as many photos taken, however, I can always go through the photos she has to see. I think this will be effective towards the theme of femininity as it shows the generations of females within my family.

Idea 2

Similar to my first idea, I am going to look at old photos and try to imitate them but, instead, capture female stereotypes throughout the generations, rather than just one person. This work will be inspired by Cindy Sherman. I will do this by, firstly, gathering lots of research then preparing many outfits and looks to recreate. I think this would be a good photoshoot because Cindy Sherman is very popular in photography for her images that relate to femininity.

Idea 3

My third idea is to capture the relationship between mother and daughter. This photoshoot will be inspired by Hannah Altman’s Project, ‘Indoor Voices’. I am going to do this by coming up with a variety of locations around the house, preferably where light shines through the windows, and my Mother and I will get into position whilst I have the camera on a tripod with a timer. I think this will be a great photoshoot as it really relates to femininity through mother-daughter relationships which are a key part of growing up to be a woman. With attention to detail, I also think that I could produce a group of powerful images.

Idea 4

My fourth idea is to capture the similarities between me and my mother from when she was my age, although we don’t look much alike there will still be some resemblance. This photoshoot will be inspired by Ugne Henriko’s Project ‘Mother and Daughter’. I will do this by finding some old, printed photos of my mother and recreate them, almost like it’s a reflection. I think this will be effective because it will highlight the similarities and differences between us from when she was around my age.

Idea 5

My fifth idea is a bit different from the others. For this photoshoot I will ask for one of my male friends or my Dad to dress up in various (stereotypically) women’s outfits. This will be inspired by Rebecca Jurgen’s series ‘Boys will be Girls’. I think it will be effective as I can’t imagine many of my peers would do this and it also is something different to each of my other ideas.

Idea 6

My final idea is to ask for some of my friends to come with me to a field or the woods so that I can get some photographs of us having fun and exploring. This will be inspired by Justine Kurland and relates to femininity as it explores female youth.

Photoshoot Plan

I have decided to go for idea number 3, which is to do a photo shoot capturing the relationship between my mother and I. We are going to position ourselves in many locations around the house and use a tripod to hold the camera with a timer. This photoshoot is inspired by Hannah Altman’s project ‘Indoor Voices’. I think that this is a really good idea for a photoshoot because having a woman role model to look up to is a very important aspect of growing up as a female. This would also relate to femininity due to females stereotypically being a mother figure and this photoshoot would display the relationship between a mother and their daughter. I am also going to do Idea number 6 and link both my photoshoots to female youth. For this idea, I will go to a field with my friends and get a variety of photographs of them doing different things. We may also go to an area with trees nearby so I can capture photographs of them climbing trees. This photoshoot will be inspired by Justine Kurland’s Girl Pictures which almost appears to go against the female stereotype with the fact that they are exploring and getting dirty as it’s more what you would expect boys to do. Overall, I think that these photoshoots could work together to create a final outcome as it shows some of the most important female relationships for a girl, with their Mother and with their friends. Additionally, they also both display female adolescence, the stage when a girl is old enough to go out exploring with her friends whilst also having a close and more understanding relationship with her Mum.

Hannah Altman

Hannah Altman is an American photographer from New Jersey, known for her use of natural light and incorporating Jewish aspects into her work. She was born on the 1st of May 1995 and is Jewish. At the age of 19, whilst studying at Point Park University, Hannah Altman started her first project, ‘Indoor Voices’. Altman started this project in 2015, still adding to it now, and it is based around intergenerational womanhood, matrilineal responsibility and the symbol of quiet intimacy. By looking at the images in this series, you can see that they all consist of a mother and daughter and display their relationship through everyday life and struggles.

To plan out this photoshoot, I have taken photos of the places around the house that I have in mind for each image and drawn stickmen in the place of me and my Mum. This is to make it easier to visualize how the final outcomes will be and make it easier for myself to remember when taking the photos.

Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland, born in 1969 in New York, is a fine art photographer. In 1996, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts then went on to study at Yale University for her Master of Fine Arts. Between 1997 and 2002, Justine Kurland travelled along the road in the American Wilderness and captured photographs of teenage girls. She stated “I staged the girls as a standing army of teenaged runaways in resistance to patriarchal ideals”. She portrayed the girls as fearless, fierce and free and made them appear to explore, swim and socialise, without paying attention to the camera. I personally really like this photoshoot as it looks like it would be fun to create and, when looking at the photos, makes me feel calm and free.

I am planning on doing this photoshoot in the field next to my Friend’s house and possibly even in a woodland or area of trees nearby. I am going to ask for my friends to do various things such as running in the field, sitting down talking, climbing trees and more. There is also a tyre in the field and a rope swing nearby so I may try and use them in my photoshoot.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American Artist, born in 1954, whose work generally consists of self portraits where she photographs herself in a variety of contexts and as different characters. Sherman often portrays herself as stereotypical women in her photographs, resembling scenes from 1950s and 1960s films. Shortly after moving to New York at the age of just 23, Cindy Sherman produced her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ (1977-1980) where she dressed up as imaginary characters in various settings. Some of these characters include the unhappy housewife, the jaded seductress and the jilted lover which are all mainly based off of those from mid 20th century B movies. Cindy Sherman mentioned “I wanted them to seem cheap and trashy, something you’d find in a novelty store and buy for a quarter”. This shows that her images were often taken and made to mimic advertisements and promotions for movies at the time. These film stills remain her best-known works and, once released, they immediately became a point of discussion for feminism, postmodernism and representation. Sherman works in series and most of her work have recurring themes. Additionally, she had an exhibition made for her work in 2012 at the Museum of Modern Art displaying work from throughout her career. Finally, a quote I find interesting from Cindy Sherman is “None of the characters are me. They’re everything but me.” because it explains that in every photo and as every character she dressed up as, she never showed her true self which creates a sense of mystery. This also adds to the sense that women in media are often portrayed as someone else, rather than who they really are, therefore, the things you see in the media are often fake and just for show.

This is one of Cindy Sherman’s photographs where she appears to be dressed up as a house wife. This impression is caused by the fact that she is in a kitchen and appears to be unpacking her food shopping. Due to the photo being monochrome and slightly pixelated, you can tell it was taken on an older camera which also indicates how its inspiration would have come from the time when women were less superior to men. The character she is imitating in the photo, an house wife, almost looks as if she is looking at someone, perhaps her husband, and appears fed up or annoyed. I personally admire this photo because I believe that it definitely tells a story and relates a lot to toxic feminism (the belief that woman have to look and act a certain way, usually doing jobs around the house and looking after her family). Additionally, I find it admiring how Cindy Sherman would set up the camera and photograph herself, instead of someone else, which is something I would like to try for my own photoshoots.

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun, born Lucy Schwob, was a French artist, photographer, surrealist and writer. They were born in 1894 in Nantes, France and died in 1954 in Jersey Channel Islands. Cahun is best known for their self portraits and photo montages where they explored themes of identity. They were associated with the surrealist movement and were an activist who challenged traditional societal norms and gender roles throughout their work. Cahun moved to Jersey in 1937 with their stepsister and lover Marcel Moore. Claude Cahun was later imprisoned and sentenced to death for resistance during the Occupation in 1944. Although Claude Cahun survived, most of their work was destroyed by the Nazis. Cahun’s work is represented within the Jersey Heritage Trust collection and they have become and important figure in the history of queer and feminism art.

This photo of Claude Cahun, in my opinion, is one of her most important photographs that appear to question the societal norms of being female. Not only did she change her name but she also shaved her head to challenge gender roles and express herself for who she is. In this photo, Claude Cahun is presented in a very masculine way, however, there are also hints of femininity which makes you question whether you are looking at a male or female. Either way, she appears confident with who she is by her facial expressions and appearance within the mirror but also slightly constrained with the collar of the jacket hiding herself. This gives off the impression that she feels like she can’t fully show her true identity, the reflection in the mirror. Additionally, this may be highlighted by the fact that her gaze is directly towards the camera but in the mirror she is looking the other way because her true identity can’t be shown to society. I personally admire this photo because it seems to be very thought out and gives off many different impressions, making the viewer really have to think deeply about it.

Comparison

Overall, Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun’s work relate to each other through the fact that they explore female stereotypes and take selfies rather than photos of someone else, however, Claude Cahun appears to go against these stereotypes where Cindy Sherman tries to oblige to them. Similarly, both the artists explore identity as Cindy Sherman dresses as different characters and never herself but Claude Cahun shows hints of their identity through their characters and appearance.

What is Femininity?

Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviours and qualities, typically associated as characteristics of women and girls. These include traits like nurturing, intuition and grace. Femininity creates stereotypes for the ways a woman should both behave and look. The societal expectations for a ‘feminine’ appearance include long hair, softer features and clothing choices like dresses and skirts. Traditional femininity sets societal expectations and standards to create toxic femininity. Toxic femininity can create societal pressures for women due to the enforcement of unrealistic beauty standards and behaviours. This causes some women to feel judged, constrained and pressured to fit these expectations, possibly even causing them to experience struggles such as isolation, anxiety, and hiding their true identity. Additionally, Femininity is highly impacted by what is seen on social media, on television and in magazines.

Perceptions of femininity have changed over time…

1950s

1960s

1970s

Women’s Liberation

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

This day

Femininity appears different in different cultures…

What is Masculinity?

Masculinity is a set of socially constructed characteristics, attributes and behaviours generally associated with males. It constructs the ways in which a man is meant to act and look to fit societal standards. Stereotypically, a male has sharper features and shorter hair than a woman, as well as being more muscular and independent. This harsh stereotype is created by toxic masculinity expectations, similar to toxic femininity but less spoken about. Societal expectations encourage men to show strength and stoicism, concealing their emotions and hiding vulnerability. Men are also expected to perform roles like protecting, leading and providing. As a result, the pressure to be ‘masculine’ leads to challenges with mental health for men as they feel that they have to internalise their feelings rather than openly speaking about them.

Search results for ‘Masculinity’:

Binary opposites

Femininity vs Masculinity is a Binary Opposite. Binary opposition is when two mutually exclusive terms or concepts are put together to create a contrasting effect. These two terms are defined as opposites, although they relate to each other. Binary Opposition is often used in photography to emphasise contrast, creating visually striking photographs. The most common examples of binary opposites shown in photography include light and dark, rough and smooth textures and bright and dull colours.

Femininity vs Masculinity Mindmap

Ways how identity can be influenced

Identity is defined as the characteristics, beliefs, experiences, appearance, personality traits and qualities that make up a person. It can be influenced by a variety of things such as someone’s social environment, cultural background, personal experiences, family upbringing, gender and sexuality, economic background, religion and even what they are exposed to by media. Identity is dynamic and changes over time as people change and grow older.

Gender Identity

Gender Identity is how a person describes their gender. For example, some people may not see themselves as a male or female so they identify as non-binary. This is the result of someone’s inner feelings and possibly the lack of confidence or even social factors.

Cultural Identity

An example of cultural identity is the Māori people, the second largest ethnic group in New Zealand. This group originated from East Polynesian people who canoed to and settled in New Zealand, developing their own distinctive culture. They’re well known for their cultural tattoos called Tā Moko, most commonly on their face for men and chin for women.

Social Identity

Social identity refers to how a person categorizes themselves or others. Examples of this are race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status and (dis)abilities. These categorizations are often assigned to us or are something we are born into.

Geographical Identity

Geographical Identity refers to ‘an individual or group’s sense of attachment to the country, region, city or village in which they live’. This is affected by the characteristics and stereotypes in which a place is associated.

Political Identity

Political identity is how a person or group thinks of themselves in relation to the politics and government of a country. Examples of Political Identity include identification with a political party and positions on specific political issues, such as gender equality.

Lack of/Loss of Identity

The loss of identity refers to a range of experiences in which an individual may feel disconnected from their sense of self, purpose or values. This can be the result of major life changes, trauma, metal health issues and societal pressures. Additionally, loss of identify can be the cause of mental health issues for some people.

Stereotypes

A stereotype is a generalized image, belief or set of characteristics that people believe represent a particular type of person or thing. Examples of stereotypes that influence Femininity vs Masculinity are:

• Men should not cry
• Women are too emotional
• Women are mothers
• Men are providers
• Men are strong
• Women are weak

Prejudices

Prejudice is most often defined as ‘unfriendly feelings directed against an individual, a group or a race’. An example of prejudice is being homophobic. This is when people show dislike towards gay people. Additionally, being prejudice towards gay people may be based on religious beliefs or just irrational fear. Another example of prejudice could be racial prejudice, which is when others may look down on a certain race.

Identity Politics

Identity politics is a term used to describe people of a particular race, religion, gender, social background, nationality, social class or another identifying factor and how they are more or less vulnerable to oppression. Some social groups are more likely to be presses, such as women, sailed people, ethnic minorities or sexual minorities due to them having less power or privilege. On the other hand, some social classes are less likely to be oppressed such as white people or men are they are seen to be more powerful and privileged.

An example of identity politics are LGBT Movements as they promote self-affirmation, dignity and equality for people within the LGBT social group.

A positive example of identity politics is the fact that, in construction, it is very popular now to make the building inclusive and accessible for the people who use it. This is good because it allows people with disabilities, such as having a wheelchair, to be able to use the building just the same as other and move around it easily.

Culture Wars

Culture Wars are conflicts between social groups who struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs and practices. Culture Wars commonly refers to topics in which general societal disagreements are seen. An example of a culture war is the Feminist Movement, where Women battled for equal right against men through protesting and political campaigns.

What is Sequence/Grid Photography?

Sequence photography is when you capture the movement of an object or of a sequence of events over time. The photographs are often taken at rapid-fire or they can even be taken separately. This can be displayed as a series of photographs or you could do some editing to make the movement all within one image. This is an example of the subject moving within the same image:

Grid photography can be either a collage of multiple photos together or splitting one photo into a grid known as the rule of thirds. Typologies are also a type of grid photograph and it is when photos are grouped with ones that have similar characteristics and laid out as a grid.

Mood board

Rule of Thirds

What is the rule of thirds?

The rule of thirds is a guideline in photography which places the subject in the left, right or middle third, leaving the other two thirds more open. The image is divided into 9 equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines of equal distance. The rule of thirds is generally used to create a well balanced, more visually pleasing photograph and draw the audience’s eyes towards the subject you want them to focus on.

Photo examples

Artist Reference

Brian D Smith

Brian D Smith is an American Wedding and Studio Photographer. He began his career in photography after photographing a wedding and making the decision to pursue his passion and drop his career in engineering. He is passionate about photographing weddings because he believes that committing to one person for life is a beautiful experience to witness. He also enjoys portraits and editorial work because he believes that it provides an opportunity to share a bond with a subject and reflect their beauty.

This is a series of photographs taken by Brian D Smith which have been arranged as a grid. In the top row, you can see that the woman’s eyes are becoming less visible to the camera each time, however, in the middle row she is making direct eye contact with the camera in each photo. On the bottom row, the subject is looking away from the camera in each photo and posing with her hands. In the top row, as her eyes become less visible to the camera, her hands are more visible. For example, in the first photo she is not using her hands, however in the second she is using both but only one palm is visible and in the last one both her palms are visible. Each image that makes up this grid looks like it follows the rule of thirds, apart from the bottom, centre image as the subject’s arm is aligned with the side of the photograph. Finally, this grid does not follow a specific trend as each photograph is different, however, they do all have similar characteristics.

Photoshoot Plan

Photoshoot/Photo Selection

I am going to be using this same set of photos for all Headshots editing.

Edits

Grid 1

I planned my first grid by selecting the photos I will use and positioning them where I want them in Freeform so I can visualise what it will look like.

The photos on the bottom row all appear a bit darker than the others, therefore, I am going to edit them a little bit on Adobe Lightroom Classic.

This is my improved grid after editing the photos:

To make my grid on Adobe Photoshop, I followed the following YouTube Tutorial:

The method I undergone for this was:

1) File > New: 1080 x 1080 pixels | 72 Resolution | Background: White

2) View > New Guide Layout: Columns: 3 | Rows: 3

3) Add a New layer and select Rectangular Marquee Tool then select any colour. Select first box, using Rectangular Marquee Tool, then right click and select Fill… > Foreground Colour.

4) Repeat this process with different colours for each of the boxes.

5) Select a layer and drag and drop a photo to place it on top. Right click the photo layer then select Create Clipping Mask.

6) After this, go to Edit > Free Transform and align the image how you would like it.

7) Repeat this process for the rest of the boxes to get your final result and clear Guides.

Grid 2

I used the same method from my previous edit, just with different photos. I decided that this grid would look better if I made it B&W, so that is what I did.

Grid 3

This will be the photos used in my 3rd grid. I am planning on possibly making the images in the middle row monochrome.

This is what the grid will look like with that row being in B&W. I then decided that I think it would look better with the B&W row being the bottom row so I changed it.

This is the final arrangement of my grid that I will make in Photoshop.

This is my grid that I created using these images in Adobe Photoshop:

Evaluation

Overall, I think my grids are similar to Brian D Smith’s due to the range of hand gestures and poses, although, my grids are different in terms of shape as they are squares whereas his are rectangular.

^ This is my personal favourite grid as I think that it looks quite professional and I like the B&W. I also like how the background of each image appear similar colour, except from the top left being a little darker.

Additionally, the rule of thirds is another form of grid photography and I would say that the majority of the images within my grids follow this rule.

What is double/multi exposure?

Double or multi exposure photographs are when an illusion is created by layering images (or parts of images) over the top of each other. This can be done on Adobe Photoshop by creating image layers and then using blending options and opacity control.

Mood board

Artist Reference

Man Ray was an American photographer, painter and filmmaker, born in 1890 under the name Emmanuel Radnitzky in Pennsylvania. He was most famous for his work in portraiture and spent the majority of his career in Paris, where he later passed away in 1976, aged 86. Man Ray was Jewish and a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist Movements, challenging social norms through art and writing. He invented many photography techniques, a remarkable example of this is Rayographs. Rayographs were made without a camera and, alternatively with the use of photosensitive paper which he would place objects on then expose to the sun.

Here are some examples of Rayographs:

I find these photos fascinating that they were not taken using a camera and they appear like an Xray. These images also look like they have been edited to create a Muti exposure image, which is why Man Ray is an interesting artist for this.

Photoshoot Plan

Photoshoot/Contact Sheet

I am going to be using this same set of photos for all Headshots editing.

Edits

Edit 1

The photos I used for this edit are:

I started editing this photo by adding both images as a layer onto a blank document then lowering the opacity of the layer on top.

I then cropped the edit so that you couldn’t see the edges of the image layers then I went to Layer > Flatten Image so that the whole thing was just one singular layer.

Finally, I made the image B&W by going to Image > Adjustments > Black and White and making the colours how I wanted them.

This is my final result:

Edit 2

These are the photos I used for this edit:

Firstly, I opened up my first photo in photoshop and made the image red for rage by going to Image > Adjustments and changing the Colour Balance.

After this, I added that photo as a layer on top of the other and lowered its opacity so that you could see the other beneath.

Finally, I lowered the brightness and increased the contrast so that the red of the image, to signify anger, is clear.

Edit 3

The photos I used for this edit are:

I created the final image by, firstly, layering each image where I would like them and lowering their opacity.

I then decided to go a different way about these images. Whilst hiding the first layer, I used the background eraser tool to remove the background then used the regular eraser tool to clean up. This was so that the backgrounds of each image don’t overlay so, when in colour, you can see the clear contrast between the 2 appearances.

I then repeated this process for the other layer.

I then repositioned these layers and made each of them fill 65% so that they were transparent then added some colour. I added colour to each image by going to Image > Adjustments > Colour Balance and adjusting the colour until I was happy with it.

I then cropped this edit to create my final result.

Edit 4

The photos I used for this edit are:

I chose these photos because they are where her facial expressions are most similar so that they will match up well.

This was a very quick edit. I edited this by placing the image where her hand are on the side of her head on top of the other and lowering the opacity then aligning them so that her face remains normal.

I then decided to make this more interesting by making it black and white.

This is the final result after cropping it:

Edit 5

These are the images I used for this edit:

I edited this by, firstly opening up each image in photoshop and duplicating the layer. At this time, the photos were separate from each other. I then, like one of my previous edits, used the background eraser tool to remove the background of each image.

After this, I copy and pasted each layer onto a blank canvas, arranging them how I would like them then changed the colours of the images by going to Image > Adjustments > Colour Balance.

I did the same for this image, however, I also adjusted the Hue/Saturation.

Finally, I altered the opacity of each photo to give a double exposure effect.

Evaluation/Virtual Gallery

These are my final images:

Virtual Gallery

Evaluation

I personally don’t think that any of my edits share any similarities with the work of Man Ray, except from possibly this one:

I think this image is similar to Ray’s in terms of the B&W and Xray effect. I also believe that Man Ray has a rayograph that includes hands on the face, much like mine. This is also possibly my favourite edit for double exposure because I think that it clearly displays understanding of double exposure in Photography.

This is probably my least successful image and I think that I could have improved it by making there a clear contrast between the calm and anger by making just her face red in anger, rather than the whole image.