For this photoshoot, I decided to photograph my both, male and female friends outside. I wanted them girls to pose in a way that they felt was comfortable to them. Above are all of the photos I took from this photoshoot. I decided to pick a day when the weather was snowing as it gave me the perfect opportunity to photograph girls and boys being themselves and show how their personalities and actions differ to express femininity and masculinity in adolescence.

My Favourite Photos

These photos are my favourite photos I took of the girls. Whilst asking them to pose how they could express their own personalities. My models decided to crouch, stand, smile and sit how they felt comfortable. This helped to convey the idea of wanting to feel confident in a photo whilst being surrounded by e.g. flowers. I edited these photos in Adobe Lightroom and increased mostly the:

• Shadows
• Brightness
• Warmth
• Sharpness

This was due to the bright and white colour of the snow reflecting on the camera. Whilst adjusting my camera settings I also had to focus on increasing the aperture. I increased my aperture to f/8 and the ISO to 200. This is because my camera’s light meter will see the bright snow as too much light which will cause it to underexpose my photos and and leave the snow looking a dull grey colour.

These photos are my favourite photos I took of the boys. I also asked them to pose how they could express their own personalities. However, they decided to pose whilst engaging with each other and having fun, which contrasts from the girls and how standing and smiling for the picture was more important that continuing what they are doing and enjoying their activities whilst being photographed. This method of photographing both girls and boys and seeing how they react, perfectly highlighted the theory of both gender’s usual qualities. For example, women tend to score higher than men on personality traits. These traits consist of agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extroversion. Women also mostly have a higher amount of traits of anxiety and sympathy, while men tend to be more assertive and risk-taking. This was shown through how they adapted to being photographed doing what they want to do.

In this photo, I asked a male and a female to pose how they felt comfortable with. The female model chose to smile, with a soft expression. This immediately creates a sociable, delightful impression of happiness, joy and content, which is usually the expression a teenage female will choose when they are being photographed. This is due to the fact smiling is seen as a way to capture a happy memory and socially acceptable behaviour. Women usually want to be seen as having a good time and possibly even putting on a facade that they are enjoying themselves to e.g. keep up a social status as fun and sociable.

The male model chose to not smile and have a more neutral or serious expression. This immediately creates an impression of masculinity and that serious face communicates strength and independence. It is said that many men throughout the world do not want to show any elements of vulnerability or joy that others can easily read meanings to, so a genuine smile is rare in a photo of adolescent boys, especially in solo photographs, due to social hierarchy of men on social media.

This photo would be my favourite image out of all, due to the fact of the contrast between the immediate reactions between males and females when being photographed, however the image is slightly blurry and therefore brings down the quality of the photo, to improve this, next time I will increase my shutter speed, this will help me to get a sharper images, without including any motion blur. I decided to attempt to remove the blur of the photo as much as I can in Adobe Lightroom however I did not succeed with a high quality image.

 

Claude Cahun

‘Claude Cahun’ or originally ‘Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob’ was a photographer, however she was also a French surrealist, a sculptor and a writer. The reason she decided to change her name is that the name ‘Claude’ can be used by either a woman or a man, which makes it gender-neutral and therefore inclusive to all. She died in 1954 however she was previously arrested and sentenced to death in 1944 along with her partner due to Jersey becoming liberated by the Germans in 1945. Claude was known to have suffered from anorexia and suicidal thoughts and a similar form of debilitating depression as her mother. Claude Cahun then met her lifelong partner Suzanne Malherbe, however, Cahun’s father ended up marrying Suzanne’s mother, which made the women step-sisters. However, this did not top them both and they moved to Paris in 1919. Due to the fact same-sex couples and gender neutrality was uncommon and frowned upon, Claude Cahun and Suzanne Malherbe joined with a small group of members of the avant-garde in Paris, this consisted of people who were also experimenting with gender in this period.

Cahun and Gender, Sexuality and Power

Cahun’s work is now seen in the modern day as truly inspirational due to her diverse lifestyle and slightly unusual personal life. These factors convey a figure of interest and fascination for many later artists. s. The gender-shifting self-presentation, and non-heterosexual relationship make Cahun important to homosexual activists and feminism lovers alike. 

For example, one person who has truly been honored and fascinated by Claude Cahuns work is Gillian Wearing. Wearing and Claude Cahun were born many years apart and showed no relation or similar lifestyle. However the topic of photography, to explore themes around identity and gender through masquerade and performance links these two people together.

Gillian Wearing has done many projects in tribute to Claud, however the most popular and by far my favourite is her work on  Me as Cahun Holding a Mask of My Face in 2012.

In this photographic self-portrait, Gillian recreates Cahun’s self-portrait from the I Am In Training Don’t Kiss Me series which Claude made in 1927. She did this by photographing her creation a mask that looks like Claude Cahun’s face in the series and then holding another mask to her right which is a replica of her own face.

Here Gillian Wearings interpretation is shown above, and Claude Cahun’s original is displayed below.

I particularly like this modern day interpretation as it pays attention to a talented human who thrived during difficult and dangerous times where expressing your true self and sharing your inner passions was seen as ‘different’ and ‘unusual’. Gillian’s recognition of Claude’s talent relights something of a poster girl for feminist art critics, who now praise Claude Cahun for blurring of gender and identity in such treacherous times.

“We’re only just catching up to her” 

I really empathise and admire this quote from Gillian Wearing which explains how Claude Cahun was so ahead of her time. This is due to the fact so many contemporary artists are so influenced by her work. Claude has a dedicated following among artists and art historians when it comes to feminism and gender stereotypes.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an independent photographer who took photographs in the 70’s. Something I find particularly admiring, is how she 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 thing and showed her strong views on gender and the construction of identity through key times when opinions and personalities where particularly changing in history. She also mad many different character that she would pretend to being her photos and experiment with makeup, hairstyles and costume to demonstrate these characters.

A QUOTE THAT I REALLY LIKE IS:

“None of the characters are me. They’re everything but me”.

I like this quote because It explains how she created over 70 of these images of herself, but not HERSELF, as she was acting and posing as other character using only her body but not her true inner self.

Cindy Sherman created around 70 Untitled Film Stills which consist of black and white images made between 1977 and 1980. I truly think Cindy Sherman’s work conveys a message of mystery and struggle with being a women. Her images inspire me to attempt to take photos like this in my next photoshoot.

Image Analysis

What did I notice first?

I noticed at first the negative expression on her face, she almost looks worried or scared about where she is or who she is with. This creates an element of mystery in the photograph as the person viewing it wants to know why she looks so troubled and scared about where she is.

What’s Happening in the Image?

The woman seems to be looking over her left shoulder towards behind where she is standing. She is also holding her stomach which may mean she is either shocked or worried about something that has just happened. She may also be holding her stomach with her right hand and arm wrapped around it. This may be to create a maternal approach which implies a sense of security and protection over something.

What people and objects are shown? How are they arranged?

In the image, there is a woman standing with an apron on and she is standing in front of a sink where there lies a bottle of dish soap and what seems to be a spice rack. I can also see a bottle of dish soap, a salt container and a pan or stovetop – like pot where the handle is facing towards her. All these things apply that she was possibly mid- washing up when she was disturbed by a possibly domestic figure.

What is the physical setting? Is place important? Are there details that suggest the time period this image relates to?

I think the place Is very important because It could possibly portray a ‘woman’s place’ in society at the time. Stood in the kitchen washing dishes is the idealistic place for a wife to be. This shows that the misogynistic and stereotypical traits of patriarchal views are shown throughout this photo. The photo was also taken in 1977, during this time women around the world were not given the chance to decide life for their own, this is shown through the clear differences between gender roes between women and men. Women in this period were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintenance of the house.

What other details can you see?

I also think that the fact this photo is nameless also shows a factor of which stereotype this photo fits into. I think these photos are made to show movie industry lending a voyeuristic quality to this glimpse into the private life of a women in a potentially dangerous household, left alone with multiple responsibilities. The photo is names ‘Untitled Film Still’ This perfectly relates to my idea of the view of women in the society at this time and how Cindy Sherman was attempting to portray this. The fact the photo is nameless and therefore is ‘Untitled‘ shows the fact that women were, in fact, nameless and were seen as much less valued than men.

Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun

While many male Surrealists saw women as objects and uses of pleasure and desire. Claude Cahun opposed these views and explored her identity instead of defining it. Her photos challenged the idea of gender and women as objects of male desire. This relates to Cindy Sherman because she also played a role in helping us question visual culture. She portrayed a multitude of characters which created provocative views on photography during this time period.

Femininity-

fɛmɪˈnɪnɪti/ noun

• Qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls. “she alternated between embracing her femininity and concealing it”.

Masculinity-

maskjʊˈlɪnɪti/ noun

• Qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men or boys.”handsome, muscled, and driven, he’s a prime example of masculinity”.

Binary Opposition

Examples of binary opposites could be –

Good and bad

Positive and negative

Up and down

Black and white

FEMININITY AND MASCULINITY are seen as ‘Binary Opposites, this is because of the theory that “Man” and “woman” have been opposed as binary oppositional terms since patriarchal society was formed.

Patriarchy relates to denoting a system of society or government controlled by men. Women make up less than a quarter of all professional photographers, this emphasises the true message of femininity and masculinity in photography especially.

Identity can be influenced by multiple factors such as:

• Family
• Self- expression
• Life experiences
• Interests
• Culture
• Ethnicity
• Opportunities

However, identity can be PARTICULARLY influenced by the factor of ‘place’. This ties into  a feeling that you belong to a particular place. This represents a place in which a person would feel comfortable and ‘at home’, an example of this could be literally at home, this is because a person is seen as having the ability of symbolizing certain qualities of that place.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is known as ‘deeply-held inner feelings’ of whether you’re female or male, both, or neither.

A few different gender identities may consist of…

• Male
• Female
• Transgender
• Gender neutral
• Non-binary

Cultural Identity

Cultural identities are the different and more distinct identities of people or groups in cultural or subcultural categories and social groups.

A few different cultural identities may consist of…

• Sexuality
• Gender
• Religion
• Ethnicity
• Social class
• Region.

Social Identity

Social identity aims to specify and predict the circumstances under which individuals think of themselves as individuals or as group members. The theory also considers consequences of personal and social identities for individuals.

A few different social identities may consist of…

• Race
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sex Socioeconomic status
• Sexual orientation
• Age
• Religion/religious beliefs
• National origin

Geographical Identity

An individual or group’s sense of attachment to the country, region, city, or village in which they live. 

The key characteristics with which a particular country, region, city, or village is associated.

Political Identity

Political identity is a form of social identity marking membership of certain groups that share a common struggle for a certain form of power, this can include identification with multiple political parties.

A few different political identities may consist of…

• Nationalism
• Inter-ethnic relations
• Abstract ideological themes

Loss of Identity

A person without a sense of identity can instead feel a disconnect from who they have been or have no sense as to who they will become next. 

A few different examples of a loss of identity may consist of…

• Having uncertainty about self image
• Gender identity
• Values
• Long-term goals

Stereotypes

Characteristics that society instinctively attributes to groups of people to classify them.

A few different examples of stereotypes may consist of…

• Age
• Weight
• Occupation
• Skin colour
• Gender

Prejudices

An unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.

Whilst taking my headshots I attempted to also mirror and interpret some of Henry Mullins’ work with angles and positioning when it comes to headshots. Inspiration from Henry Mullins’ models poses helped me to work on my techniques and learn more about how to make my photography look more professional.

I really admire the poses that Henry Mullins’ models would use, such as:

• Looking over the shoulder
• Staring straight at the camera
• Looking to the left
• Looking to the right
• Tilted head left/right
• Looking upwards/downwards/left/right

For this photoshoot I took photos of two models using  a honeycomb head and a snout head on the lights. I had one person standing next to the lights and holding the coloured gels. I wanted this person to be interchanging with multiple colours such as pink, purple, red, blue, yellow, white and green.

I had one person standing next to my model and holding different shades of reflectors such as silver, gold and bronze. This was to help have the light shine onto my subjects eyes more so that there isn’t shade or shadows reflecting onto my models face. They also moved the honeycomb head to different angles to capture different angles from the light.

I had one person then sitting or standing whilst posing naturally in front of the camera for me to photograph. I told them to look at all different angles for my diamond cameos (inspired by Henry Mullins) I also asked her to do some more natural poses and for her to also do some poses either looking directly at the camera or looking in different directions and using her hands to add extra effect to her posing.

HERE ARE MY BEST IMAGES

I particularly like these photos because they show a contrast of emotions through two people. The covering of the mouth shows a tack of identity to one of the people. And I also asked my models to have different expressions to each other such as e.g. sad and happy and vies versa.

I created these images in Adobe photoshop, I think they create a sense of ‘false identity’ and mystery as they could possibly show the persons real ‘self’ or ‘story’. I really like this double exposure effect for my photos and I think it helps improve their meaning behind it.

I first opened two photos in two different tabs in Photoshop.

I then clicked and dragged my second photo onto my first photo.

I then double clicked on the layer I dragged and deselected R in the channel section of the options menu for the first creation I made and then for my second creation clicked R and B.

I then repositioned my photo to fit to my preference.

I then spent some time ‘experimenting’ with my editing and colours by combining multiple photos in a collage-like formation, I then worked on my layers and added different settings and opacities on each photo to create this final product of a combination of 4 headshots I created. I like this because it combines a mixture of lots of colours like blue, red, purple, green and black and white.

I created a virtual gallery in Photoshop to portray my environmental photography. I placed my best environmental portraits into my photoshoot virtual gallery. I picked these 3 images because I think they demonstrate the meaning of environmental photography the best. I imported a photo of an empty gallery from Google, and pasted it into Photoshop, I then imported my 3 photos into Photoshop and sized them to place them effectively. I used Adobe Photoshop to display these three environmental portraits, for this I imported them into Photoshop and created a shadow behind to make them look 3D, this helps them look more lifelike. I also resized and distorted them to fit onto the wall realistically.

I then used Photoshop as a method to display some of my lighting technique photos using a virtual gallery, this contained Rembrandt lighting, Chiaroscuro lighting and Butterfly lighting. For this gallery I used one of each, this contained my best image for each lighting technique. I used the same method for this by distorting and moving my photos around to fit the shape of the wall, I then also created another shadow behind the photos in order to make them look lifelike and effective.

MY SETUP:

I took these headshots in the lighting studio with two different models. I wanted them to be comfortable and embrace themselves, this helps to make the photos I took to be natural and portray whatever mood they are feeling at the current time. I also then categorized these photos I took into different groups with colours separating them. I chose to take around 250 photos which is definitely larger than the photoshoots I have done in the past. I chose to do this amount of photos to have a larger region of choice when it comes to taking photos and choosing photos to edit in my different cameos in my headshots topic. I had 3 people help whilst taking my photos, I first had one person moving around my flash head in order to get different angles of lighting through the flash. I then had a person moving and manoeuvring a reflector in order to reposition lighting on my models face. I also then had myself taking the photos of my model with the best angles possible. I then finally had my model posing with multiple poses in order to create an array of photos.

I chose my low quality images with a low shutter speed or blurriness to be RED – Here is a few examples of some red images…

I then chose my ‘good’ photos to be YELLOW ,these photos are okay but not my best work – Here is a few examples of some yellow images…

I then picked my photos that are high quality and good enough to use for display in GREEN – Here is a few examples of some green images…

I then used BLUE to show my absolute best images I took in this photoshoot.

My BEST Images

These are my best images and also my ‘blue’ images which are classed as my most highest quality images in this photoshoot and the photos I could get the highest marks from whilst using lighting techniques.

These photos that I marked with the colour blue, truly capture the effect I was going for, for my first headshots photoshoot. I really like how I attempted to have my models use their hands slightly but not too much. Whilst editing the photos I only slightly changed the contrast, increased the clarity and the sharpness to help my photos look more professional and efficient. I also think the most effective method whilst editing these photos was to cut and resize them, I really think this helped with the more professional and ‘headshot’ look I was aiming for. By cutting out the parts of the images that are plain or had a white or black background.

Diamond Cameo

Here is how I made my diamond cameos…

I first opened Adobe Photoshop and imported 4 images of my first model from Adobe Lightroom.

I then clicked and dragged these photos into a diamond formation with my model looking at angles where it looks like she is looking up, looking left and looking forwards.

I then selected the rectangular marquee tool and pressed the elliptical marquee tool in order to create an oval shape around my photo.

This diamond shape then cut my image into a diamond shape with no background, I did this by deleting the layer by dragging it into the bin.

I then clicked the free transform button to arrange these oval shaped images into a diamond shape, this helped to create a ‘diamond cameo’. This is in inspiration of Henry Mullins’ work of diamond cameos.

I also created another diamond cameo with my other model Lexi, for this I compiled an array of images where Lexi was looking at some other angles and doing other poses whilst I photographed her. These are the four photos I included in my cameo.

I chose these 4 images for my diamond cameo, after choosing these, I then edited them in Adobe Lightroom…

However, after careful consideration, I decided to use the unedited images to use in my diamond cameo, I did this because I wanted my photos to be more raw and less digitalised in care I wanted to take my diamond cameos further with editing in Photoshop.

Henry Mullins – (1818-1880) was a photographer who, between 1850-73 Henry Mullins made over 9000 carte de visite portraits of Jersey’s ruling elite and wealthy upper classes. The collection that exists of his work comes through his studio albums, in which he placed his clients in an ordered grid with reference to mid-nineteenth century social hierarchies. Throughout his career, Mullins collaborated with numerous acclaimed actors, directors, and production teams. Not only did he provide stunning headshots, but he also worked on set, capturing behind-the-scenes moments and promotional images for various films and television productions.

Cartes de visite:

A cartes de visite was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a carte de visite is 54.0 × 89 mm and this is placed on a card sized 64 × 100 mm. 

Henry was known for specialising in Cartes de visite, the photographic archive of ‘La Société’ contains a large amount of these (online archive being 9600 images). This archive has been described as the ‘first commercial photographic print’ this print was produced using egg whites to bind the chemicals of the photos and straight onto the paper. However, this method is very much avoided these days as more reliable methods have been discovered. Due to the photo being a result of exposure to light, an albumen print may be said to be a printed rather than a developed photograph. Traditionally small thin photograph mounted onto a thicker piece of card would be used for this but Henry Mullins used an album to display his work instead.

Many of these images contained the island’s most affluent and influential people, alongside officers of the Royal Militia Island of Jersey, for whom it was very popular to have portraits taken, as well as of their wives and children. The images of the officers document the change in generations as they do not look like the general person today, showing the fashion for long hair, whiskers and beards in the mid-1800s. Their appearance makes it difficult for the viewer to differentiate who is who as they were styled almost identically during this time.

Diamond Cameo:

This layout of final images is called a Diamond cameo due to the diamond-like shape produced by the placement of oval images. I like this technique as it is more unique and more appealing and eye catching to the eye as you can see all format and possible sides of his face allowing you to see every detail rather than a normal layout of images put together.

Here are some examples of diamond cameos from other artists, I decided to also research some other artists cameos just to see if there are any other ideas or techniques that I could pick up or recreate to use in my own creations. I also have attached some images of Henry Mullins’ work on diamond cameos as I think his work especially captures a more rustic and meaningful message through his cameos. I hope to capture the effect of my models looking from different angles as I think this will really escalate my edit of my photography to the next level and get as close to Henry Mullins’ but with my own individual twist on it.

(Definitions Obtained From Google)

Lighting :

What is the technical definition of lighting?

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight.

soft lighting :

Soft lighting is a type of light with few hard shadows that’s bright yet balanced. In soft lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is more of a gradient and much smoother. When your subject is bathed in soft light, there will be little to no shadows on their face.

hard lighting:

What Is Hard Light? Hard light is a focused, often bright light that casts harsh shadows and draws attention to a specific part of a photo. In hard lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is very harsh and defined.

framing :

Framing in photography refers to the process of composing a picture. It involves choosing what you’ll include in the frame and what you’ll leave out. The goal is to create a pleasing composition that directs the viewer’s attention to the subject matter.

headshots :

A headshot is a tightly cropped photo of the face, from the shoulders up. The subject is camera aware — typically looking right in the lens. Years ago, headshots were reserved for actors and models. For talent, these images are in some ways more important than a resume.

focusing:

In photography, focus is the sharpest area of the image. It is the area where the lens works to highlight an object, a person, or a situation. Focus is one of the pillars of photography, along with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You can either use automatic or manual focus.

focus on eyes:

In photography, focus is the sharpest area of the image. It is the area where the lens works to highlight an object, a person, or a situation. Focus is one of the pillars of photography, along with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You can either use automatic or manual focus.

Using AF (Autofocus) place the square, or set of squares on one eye of your subject. If the subject’s other eye is not on the same horizontal plane as the AF square, it will be out of focus. So, move your subject, or tilt your camera (if you can without ruining composition) so that the eyes are on the same plane.

pose :

If you pose for a photograph or painting, you stay in a particular position so that someone can photograph you or paint you. Before going into their meeting the six foreign ministers posed for photographs. [ VERB + for] Synonyms: position yourself, sit, model, strike a pose More Synonyms of pose.

expression :

Expression, according to an online dictionary, is the action of making known one’s thoughts or feelings. In impressionist photography you create an image to communicate to others, using visual language, how you feel about a specific idea or a subject.

Flash Lighting–

In photography, flash lighting or strobe lighting refers to either built-in flash units or devices that are external from the photographer’s camera that when used emit a strong artificial light for a designated period to light up a background.

Continuous Lighting–

What is continuous lighting?

Continuous lighting, such as LED panels, fluorescent tubes, or tungsten bulbs, is any source of light that stays on constantly. It has some advantages over flash lighting, like allowing you to see the effect of the light on your subject and background before you take the shot and being easier to use with video.

What is the difference between flash and continuous lighting?

Flash offers more power and depth of field and is generally preferred by professional photography. Continuous can serve for both video and photo but they are generally less powerful but they give you more options when used with smartphones.

The deadpan aesthetic

Deadpan portraits are typically shot in a straightforward, uncontrived manner. The photographer does not use any special angles, lighting, or props to create an emotional or dramatic effect. Instead, the subject is simply captured as they are, in their natural environment.

Passport Photos

Passport photograph means a two inch by two inch (2”x2”) photograph of the applicant/licensee taken recently prior to the date of application or renewal of license.

Typologies

Study of or study based on types. especially : classification (as of personality, human physique, or bacterial strains) based on the comparative study of types.

Up close

very close; in close range to.

Background

the part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer.

Face

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 50mm portrait lens

Photoshoot One:

My plan for my first headshots photoshoot is to take some images similar to passport like photographs, I will try to avoid any shadows and I want my models to have a very straight and plain face with no particular facial expressions, I think this helps to portray a very formal image which only has their shoulders and head in and shows their clear facial features.

Photoshoot Two:

For my next photoshoot I will be using diamond cameo, for this i will need to take some continuous photos of plain expressions. I would also like left and right side profile images and a large variety of many photos of my model looking in all different directions, I will then create my diamond cameo using Photoshop and editing tools.

Photoshoot Three:

For my third photoshoot I will then need to make some more multi-exposure photos, I will create this in Photoshop and use my best editing skills. I will have my model look at the camera at all different angles with all different lighting techniques to be able to accomplish the best image possible.