In what way have Helmuth Newton and Cindy Sherman portrayed women?

‘Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves.’
John Berger, The Ways of Seeing, 1972

INTRODUCTION

The representation of gender roles and stereotypes have been interpreted in multiple ways and in many different forms throughout history. As a society, the world has begun to slowly adjust its ways and modernise values upon women into an equal balance between genders. However, along the way artists and photographers have shone light onto areas of society and media which demoralize and objectify the female gender for others’ gratification. Traditional gender stereotypes have been criticized and modified as individuals fight for attention to their true and deeper self instead of reducing them to mere physical appearances. By exploring how women are portrayed in art by different photographers throughout time, I am able to shine light on different views and interpretations from artists, both past and present. ‘Photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have the right to observe.’¹ This quote portrays the purpose of exploring human perception of the world and highlighting the beauty in appreciating the smaller details that are essential to be exposed otherwise might go unnoticed by us as a society. This quote relates to my work as I am focusing on an area of the world which raises ethical and philosophical questions around the topics of overstepping a boundary and distorting female identities and worth to fit narrow beauty standards. The photographers I will be exploring are Cindy Sherman and Helmut Newton and how their work relates, differs and what message they create for the audience. I will be responding to their work by producing images with a similar style and message but with a modern-day twist on how photographs with the same underlying message are continued today even after a revolution of women’s movements.

Movie still from the film “Jailhouse Rock” 1957, by Bettmann.

THE MALE GAZE

The idea of the ‘male gaze’ was introduced by Laura Mulvey who explored this concept of the way ‘straight, white men’ see women in TV, cinema and print work. Throughout time, movements such as 1st and 2nd wave feminism protested for men and women to be treated as rational beings and women have the rights to social and political rights. Sexism and misogyny are continuous stigmas between women and men. However, the Women’s Liberation Movement introduced the process of “consciousness raising” in which they highlighted and opposed the systematic ways in which boys and girls are brought up with the assumption that the male is always superior to the female. By raising movements such as these, groups such as the Suffragettes announced their beliefs on equality and succeeded in raising awareness as feminist critical thinking became much more prominent and pronounced during the counter cultural movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Laura Mulvey’s work on ‘the male gaze’ in cinema and TV contributes to my work as photographers such as Helmut Newton, focus on this target audience of a ‘straight white man’ in order to increase sales and engagement. The concept of “scopophilia” and “narcissism” perfectly portrays Newton’s work and its purpose, which is to give a patriarchal audience the opportunity to view images disguised as fashion promotion in a normalised voyeuristic manner. The quote ‘Cinematic codes create a gaze, a world, and an object, thereby producing an illusion cut to the measure of desire.’² applies to my view as I believe that small elements such as lighting, angles and editing all contribute to an audience’s perception of this particular repeated narrative of voyeurism and female objectification to satisfy the heterosexual male viewers. By researching such a popular and oppositional photographer I have been able to gain awareness on both viewpoints and how they have both faulted, excelled and how their rise to fame has altered the opinions and stereotypes that still maintain to this day.    

HELMUT NEWTON.

Helmut Newton was a photographer who was deeply significant amongst the fashion industry and its photography throughout the 1970s/80s. I think that his work is the perfect comparison for the world of fashion and modelling that I would like to similarly replicate and explore in my work. This is because I have a particular interest in the black and white style, elegant and high fashion black and white images that he created throughout his prime, and the definitive style and aesthetic that is displayed throughout each one of his images. The sophisticated and graceful style with high-fashion styling, empowered presence and timeless beauty reels in the viewer to never forget an era of high heels, flowing gowns and chic modern, complex elegance. As Helmut Newton was a very powerful and significant individual in the fashion industry, I feel he is an imperative element I must include in my work as a tool to examine the topic of representation of women in the media industries. The idea of how his beautiful yet underneath explicit content and objectification creates more of an impact than what meets the eye, was a key element of his work that I feel displays how media products are disguised as a confident and powerful female perspective yet reinforce women as an object of desire. Something that makes me fascinated with his work is the fact that Newton’s distinct style often featured strong, dominant women in exaggerated, sculptured poses and striking settings. His images were characterized by a high contrast, stark lighting, and a sense of voyeurism.   

The lighting in this photo is a black and white dark toned image which has a high contrast which creates a striking atmosphere. The shadows are harsh and strong with the highlights being white and brighter. This creates a high contrast and bold impression. In this photograph the two women are highlighted as the focal point in the image due to the sharp shadows and dark dresses which have a strong and powerful style to them. This image includes a sense of symmetry and geometric framing. This is due to the way the two women are stood in a specific place which is known as deliberate positioning. This creates an easy way for the audience to immediately look at the subjects instead of the background. Shadows also accompany the focal point of the women by emphasising their bodies and in this image, possibly promoting the outfits the women are wearing. The female form is a main part of Newton’s work, and it is displayed in this image as there is emphasis on the shape of these women’s bodies and they display an idealistic and stereotypical body to please the male audience. The lighting of this images highlights the bodies of the women and their sculptural beauty. I like how cinematic thus image is as it looks like a quick shot taken out of a movie, as the women are mid motion, this creates a cinematic and narrative impression. The main contextual element to Helmut Newton’s work is exploring gender roles and sexuality. Helmut’s work has been previously critiqued for objectifying women, however, in my chosen image, I believe the women are shown as being dominant and in control. I like how his work challenges social norms and how he sees his photography as an opportunity to push himself to the extremes in order to convey his message. During the time this image was made, political and social issues were being faced globally. Women were fighting back for rights and equality and feminists were also challenging the patriarchal gaze. In this image, I believe the two women are challenging the idea that women should only be seen as passive objects of male desire. As Helmut Newton is also a fashion photographer, people, predominantly women, were used to promote outfits by creating a specific mood and impression though a story by the model and location. In this image, the women are in high- quality, high-fashion outfits, whilst portraying their strength and confidence through art. In Helmut Newton’s work, he focuses on the exploration of power, and gender, however, this message is executed in multiple ways that differ him from other fashion photographers. Helmut Newton orientated much of his work around nudity of women. This was to challenge traditional women forms and exploration of desire, dominance, and control. In this image, the concept and meaning behind it, explores ‘the perfect woman’ as both women are young, confident and beautiful and uses boldness to highlight their power over a traditional angelic woman. This image is an example of Helmut Newton, “pushing boundaries” and makes the viewer question whether the women are being celebrated or objectified. Helmut Newton’s work also complicates the male gaze as the women are not submissive and vulnerable, but powerful and in control, which contrasts the traditional male gaze, as the woman are aware and complying with it. This has sparked debates about whether Newton’s photography reinforces the male gaze or offers a more nuanced representation of female sexuality. 

JOHN BERGER

John Berger’s contributes to Laura Mulvey’s idea of the male gaze and believes that, ‘men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves.’ ³this quote relates to my work as it explores how women are automatically deemed to cater to a male audience and do not view themselves through their own eyes, but instead through the eyes of men. This concept displays how gender roles continue in modern advertising today and mirrors how women must incorporate how a man is going to view her in day-to-day life, instead of focusing on a style or image she would prefer to have of herself. Berger also introduced the concept of the “surveyor” and the “surveyed” which simplifies the different viewpoints a woman has of herself. The woman becomes the surveyor, somebody who watches herself as an object, and she will also become the surveyed, who is being looked at. This split displays the “normality” of women being objects of vision and a form of “self-surveillance” is enforced to constantly monitor the different ways they may be perceived. His exploration on female nudes and how they are positioned to be admired, highlights how they are often gazing outward as if inviting the viewer’s attention, instead of focusing on their own self-love and value and not seeking validation from others. John Berger ties into my project, and my exploration on Laura Mulvey, but slightly differs with his views as he explores more critiques of the male gaze in historical art and advertising, whereas, Laura Mulvey examines the concept in the context of film and psychoanalysis. This means that, their main concepts of the “surveyed” and the “male gaze” relate to one another but their main arguments of women are conditioned to view themselves through a male perspective, and Hollywood films reinforce patriarchal power through visual pleasure, both investigate female gender roles in society and therefore, relate to my project of female gender stereotypes and representation.

CINDY SHERMAN

Cindy Sherman is an independent photographer who took photographs predominantly in the 1970’s. Something I find particularly admiring, is how she took her camera and pointed it at herself, instead of photographing someone else. I find this very unique and actually brings more meaning and creativity to the photos she created. This gesture then became her signature style and showed her strong views on gender and the construction of identity through key times when opinions and personalities were particularly changing in history. She also made many different characters that she would act as, in her images, in order to create a character in her photos by experimenting with makeup, hairstyles and costume to demonstrate these characters’ roles and status in life. The quote, ‘I feel I’m anonymous in my work. When I look at the pictures, I never see myself; they aren’t self-portraits. Sometimes I disappear’⁴ supports this as Cindy Sherman explains how she is transported into another persona, when becoming a different character. I feel that the subject of femininity and women in today’s age as it is a subject that I, myself live through and endure, and I have chosen Cindy Sherman’s work to convey my message from a strong feminist perspective. Analysing Cindy Sherman has aided the idea of how women are portrayed in the media as she, herself has worked on how women can be interpreted in different ways and all the multiple narratives they can fit in advertisements. Cindy Sherman’s work which was her most famous, was her Untitled Film Stills which are small black and white photos where Cindy has impersonated different female characters through glamourous and meaningful images. Throughout these film stills, Cindy Sherman imitated different lifestyles and character stereotypes which shows how women and women’s bodies are perceived by the mass media and by the male gender. Whilst moving to New York, Cindy Sherman continued to role play in disguises and characters and photographed her imitations as the Untitled Film Stills. Although she took many of her own photographs, some photos were shot by family and friends. The voyeuristic perspective of Cindy’s work creates an imposing feeling on the viewer, as if you are secretly observing the character and she is always the subject of the controlling male gaze instead of the object of masculine desire.

The soft and naturalistic lighting in this photograph demonstrates that it is a photo from the past and is meant to display the time of the late 1970s. Which explains the low quality and slightly pixelated camera settings that are not very focused. I think that high contrast lighting, with a wide difference between highlights and shadows, brings a sense of intensity and depth to an image with dramatic qualities, which is what Cindy Sherman has done with a large amount of her work. The aperture is also slightly blurred and has a higher sensitivity ISO which causes a grainier image with a lighter grey monochrome tone rather than cool colours. This black and white tonal structure has a colder impression which displays a sense of loneliness and emptiness in the image. The use of shadow and light in the Untitled Film Stills heightens mood and tension, which isolates the subject within the frame. This dramatic lighting also helps to portray a specific genre of film such as drama, mystery or even horror. After establishing her outfit and role, the viewer is able to create an assumption on what the woman’s purpose is and it is then established that this is a small section of a much larger story. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills includes contextual layers that address essential historical issues of gender, identity, and media representation. She created these photographs throughout 1977-80s; however, they are based on the 1950/60s. During this period of the 70s, second-wave feminism was arising, and women were beginning to challenge gender roles and opinions on women in media products were being raised as women began to question and challenge their portrayal and how they were being objectified and seen as an object to please the male gender. The “male gaze” refers to the way women are depicted in visual culture for males, Cindy Sherman chose to display her cultural and social concerns about the roles and representations of women in tv, cinema and media products. This work is technically ‘mocking’ the media as the series of images contains a female subject that is both the object and the creator of her image. The roles she portrays are characters which may demonstrate a victim, an innocent woman or a seductress. This creates a way for Cindy Sherman to control the portrayal of female objectification as the turning the camera on herself to expose the true meaning behind these roles. In this image her portrayal of a working-class woman can be seen by her outfit and demonstrates the period this photo is alluding to and women’s’ role during this time. This photo explores the male gaze. As number 80 film stills, became iconic. Chose herself for the model. Washerwoman maid in a feminist move way to redirect the male gaze to show she was in charge. Her angry expression by looking over her shoulder at us to show she is done and wants to find an escape from her current position as a housewife or domestic worker and move onto bigger dreams. She is standing slightly hunched and is wearing an apron and a blouse which shows the viewer that she is lower class and is ‘insignificant’. She is mid-movement and has a slightly distracted expression on her face whilst not making direct eye-contact with the camera which demonstrates her vulnerability and distraction. The message from Cindy Sherman portrays the reality of a “happy housewife” who is safe and content at home when in reality, they are lonely and struggling mentally. The lack of context for this image causes the reader to assume and create their own interpretations on the photo. The vulnerability, beauty and individuality of the character makes the audience feel a sense of guilt for the woman and feel a sense of reflection and remorse for women during this period. 

CONCLUSION 

This photograph is an example of my work in response to Helmut Newton and the topic of female stereotypes from the viewpoint of a successful fashion photographer. I wanted the feeling of confidence and authority to radiate in my work as Helmut Newton’s wok gives off a feeling of power and control. The soft and naturalistic lighting in this photograph demonstrates that it is meant to be an image that has not been taken in the modern day. This image also relates to Helmut Newton’s work as it demonstrates high contrast images with bold lighting, which is a particular style of contrast that Helmut specialises in. I feel this lighting incorporated with a black and white filter has heightened the quality and the sense of mystery and allure to my work which helps to relate to Helmut Newton’s. I also believe that these images revolve round a strong and powerful feminine energy of strength, which elevates the clothing promoted in a magazine as an audience will feel encouraged to purchase the clothing through the display of self-assured and confident models. An impression of elegance, aggression, sass and glamour is a message I was attempting to share in my photoshoot as it opposes traditional depictions of female models in the fashion photography industry. I also wanted my model’s hair, makeup, accessories and outfits to be high fashion, quality and portray an expensive aesthetic. This is to give the impression that these are top fashion designer clothing which would be displayed in magazines such as Vogue, a magazine that Helmut Newton has worked closely with throughout his years.

This image is a photograph inspired by Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills, I particularly chose to focus on elevated glamour and more extravagant clothing to relate to her work on different characters of social classes in her images. I feel that this style differs from Helmut Newton’s as it shows a more stereotypical viewpoint of women and although it still incorporates the idea of glamour and luxury, the image is displaying more of a storyline about the women, instead of the clothing she is wearing. Whilst analysing her work I noticed that many of her images contain a dramatized and over-the-top pose, so I decided to capture the dramatic aspect in my own photographs to accompany my models’ facial expressions to convey a message within each photograph. I feel like the costume really helped with showing the period which these were meant to be set in, and what type of lifestyle this woman in the image may live. I think this has worked well whilst maintaining my own style but taking inspiration and referring back to Cindy’s Untitled Film Stills poses, lighting and costume. I found that using Cindy’s work as inspiration and incorporating her style of lighting and framing has helped to make my photographs look more authentic and realistic as if they could be similar to her work on her Untitled Film Stills.

By researching two different theorists who have different, strong views on feminism and women through time, whilst also relating them to two different artists through time which oppose in views, I have gained the ability to highlight, similarities and differences in Helmut Newton’s fashion photography and Cindy Sherman’s self portraits. This knowledge has helped me to merge their work into my final photobook and display the different forms of feminism and how they are critiqued and celebrated. Although Helmut Newton can be seen to portray women occasionally in a morally wrong light, I have grown to view his work in a more positive light as he also focuses on women and how they can in, fact be strong and independent compared to an idealised view of being helpless and dependent on men. I would like to incorporate this specific positive side to my project because although a stigma of negativity towards women is continued in the modern day, positive changes are progressing for us as a collective. 

REFERENCES.

1. Sontag,S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s Cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.
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2. Mulvey, L. (1975) ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, Screen, 16(3), pp. 6–18. ↩︎
3. Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: BBC and Penguin, p. 47. ↩︎
4. Sherman, C. (1990) Interview with The New York Times. ↩︎

For my photoshoot I would like to look more at female empowerment and the future of women’s rights and how they are being portrayed in more positive way as times continue. This photoshoot will show a more positive light on women and how times have evolved to empower them instead of restrict them to certain values and opinions. This photoshoot will be created to show woman who are capable and headstrong with knowledge and intelligence.

For this photoshoot, I will take pictures in a house which is an out of school photoshoot to display women with power and almost being over-dramatic about their posing and expressions. Another interesting component of this photoshoot, is that these women will be young adults of the age of 18, instead of a women ages e.g. 30, who has lived a life to develop into who she is. Due to these girls’ age, it creates a meaning that it does not depend on age, when a girl can be powerful and self-confident. I would like to focus on posing and how, the way you come across, demonstrates your power and confidence.

Helmut Newton References.

My images are being produced In response to Helmut Newton’s work, however, my images will display similar signifiers in his work such as the topics of dominance, confidence and power. Although Newton’s work is controversial for being either critical of women or empowering women, I would like to explore different aspects of his work, as some of his images are seen to be empowering, and some more disparaging. The conflict of emotions towards his work argue whether his images are empowering the woman as his work surrounds themes such as power and control, instead of submission and manipulation. In my photoshoot, I am going to be interpreting Helmut Newton’s work surrounding themes of dominance control and power, but my work will be highlighting the difference in empowerment and objectification. I will do this by having a similar style of photographs, but have my models be glamorous and celebrated not glamourous and subordinate.

Here are some examples of images I would like to include in my photoshoot outside of school in response to his work.

These photos are perfect representations of images I would like to produce in my own photoshoot. I want my models to look elegant and posed in similar situations to this. I am choosing this style of photos out of his different genres as I feel these images display the classy and glamorous yet voyeuristic style of images where the women are dressed up. I want my models to pose in a confident manner to show they are self-aware and strong, contrasting with stereotypical portrayals of women.

My Photoshoot:

I would like my 3/4 models to initially be dressed in long black dresses with red lipstick and long straight hair. This is to demonstrate the stereotypical powerful woman during this time period. However, I would also like to experiment with different outfits and hairstyle and makeup in order to replicate different images and create an impression of fashion photography in response to Helmut Newton’s work. I would like to initially start with black dresses as many of his photos feature this type of outfit. However, I am attempting to provide similar extravagant clothing. Here are some outfit ideas I would like to include in my photographs. Pieces such as long dresses, black trousers, blazers, heels, tights and coats, all with darker tones I think will really boost my images to look more similar to his work.

Posing Ideas.

These poses give me ideas on how to show power, confidence and beauty. These are a wide range of things I would like to focus on in order to relate to the idealised view of a woman and how they are portrayed, vs how they really are. I really want to convey a message about how women are portrayed and how the line between glamour and class and objectification and humility is able to be hidden easily in the fashion world.

Photoshoot-My Favourite Images:

I chose to put these photographs into black and white in order to relate closer to Helmut Newton’s work. I feel like these fashion magazine inspired photographs are a good modern day representation of his work. I had 3 modes in different but similar outfits of long dark dresses and sunglasses. I feel like this was one of my more successful photoshoots which demonstrate an array of images relating to my chosen photographer’s work. The location of my photoshoot I feel played a key part in my photoshoot as the background included staircases, curtains, doors and fireplaces. I chose to include these features in order to create a grand and impressive backdrops for my shoot.

I feel these images are my best out of the 100 photographs I took. These images relate to Helmut Newton’s work as it demonstrates high contrast images with bold lighting. I feel this lighting incorporated with a black and white filter has heightened the quality and the sense of mystery and allure to my work. I also believe that these images revolve round a strong and powerful feminine energy of strength, which elevates the clothing promoted in a magazine as an audience will feel empowered and encouraged through self-assured and confident models. An impression of elegance, aggression, sass and glamour is a message I was attempting to share in my photoshoot as it opposes traditional depictions of female models in the fashion photography industry. I also wanted my models hair, makeup, accessories and outfits to be high fashion, quality and portray an expensive aesthetic. This is in order to give the impression that these are top fashion designer clothing which would be displayed in magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and GQ.

Top 5 Images In Colour:

These 5 Images are in colour as I think although having images in black and white are strong and detailed, the outfits and backgrounds create a striking effect on my images which I may also use in my final booklet. However, Helmut Newton’s images are predominantly displaying women in bold, high contrast lighting in striking outfits. I feel the coloured photos take away the ‘difference’ and ‘distinct’ effect and message for the viewer.

EDITING ANALYSIS.

Whilst editing my images, I have paid attention to Helmut Newton’s style of editing and made a multitude of different editing styles shades and colours. However, In the end I found a high contrast black and white is the perfect setting for these images. Whilst finding the correct filters and shades I also experimented with shades such as ‘cool shadows and warm highlights’, ‘flat and green‘, ‘red lift matte’ and ‘vintage instant’ out of the Adobe Lightroom filter presents of filters. I also focused on increasing the texture, whites, blacks and shadows in my black and white images to create a high contrast between black and white. But my coloured images I focused o lowering the highlight and blacks and increasing the contrast.

Comparisons.

I attempted to recreate some of Helmut Newton’s images by reinterpreting his model’s poses and body language. Such as legs crossed over, lying down on the floor and peering out into a keyhole. However, I like how my images differ to his images by the furniture and background setting being slightly different and more modern. The outfits are also more up-to-date and fashionable in the modern day world and could be potentially used in a modern day magazine, as opposed to a old-fashioned photoshoot from the 1960’s-70’s. To improve on this photoshoot, I would have liked to have done more outside images as many of Helmut Newton’s fashion images are recorded outside. I would also have liked to go to more inside locations with different styles and genres of rooms and interior design. I feel this variety of locations would add more interest and value to my shoot. I would also like to have experimented with more outfits instead of my models wearing the same outfits in virtually all photos. This would have created more of a fashion magazine vibe with all 3 models in different makeup, hair and outfits for different shots. I would have liked to have had better lighting inside. I could’ve done this by providing a ring light or a light source which would be move into different angles and perspectives for my images to have been of a higher quality. However, overall I believe this photo-shoot was successful as I have achieved images in inspiration to Helmut Newton with a fashion magazine style interpretation.

Helmut Newton was known as one of the most influential fashion photographers of the 1980s alongside Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon. I think that his work is the perfect comparison for the world I would like to similarly replicate. This is because I like the style of it being old and black and white. I like how they style is elegant and the women are dressed in predominantly black. As he was a very favour fashion photographer, I think that these images relate well to the topic of women being represented in the media and industries. Helmut Newtons work focused on themes such as power and gender and Newton’s work frequently explored themes of power, dominance, and submission, with women depicted as both powerful and vulnerable. Something that makes me fascinated with his work is the fact that Newton’s style often featured strong, dominant women in exaggerated, high-fashion settings. His images were characterized by a high contrast, stark lighting, and a sense of voyeurism.

The theme of femininity and gender that I am focusing on ties into his work as Helmut Newton’s work represents women as powerful, enigmatic, and seductive figures. The stereotype “femme fatale”, represents these women as they are radiating both allure and danger. The idea that women are superhuman and dominant is shown in his work as their outfits and roles in the photographs demonstrate authority and positions of power. I like the fact that the women are in smart, business attire or dresses, this particularly contrasts society’s views as they are defying usual stereotypes of women. Although, his work is meant to explore women from a female perspective, yet his photographs are sometimes seen as reinforcing women as an object of desire.

I want my models to be seen as women of power and show the power dynamics of society and not seeking male dominance in their lives. I want my models to also defy usual beauty standards an instead show their strength and unity as a whole.

Photo Analysis.

Technical:

The lighting in this photo is a black and white dark toned image which has a high contrast which creates a striking atmosphere. The shadows are harsh and strong with the highlights being white and brighter. This creates a high contrast and bold impression. This also helps to emphasize the characters and people included in the image which also creates intensity to the image. This image uses sharp edges and back-lighting which creates a cinematic feel to the image, as if it is a snapshot. However, as this image is outside, natural lighting will have also been used to show an authentic feel to the image as it is using the sun along with stage lights. The main lighting component to the photo is the contrast in shadows and how shadows are used to outline the characters. In this photograph the two women are highlighted as the focal point in the image due to the sharp shadows and dark dresses which have a strong and powerful style to them.

Visual:

This image includes a sense of symmetry and geometric framing. This is due to the way the two women are stood in a specific place which is known as deliberate positioning. The background of this image is also very minimal and includes mostly sky with a few buildings and ground towards the lower half. This creates an easy way for the audience to immediately look at the subjects instead of the background. Shadows also accompany the focal point of the women by emphasising their bodies and in this image, possibly promoting the outfits the women are wearing. The female form is a main part of Newton’s work and it is displayed in this image as there is emphasis on the shape of these women’s bodies and they display an idealistic and stereotypical body to please the male audience. The lighting of this images, highlights the bodies of the women and their sculptural beauty. I like how cinematic thus image is as it looks like a quick shot taken out of a movie, as the women are mid motion, this creates a cinematic and narrative impression.

Contextual:

The main contextual element to Helmut Newton’s work is exploring gender roles and sexuality. Helmut’s work has been previously critiqued for objectifying women. However, In my chosen image, I believe the women are shown as being dominant and in control. I like how his work is challenging social norms and how he sees his photography as an opportunity to push himself to the extremes in order to convey his message. During the time this image was made, political and social issues were being faced globally. Women were fighting back for rights and equality and feminists were also challenging the patriarchal gaze. In this image, I believe the two women are challenging the idea that women should only be seen as passive objects of male desire. As Helmut Newton is also a fashion photographer, people, predominantly women, were used to promote outfits by creating a specific mood and impression though a story by the model and location. In this image, the women are in high- quality, high-fashion outfits, whilst portraying their strength and confidence through art.

Conceptual:

In Helmut Newton’s work, he focuses on the exploration of power, and gender, however, this message is executed in multiple ways that differ him from other fashion photographers. Helmut Newton orientated much of his work around nudity of women. This was to challenge traditional women forms and exploration of desire, dominance, and control. In this image, the concept and meaning behind it, explores ‘the perfect woman’ as both of the women are young, confident and beautiful and uses boldness to highlight their power over a traditional angelic woman. This image is an example of Helmut Newton, ‘pushing boundaries’ and makes the viewer question whether the women are being celebrated or objectified. This image has a very cinematic feel to it and resembles a scene from a thriller or action movie due to the ambience created through the lighting. This is a narrative quality in his work which implies an unwritten story behind the image and there is a message or conflict beneath the image. This essence of mystery intrigues the viewer and differs Helmut Newtons work from other contemporary photographers.

How Does He Link to My Work?

In my personal study I am focusing on the ‘male gaze’ and the representation of women in the media. The idea of ‘the male gaze’ comes from Laura Mulvey in 1975. This is the way the visual arts, including film and photography, depict the world from a heterosexual male perspective. I chose this specific photographer to tie into my topic as Helmut Newton photographs predominantly women and positions them as subjects of male desire. The way the women are posing in his images is used in a strategic way in order to emphasize their bodies and for the model to captivate the traditional heterosexual male viewer. Helmut’s work also features women displaying themes of power and control, the women are shown as empowered instead of vulnerable. This use of power dynamics intrigues the viewer and is used to attract the male gender, in order to get them to buy their products and they may e.g. attract a woman similar looking to the model. The costume of heels paired with lingerie or small pieces of clothing ties into being a part of ‘the male gaze’ as women are simply posing in almost no clothing just to attract males to the products. However, Helmut Newton’s work also complicates the male gaze as the women are not submissive and vulnerable, but powerful and in control, which contrasts the traditional male gaze, as the woman are aware and complying with it. This has sparked debates about whether Newton’s photography reinforces the male gaze or offers a more nuanced representation of female sexuality.

Articles.

This subject has been explored multiple times by many high-profile newspapers and reports. Laura Mulvey did not undertake empirical studies of actual filmgoers, but declared her intention to make ‘political use’ of Freudian psychoanalytic theory (in a version influenced by Jacques Lacan) in a study of cinematic spectatorship. Such psychoanalytically-inspired studies of ‘spectatorship’ focus on how ‘subject positions’ are constructed by media texts rather than investigating the viewing practices of individuals in specific social contexts. Mulvey notes that Freud had referred to (infantile) scopophilia – the pleasure involved in looking at other people’s bodies as (particularly, erotic) objects. In the darkness of the cinema auditorium it is notable that one may look without being seen either by those on screen by other members of the audience. Mulvey argues that various features of cinema viewing conditions facilitate for the viewer both the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters and also the narcissistic process of identification with an ‘ideal ego’ seen on the screen. She declares that in patriarchal society ‘pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female’ (Mulvey 1992, 27). This is reflected in the dominant forms of cinema. Conventional narrative films in the ‘classical’ Hollywood tradition not only typically focus on a male protagonist in the narrative but also assume a male spectator. ‘As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence’ (ibid., 28). Traditional films present men as active, controlling subjects and treat women as passive objects of desire for men in both the story and in the audience, and do not allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right. Such films objectify women in relation to ‘the controlling male gaze’ (ibid., 33), presenting ‘woman as image’ (or ‘spectacle’) and man as ‘bearer of the look’ (ibid., 27). Men do the looking; women are there to be looked at. The cinematic codes of popular films ‘are obsessively subordinated to the neurotic needs of the male ego’ (ibid., 33). It was Mulvey who coined the term ‘the male gaze’.

you must contextualise his work with feminism, with specific reference to the ‘male gaze’ and his representation of women in his photographs. Apply your knowledge and understanding of Laura Mulvey’s ‘Visual Pleasures’ essay and Judith Butler’s; ‘Gender Trouble’ you have studied in Media. You also need to find some specific articles/ reviews done around his work written by other critics, feminists etc. I’ll help you with identifying these. This has sparked debates about whether Newton’s photography reinforces the male gaze or offers a more nuanced representation of female sexuality.

I decided to do a small photoshoot to demonstrate my editing skills on Adobe Photoshop. This gives me the opportunity to see if AI editing is something I would like to include in my final photobook, and if whether these images are powerful and meaningful enough to be able to convey the message I would like to express. I chose for my model to do a multitude of facial expressions of fear, happiness, loneliness and confusion. From this variety, I can edit her to show different emotions heightened through AI, to show my storyline. I like how the backgrounds are also different colours such as black, white and grey, as thus then creates an array of different impressions, I can then work with. I feel like these photos are strong, however, to improve, I feel that the lighting could be more focused on with the quality being slightly increased as the model is slightly fuzzy in a few of the photos. I chose this model as her facial expressions are very clear and I feel her dark outfit demonstrates how she may feel inside.

Best Images.

I chose these photos as my 6 best images as I feel they are the highest quality and clearly demonstrate her feelings. Her expressions and body language executes her mood and shows the variety of emotions you are able to feel in a short space of time. All of the photos have a white/grey background which creates a perfect plain template for editing. However, when editing my images I would like my background to black, but I can change this using the Adobe Lightroom to alter the background from white to black. I feel that the quality could be worked on in these images, to improve, I need to assess my lighting whilst photographing and check my camera settings during photoshoots to ensure I am getting the high quality I need for my images.

Editing.

I edited these images to have a black background In Adobe Lightroom by…

I selected the masking tool and then chose ‘background’.

Adobe Lightroom then selects the background of the image and changes it automatically to the colour red.

I then change the background colour from red to black as I feel black is an easy and strong background in order to have a plain background and dos not make the image lower quality.

I then edit my model/subject to be lighter so her e.g. hair, does not blend in with the background.

Edits 1 and 2.

I then export my images from Lightroom, Into Photoshop, to begin editing. I wanted to use the AI/ generative fill settings for my images. I wanted to compose an image that shows how my model is feeling due to the pressures of the male gaze and how peoples opinions and viewpoints may make her feel. The concept of using human eyes, is demonstrating how peoples eyes are constantly on her and she constantly feels watched and looked at, and therefore cannot feel free. I feel like these images have a slight claustrophobic feeling to is, as the girl is completely surrounded by eyes and people watching her and forming opinions. The feeling of feeling judged and watched, creates mental issues for many people which I feel her body language and facial expressions convey. I wanted my model to have a slightly scared, yet fixed facial expression, in order to create the impression that she is seeking help, but wants to keep it inside. This may be due to pressures and risk of showing her true feelings. Overall, I think these two images could be improved by using more exciting or high quality photos, and possibly more in-depth and creative editing ideas, to convey my idea.

Edit 3.

I also then chose to create an image with hands reaching out to my model as if they are reaching out for her, this is to demonstrate that she is wanted and that she feels that people want something from her but don’t want her. However, I feel that this image is not by best work, this is because the arms could be better quality and could have a mix of different peoples hands. However, this arm was the best option from my generative fill option. I think, to make this mage stronger, the arms could be going in different directions and the arms are surrounding her and are creating a circle around her to shoe she is feeling claustrophobic from her surroundings.

Edit 4.

I decided to also create this very random image in order to demonstrate an abstract image through the use of random lines. I first had the pen tool on Adobe Photoshop, in order to create a background colour of white lines squiggled all around. I then created a new layer and chose a thinner black pen tool to create another layer of lines, these lines represent mental negative feelings of apprehension, worry and anxiety, however, I particularly focused on my models head to show although she is surrounded by stress and pressure, most of it is surrounding her brain and is all internal feelings that aren’t real. Her brain is generating most of these feelings, of fearing the unknown, when In fact her situation is never as bad as she assumes. I feel this image is basic but meaningful. By experimenting on photoshop, I am able work on my skills and show how even though some of these images are basic, a deeper meaning comes within the backstory.

INSPIRATION:

Whilst exploring different past A-Level Photography students work. I came across a particularly inspiring piece of work which has helped me gain my own ideas on what type of subject I would like to focus on for my Independent Study.

The work of Christianna Knight: Women of Yesterday has particularly inspired me to explore the topics of women, femininity gender stereotypes, identity and rights. I love how pristine and accurate her work is and how she has executed a distinct difference in each era and how every era shows a cultural change for women and how we have made out way to the present day, and how times have changed in women’s favour.

Her Overview:

During my personal study I enjoyed having freedom to explore my own ideas and take inspiration from artists and photographers that I am interested in. I was very inspired by Cindy Sherman’s work, I wanted to explore themes such as masquerade, costumes and stereotypes which are very present in Sherman’s studio portraits. When first collecting ideas as to what I should base my project on I decided I wanted to explore female stereotypes through costume and studio portraits. However, with so many stereotypes existing within my gender I decided to create a series of portraits depicting stereotypes from each decade of the 20th Century. As I was born in 1998, I was looking at these stereotypes with a retrospective. I also kept feminist theory in mind, relating my stereotypes to important movements in feminist history including the three main waves as well as smaller social victories for women. I felt that this project was very successful and that each decade was well planned and executed and that the nine image work well as a series.

This work has given me inspiration on exploring all different periods and eras and how fashion, rights and lifestyles have changed and adapted. The genre of women and their lifestyle changes is a topic that has been c

LENS CULTURE

My Own Work:

This photoshoot I created explored the effort and expectation of women FOR OTHERS, and how we must fit a specific narrative in order to be seen as feminine and attractive.  The portrayal of female pressure to look a certain way and act a certain way to ‘fit in’ with a specific category. This general beauty standard puts women under immense pressure to e.g. be of a slimmer build or wear a certain type of clothes. This may turn in to impacting the way women feel about their own body image and affect their self love and confidence. I feel subjects like this are easier to interpret and work on as it is a current issue each female experiences. This photoshoot inspired me to choose my personal study subject as I enjoyed exploring this topic and researching women’s rights and how they are stereotypically viewed in society and how it truly makes us feel as a collective.

This list is examples of female empowerment photographers who specialise in normalising femininity in human bodies. 

• Mar Armengol.
• Melody Melamed.
• Carlota Guerrero.
• Alba Yruela.
• Jade Beall.
• Kristina Varaksina.
• Alba Duque.
• Jade Beall.
• Kristina Varaksina.
• Alba Duque.
• Sofía Suars.
• Bruna Avellaneda.
• Rosie Alice Foster.

What I want to explore: 

The topic I would like to explore is girlhood and femininity. I will be focusing particularly on older teenagers at the age of 17-19 and the struggles of moving from adolescence to adulthood and the hardships young women face. I like this topic as it is a current topic which is faced globally, and I feel it is a topic which I will enjoy expressing my opinion on and it is an important topic which needs embracing by young people especially. I would like to initially explore how the media portrays women in positive and negative ways and how it creates derogatory and unrealistic stereotypes of women. Gender Identity and roles is a topic I wanted incorporate and the stereotypical themes and personality traits a woman is expected to have. I find this topic interesting as expectations and views on women are changing but not particularly quickly. By focusing on multiple branches of femininity and youth such as empowerment, stereotypes, different eras, I would like to cover different aspects of women, femininity gender stereotypes, identity and rights. The idealised view of women is the key part to my chosen topic, and I feel I can expand on this by including both positive and negative viewpoints. 

Why it matters to me: 

I really like the idea of femininity and women in today’s age as it is a subject that I, myself live through and endure. I can also use other young women enduring this to convey my message. I hope to express my theories on gender and identity and how women can be interpreted in different ways and do not need to fit a specific narrative. Analysing Cindy Sherman in particularly has aided this idea as she, herself has worked on how women can be interpreted in different ways and all the multiple narratives they can fit. Although, a difference I would like to express Is a positive light on women and how they can in, fact be strong and independent compared to an idealised view of being helpless and dependent on men. I would like to incorporate this specific positive side to my project because although a stigma of negativity towards women is continued in the modern day, positive changes are progressing for us as a collective. 

How I wish to develop my project: 

I would like to first develop my project by analysing artists such as Cindy Sherman and learning about her work in order to do another photoshoot inspired by her work. By posing similar to Cindy in a way that almost mocks the media and has a humorous, ‘over the top’ side to it and how a negative topic can be turned into something inspiring, beautiful but also entertaining with a humorous side to it. This photoshoot I would also then like to create a photoshoot based on the portrayal of women in the media as I believe as the digital age becomes increasingly popular and technology is consuming ore of our lives each day, people are being objectified and critiqued more than ever. After analysing different current day media products, I would like to create my first photoshoot on this. This photoshoot will explore how although all the women may look similar and may be seen for one purpose only, they also have their own lifestyles, values and emotions which is often ignored in modern day advertising. 

Which form I wish to present my study as: 

I would like to produce my work as a photobook, which contains different sections of female representation from the media to idealised versions of women and then how women may feel due to this. I feel like this array of different representations will create a powerful message on how actions have consequences and how they impact lives. I want it to look as professional as possible and for my work to stand out. I would be including my essay into my photobook and I feel that by placing it on the final pages of my photobook will help the reader to fully understand the images they have seen after reading the essay, however, by viewing the photos as the beginning of the book, an element of mystery and wonder will be created as the viewer questions the purpose of each photoshoot. 

Where and when I intend to begin my study: 

I have decided to start my study by researching artists that relate to my work such as Cindy Sherman. I will then create a shoot inspired by her work as a response to her views and displaying how I agree and empathise with her work. I will create a photoshoot in the photography studio showing a basic photoshoot of how women must display fake emotions in photographs and pretend that their forced emotions are in-fact real, when they are not. I will then focus on my next chosen photographer ‘Helmut Newton’, for his photoshoot I will be focusing on real life fashion images which may objectify and stereotype women. His work is beautiful yet occasionally provocative and suggestive, this impression of women is then spread through sales of the brands being promoted. I feel my true intention within this project is to allow my spectator/audience to really get the concept and the meaning behind my work and the message of the true importance and power of women I am trying to promote. 

Analysis Of Project: 

I will be creating photoshoots with 3 models in particular and I will be focusing predominantly on high contrast black and white images, however, some photoshoots may be in colour. My images will all be inside as many of my inspiration photographers focus on inside settings. I will also not be including any males in my images as I would like to fully focus on the female gender and promoting their rights by include young, developing women and showing how objectification affects them. I will be presenting these images through a photobook instead of a film as a book will be an accessible and straightforward way for my audience to read and understand my message in a convenient way. I will most likely include a small amount of accompanied text with each shoot to give a basic analysis and explanation of the different genres of images. I will be using Adobe Lightroom to create this photobook and will be incorporating images that have been edited and tweaked on both Lightroom and Photoshop. These decisions will help to elevate and improve my photos by adding AI, Filters and basic edits to my photos, adding meaning and value to them. 

Updated Photobook Ideas:

In my photobook I would like to create a book with 3 different chapters. These different chapters will consist of 3 different photoshoots and genres of photographs. This will differ from past and present day and how different interpretations and representations of women are explored. This will be in the style of an 70s/80s magazine with my Cindy Sherman inspired photoshoot created which displays a model with expectations to be beautiful and available for male gratification. I then will have a second chapter with a separate magazine front cover and will display a teen magazine used to display products for young girls in order to make them more attractive, this demonstrates the pressures they go through in order to exceed society’s expectations and stereotypes. My last photoshoot will be a Helmut Newton inspired photoshoot which empowers women and displays them to have power and control of their lives.

Having this research helps me to see what kind of message I would like to convey in my first photoshoot and helps me to explore the deeper meaning into my personal study and what genre of femininity and women’s rights I would like to explore. I chose to explore different advertisements and media products in the modern day which I can use to create a message in my first photoshoot. However, In my future work afterwards, I would also like to explore female empowerment in different always away from media products and advertisements and more in a ‘real-life’ everyday perspective.

Gender Identity and roles is a topic I wanted incorporate and the stereotypical themes and personality traits a woman is expected to have. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold. Every social class and ethnic group have different expectations for women and girls and how they must act. Different domestic behaviours such as ‘staying at home’ whilst men control working and manual work is a stereotypical and unrealistic view on life which dates back to centuries ago. the personality traits were passive, gentle and caring, and often valued for how they looked and not what they did. This is unrealistic and creates an idea to women that they cannot show they emotions and are in fact not superior to males. Although times are changing, About 91 % of women with children spend at least an hour per day on housework, whereas only around 30 % of men with children do. This is an unfair and uncomprehensive balance where women are still expected to do work and be less independent with working and achieving their dreams as they are deemed to be completing a lifestyle that is chosen for them. Due to the fact men demonstrate masculinity by avoiding what has traditionally been seen as ‘women’s work’, a constant stigma of societal norms is expected from women as men choose to focus on external responsibilities.

Negatives Media Representation of Women:

Although, the media is changing and occasionally praising and embracing powerful women. Images such as these show how the media attempts to show women as a thing to promote. Objectification through images may reinforce to adolescent girls that their value is based on their appearance. Attempts to devalue women such as unrealistic beauty standards, like the perfect woman being being thin, youthful, and flawless, creates an unrealistic idea in both males and females of what you are supposed to look like. The idea of women being waiting to be saved or helpless and existing solely to support male characters undermines their individuality and power. The impact of this causes fatal results of increased rates of eating disorders, low self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction.

I took some examples from magazines and posters of women in today in my research to gain knowledge on how women are still objectified and displayed in a certain way through advertisements to entertain a male audience. The female body can be presented as a collection of separate parts, a non-thinking non-feeling object, as opposed to a whole person. The woman’s body is something to be possessed, controlled, and used for someone’s gratification. Women are sometimes reduced to individual pieces and seen as objects instead of people with personalities, futures and lives.

Positive Media Representation of Women:

However, as times change, women are now seen to be depicted by positive changes towards online objectification of women. Although it is a slow acting and gradual process, it is driven by social awareness, activism, policy changes, and cultural shifts.

• Positive movements such as:

• Advocacy for Representation

• Campaigns and Movements

• Platform Policies

• Education and Awareness

• Stronger Legal Protections

• Shifting Cultural Norms

• Empowerment Through Technology

The Gentlewoman.

The Gentlewoman is a perfect example of an present day female-empowering magazine. The Gentlewoman is a biannual magazine tailored towards middle class, professional women aged 30 and above. This magazine is used to promote women’s power and rights. This differs from other women’s magazines as it shifts from the traditional derogatory view of women in media products. This instead promotes women’s individuality and keeps things ‘real’, by challenging traditional beauty standards. This may include women with no makeup, older women and women and men wearing high fashion with confident and independent views from a range of age groups. The magazine is celebrating women of all talents, communities and ethnicities and giving them a space to promote products and personalities in a safe space which stands out from all other magazines in the modern day as women are celebrated for being themselves and still being seen as beautiful even though they are not being used to please the male audience and instead shown to be empowering each other. The Gentlewoman also chooses to focus on high-quality work such as in-depth interviews, thoughtful photography, and carefully crafted storytelling. This is a unique selling point which attracts a large amount of the world that do not want to embrace or promote media products which promote unrealistic views of women and would rather spend money and time on a product which celebrates instead of criticizes.

Relating to My Own Work.

I decided to make my images into a front page of a ‘trendy, modern day’ magazine cover in order to see what impression my photos would give in the context I am currently exploring. For example, my image on the left may represent a magazine which uses women as an object instead of embracing their identity. Whereas, my image on the right may represent an image from a magazine such as The Gentlewoman which promotes the real you, and doesn’t restrict women from showing how they feel.

My model is seen to be youthful and beautiful. She must have smooth, glowing skin, often enhanced by makeup and digital retouching. Her pose must emphasize femininity, such as arched backs or tilted heads, whilst directly looking at the viewer, in order to engage with them and entice them. Her makeup must enhance her main features like eyes, lips, and cheekbones, often with a polished and clean look. The woman must fit an idealised version of females with long healthy hair and European beauty ideals. Her facial expression is on the left serious and straightforward. Whereas on the right, her emotion is happy and radiating positivity. In my personal opinion, the article on the right is more appealing and visually interesting because the model is enjoying herself and portraying positivity which reels in a viewer. However, in the modern day, women are still made to look miserable and down in images to degrade their value and exclude their personality or substance from the image as something to just promote the product they may be wearing or holding.

Photoshoot Pose Ideas.

I like the idea of mostly headshots and half- shots in order to regain my knowledge on expressing emotion through my photographs. I feel that headshots Is a good first photoshoot into my personal study in order to regain my knowledge on expressing emotions through my photographs and showing the ‘stereotypical woman’ in this day. Below are some ideas for headshots and types of poses and themes I would like to add into my photoshoot and attempt to replicate.

This mood board represents some of the types of poses I would like to incorporate in my first photoshoot and final work. I wanted to include photos that are coloured and black and white with mainly demonstrating basic feminine poses that are used in the media in order to express an idealised view of women and femininity.

PHOTOSHOOT 1:

I was changing camera settings and experimented with different settings which would be effective for this photoshoot, this resulted in many low quality images at the beginning of my photoshoot. I chose to have 3 different models that I will be using in my future photoshoots in my personal study in order to give them and myself an idea of what kind of message I would like to portray. I edited these photographs in Adobe Lightroom and focused on increasing the texture and highlights. The highlights helped to add more dimension to the face and darken the background slightly, which also darkened up her face but enhanced her features. I also increased the texture to make the photo appear of a higher quality so that more detail is able to be seen in the close up images. I also then smoothened out their faces to show the photo is professional and small imperfections were removed.

My Best Photographs:

These photos I believe show what the media want women to look like in a range of photographs. Although these three women are all different and look different their ‘purpose‘ and ‘portrayal‘ is the same. They are smiling, happy and show beauty. Although inside they may not feel happy or like they are having a good time, the three girls are smiling and laughing as if that is the only emotion they are allowed to have the capacity to feel. There is a blank background and no specific product or object in the photo, to show that the spotlight is on them and that they are the main piece of the photo. I enjoyed photographing this as this refreshed my memory on portrait photography and showed my models that they are allowed to be themselves whilst being photographed. In future, I would like to work with more models, different costume and different background. My favourite thing about this photoshoot, is the lighting, I like how their faces are slightly shadowed and come across as mysterious. I also like how all the models are different and display different personalities within as little as one photo of each of them.

Model 1:

This model is shown to be serious and straightforward, she is looking over her shoulder and she is looking at different angles and not at the camera. This indicates shyness or discomfort and does not want to draw attention to herself. This slightly opposes usual stereotypes as she is signalling that she isn’t fully engaged or interested in what’s going on. However, it is also pleasing female stereotypes as people do not make eye contact if a person is feeling vulnerable, anxious, or upset, they might look away from the camera to avoid revealing their feelings. My model is wearing a red top which juxtaposes with her expressions as red is bold and striking, evoking a sense of power and confidence. In the context of femininity, It can represent a woman’s strength, assertiveness, and authority. In all three photos, he subjects face is concealed by a shadow. This can significantly affect how the viewer interprets the subject’s mood, intentions, or personality. This creates an element of mystery to the photographs as it suggests that something is being hidden or obscured. Having half of my models face darkened by shadows creates contextual meaning as the contrast between light and shadow on someone’s face can symbolize the clash between contrasting psychological states, such as good and evil, joy and sadness, or conscious and unconscious aspects of the self.

Model 2:

My second model is displaying female happiness and confidence. If someone is trying to appear more cheerful or friendly in a photo, they might laugh to create the illusion of being happy and engaged. This could be a performative or staged action rather than a genuine emotional response. It may signal that they’re aware of the camera but don’t feel genuinely connected to the experience being captured. She is radiating positivity and is wearing a light pink tone to show her femininity as In many cultures, pink is viewed as a “soft” colour, representing qualities like nurturing, gentleness, and warmth which are traits historically and culturally linked to femininity. women are often expected to display their emotions openly, including happiness. This can create a cultural expectation that women are more likely to express joy, warmth, and care, all of which can be seen as “feminine” traits. She has long blonde straight hair which shows her identity and femininity with her jewellery and wearing fake eyelashes to enhances gender norms. The beauty industry, through advertising and media, often presents makeup as an essential aspect of a woman’s self-expression. It reinforces the idea that makeup is a tool for women to feel confident and attractive, further joining its association with femininity. In these images the girl is laughing she is seen to be smiling and hang a good time whereas in reality the laughter is forced and fake, but this backstory would never have been questioned or thought about, due to the ease to create a snapshot of happiness, even if the person is in fact unhappy.

Model 3:

This model is representing multiple genres of women. Froom strong and confident, to more shy and timid. However, overall she is radiating confidence and self-assurance. These traits would be included in a modern day advertisement as the model is keeping yup with the latest fashion and beauty trends such as cropped top, silver hooped earrings, slicked back style, long dark ponytail hair and low waisted jeans. These fashion choices portray what is IN right now and what would attract the modern day viewer and appeal to them, in order to keep them up with the latest fashion trends. Her posing such as hands on her hips and looking over her shoulder shows empowerment and Independence as she shows she is focused and capable, independent, with her career, ambitions, and leadership qualities. However, in comparison to this, there are also images of her her smiling or a straight face with her head on her shoulder, this body language shows she is more an object to look at, rather than a woman of power and authority. These photos demonstrate different female emotions such as power, happiness, embarrassment, shyness or nothing at all.

My Top 5 Images:

These 5 photograph stand out from the rest of the photoshoot and so I decided to put them in black and white because black and white photos are often more dramatic than coloured images. I think that the dark tones and deep contrasts often instil an almost moody, or mysterious impression onto the image which also makes the viewer look straight at the subject in order to figure out the genre and meaning of the image. I like these photos particularly as they include all different female emotions amongst all three women and how although they are all being photographed and smiling, they are all an individual and have a different identity instead of being grouped together as just the ‘stereotypical girl’ they have the capacity and voice to express their feelings, opinions and viewpoints.

For Example:

Social Norms: Smiling is often considered a standard expression for photographs. It conveys happiness and friendliness, making the image more appealing. Positive Emotions: A smile reflects positive feelings and can enhance the mood of the photo. It signals joy, excitement, or enjoyment of the moment being captured. ¹ This statement explains how in modern day social norms, everybody is supposed to always be happy and having a good time, whereas in reality, emotions even in this day, are seen to be concealed and replaced with a façade of happiness and contentment. However, in comparison, media products that are serious and have a ‘dead expression’ also may cause a women to feel like they must be emotionless and be an object only to look at, and not express her happiness or laugher as their laughing or happy face, may be an insecurity to them. 64 per cent of people are too self-conscious to properly smile when taking pictures, claiming their teeth impact their confidence in front of the camera and over half (57 per cent) think that the condition of their smile has impacted their personal relationships or dating life.²

Comparisons:

I decided to also recreate some photographs selected from modelling shoots to show the way anybody can recreate or fake emotions and feelings to fit a specific narrative or idea that somebody else wants them to. Whereas, in reality, whilst being photographed, these women should be able to express how they truly feel and not have to pose for them camera in order to fit the expected narrative of their gender. Having inspiration for this shoot was very helpful for ideas on how to begin and what message I wanted to convey. In conclusion, I think this photoshoot was successful as a first shoot on women and femininity for me. To improve, I would focus more on the wardrobe and the clothes my models are wearing, however, I also wanted top wear their everyday clothes and portray how everyday clothes can still be objectified and questioned in negative ways, even through it is your own independent choice on what you wear. Criticism on what you wear is a constant stigma in society. For example, In a survey conducted by the theamag,com exposed how when women are asked if they believe that they being sexualized because of what they wear is an existing issue, 97.7% of them responded “yes.” I would also have chosen a multitude of young girls to photograph in order to show the different personalities and ethnicities and differences in young women and how no matter how different they are, they all share a common thing of feeling objectified and feeling a sense of low self esteem and low confidence as a result of derogatory views put upon them by men and the media.

1. why do people smile in photos – Google Search ↩︎
2. how many people dont want to smile in photos – Google Search ↩︎

For this photoshoot, Instead of the lighting studio, I would like to take some Cindy Sherman- type images in black and white. For this I would take them at a house which is an easy and accessible place to take photos. I chose to pick a house that gives a more old- fashioned impression. I had my model Lexi hold poses that were similar to Cindy Sherman’s poses. This is in hopes to replicate some of Cindy’s work, but to also interpret her work and make it my own.

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

I chose to make this mood board to give me ideas on what I want to incorporate when it comes to my Cindy Sherman inspired photoshoot. I decided to cut out both photos of Cindy Sherman’s photography and photos relating to people and genres of photos that I would like to include. These ideas could consist of makeup, hair, posing and expression.

In this photoshoot my model could be in a range of positions such as:

• Leaning against a door
• Looking out the window
• Sitting/ lying on the floor
• Working in the kitchen
• Reading something
• Writing something
• Thinking about something
• Looking over her shoulder
• Looking down or up
• Looking left or right
• Staring straight into the camera lens
• Sitting in a chair

These posing and positioning ideas will help me when it comes to having ideas when taking my photos. I aim to take around 50 or more photo. These will consist of multiple poses, setups and locations around my models house. I chose this location because this house has a more older, rustic and old- fashioned impression, which I decided was the best location to take my photos, instead of using the lighting studio.

I have decided to prioritize the content such as posing, facial experiments and merely the inspiration of Cindy Sherman’s content. I will attempt to maintain good lighting and camera settings, however It is not my main priority.

Some aspects I need to remember:

• To experiment was exposure
• Keep lighting simple
• Frame my subject
• Use black and white
• Experiment with different camera settings
• Plan ahead of time
• Have a clear plan of the costume, hair and makeup I would like my model to do.
• Use Lightroom and photoshop to further edit my photos

These are 6 main photos I would like to attempt to recreate and mirror with my own photoshoot and model. I think the two main thing to help show I an recreating Cindy Sherman’s photography is costume and locations.

The costume similar to what Cindy wears are items such as:

• Long pearls
• Long dresses
• Scarves
• Aprons
• Towels
• Long coats
• Heels
• Gloves

The locations similar to where Cindy goes are places such as:

• Kitchen
• On a chair
• Bedroom
• Living room
• Bathroom
• Dining room

ALL PHOTOSHOOT PHOTOS

Here are all the photos I took for my Cindy Sherman inspired photoshoot outside of school. I decided to categorise these images through having my least favourite images of a low quality labelled red. This may be a fuzzy, blurry low quality image which is accidental or used for experimentation with camera settings. I then have my yellow images which are of a higher quality but could be possibly slightly fuzzy or have the wrong camera settings. A green category image may be an image of high quality and may be used to edit. A blue image is an image that is edited and of its highest quality.

Example of a red category image:

Example of a yellow category image:

Example of a green category image:

Example of a blue category image:

In the first 10 minutes of my photoshoot, I decided to work with a lower quality and lower exposure and lower shutter speed with camera settings. This was to achieve a certain look of older photos taken in e.g. 1980s to replicate Cindy Sherman’s lower quality images. However, I then decided that higher quality images would look more effective for my interpretation of her work.

My Camera Settings.

Example of a LOW QUALITY Cindy Sherman Image.

This image is much more grainier and lower quality which shows its age and how long ago the pictures were taken.

My Lower Quality Images.

MY BEST IMAGES

I then returned to focusing on high quality images and increased my camera settings to avoid blurriness.

I love how these photos contain a dramatized, over the top version of my usual photography. However, I really wanted to capture the drama aspect in Cindy Sherman’s work and how she uses her facial expressions to show her storylines. I feel like the costume really helped with showing the time period which these were meant to be set in. I also think the images being in black and white helped with making them look like they are from a different time.

Comparisons.

This is my photography inspired by Cindy Sherman’s work. I attempted to replicated the poses, not as much the costume or setting. I think this worked well whilst maintaining my own style but taking inspiration and referring back to Cindy’s Untitled Film Stills poses. I found that using Cindy’s work as inspiration and copying her poses made my photographs look more authentic and realistic as if they could be similar to her world.

Photoshop Edits.

• In photoshop I made this image by opening all 4 photos in 4 different tabs in Photoshop.

• I then clicked and dragged my second photo onto my first photo, I repeated this process by clicking and dragging all 3 remaining images onto the first
• I then cropped and changed the angles of my photos my moving to tilt more to the left and right.

• I then double clicked on the layer I dragged decreased the opacity, I repeated this process for all 4 photos. I made my photos have all different opacities for effect.

• I then repositioned all my photos to fit to my preference. I wanted them to have all different sizes which I think helps the picture to look more interesting.

I feel like these edits helped my editing skills and has helped me to know whether I want to use Photoshop edited images.

Mood board Analysis:

For my mood board, I decided to incorporate photos where women look strong and powerful, but also where women are showing their emotions, exploring different types of relationships and friendships. I also wanted to include female emotion and how emotion is a cast aside and stereotypical topic around women and how the word ‘Feminist‘ has a particular stigma surrounding it. Creating these moodboards has helped me to generate ideas with what type of work I would like to produce and what message I would like to convey.

I chose images that are all different.

Black and White.

Happy and Sad.

Feminine and Masculine.

Edited and Non Edited.

Staged and Candid.

Group and Single.

Head- Shot and Full Body Shot.

This mood board helped me to decide on the fact I would like to focus on girlhood. Particularly older teenagers at the age of 17-19 and the struggles of moving from adolescence to adulthood and the hardships young women face. I like this topic as it is a current topic which is faced globally and I feel It is a topic which I will enjoy expressing my opinion on and It is an important topic which needs embracing by young people especially.

Feminists.

The stigma around feminism I would like to explore is of negative stereotypes of feminists the idea that feminists are all lesbians, man-hating, antifamily, selfish, radical, unusually angry, assertive, ugly, bra-burning, and humourless.

This moodboard represents some of the types of poses I would like to encorporate in my photoshoots and final work.

Women’s Suffrage

Women’s suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. Finally in 1918, Parliament passed an act granting the vote to women over the age of 30 who were householders, the wives of householders, occupiers of property with an annual rent of £5, and graduates of British universities. About 8.4 million women gained the vote. The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. This right—known as women’s suffrage—was ratified on August 18, 1920: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of gender.

Reproductive Rights

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world.  The World Health Organisation  defines reproductive rights as follows:

1. Rights to reproductive and sexual health include the right to life, liberty and the security of the person.

2. The right to health care and information.

3. The right to non-discrimination in the allocation of resources to health services and in their availability and accessibility.

Being able to make decisions about how to express our sexuality, including our sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as about our bodies, our personal relationships, the form and shape of one’s family and the destination of one’s life path, among other things, is essential to our bodily autonomy and dignity. However, across the world, millions of people, particularly members of marginalized and stigmatized communities and those living in poverty, are prevented from making free and informed decisions about their bodies. In many countries this happens because governments try to dictate how people form intimate relationships, or express desire, as well as whether and when to have children. This affects women, girls and LGBTI people in particular, but it’s not just about individuals, it impacts whole communities.

Sexual and reproductive rights – Amnesty International

HOW ARE WOMEN’S RIGHTS BEING VIOLATED?

Today, gender bias continues to create huge barriers for many women. Ongoing struggles include ensuring equal economic opportunities, educational equity, and an end to gender-based violence.

But across the globe many women and girls still face discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Gender inequality underpins many problems which disproportionately affect women and girls, such as domestic and sexual violence, lower pay, lack of access to education, and inadequate HealthCare.

Examples of gender discrimination include but are not limited to: Mis gendering or mispronouncing (purposefully using the wrong gender identity or pronouns to address someone) Having limited access to all-gender restrooms. Disfavouring someone based on gender.

NAME IDEA- THE FEMALE GAZE. – I like the idea of this name for my personal and independent study name as it juxtaposes THE MALE GAZE and shows how actually the power is in the women’s favour and that they are in fact control, and control the gave that is put upon them.

The female ‘gaze’ creates the perspective of being “in” rather than overlooking the character’s experiences, allowing the audience to understand the character’s inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

The idea of the ‘female’ gaze is that the female gaze embraces the spectator, character, and the directors of these works and sets out to represent women as people who are capable of the same things men are.