Born in 1902 and died in 1984, Ansel Easton Adams was a famous American environmentalist and landscape photographer who well was known for his black-and-white images of the American West using his large-format camera. He was a relentless activist for the cause of nature and the environment.

He aimed to make people acknowledge the importance of preserving the last remaining wilderness lands. For him nature was always “a mystique: a valid, intangible, non-materialistic experience”. His work was not intended to be realistic, they were documents of nature which provided people a psychological experience of natural beauty.

He said one of the reasons for his images being in black-and-white was because he felt colour could be distracting, and could therefore distract an artist’s attention from taking a good photograph and reaching their full potential. He did however start taking colour photographs after the Kodachrome film was invented in the mid 1930s.

Adams was responsible for founding a group called Group f/64, this was an association of photographers, such as Edward Weston, who supported pure photography; photography that attempts to represent a scene or subject in sharp focus, detail and drastic tonal range. He had also developed an idea called visualisation; you picture the outcome of something before it happens, because his images didn’t turn out how he saw them in his head.

This is an example of one of Adams’ famous photographs which became his first conscious visualization. This is an image of the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park where he took the majority of his photos. At first he used a yellow lens on his large-format camera, however he swapped it for a dark red one which created much more depth as we can see in the image above.

The reason for his work being mainly based on Yosemite National Park was because for most of his life he was inspired by it’s natural beauty. He had first seen this park when he was in his childhood when his family took a vacation there in 1916. This was also when he had received his first camera, a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie. 

To create his very detailed images, Adams had used the zonal system which allowed him to creatively visualize an image and produce a photograph that matched it. He had also used darkroom techniques such as dodging and burning which changed the exposure of his images which resulted in high contrasting and tonal pieces of work.

Image Analysis

I have chosen to analyse this image by Ansel Adams because I think it portrays what his style of photography looks like.

Technical – As we know Adams had used darkroom techniques and filters to play around with the exposure of his photographs and it looks like in this image he had used this technique.

We can see that natural lighting has been used in the creation of this image and from the angle that this image has been taken, we can guess that it was taken from some sort of hill, high place and or the camera has been placed in a upwards position. The image has a wide depth of field which gradually turns more faded towards the middle of the image.

Visual – We can see a large range of tonal values in this image, ranging from pure black to pure white. There is a lot of detail and texture in this image, however it gets less detailed towards the middle of the image. I think the leading lines of this image are the trees and mountains which point towards the middle of the image where we can see more mountains, snow and even clouds.

Contextual – I know that the photograph was taken somewhere in the Yosemite National Park because the majority of Adam’s work came from there as it was his source of inspiration ever since he was young.

The reason why this, and many other images, have a large tonal range and are very detailed is because Adams attempted to recreate what he had seen in his mind when he saw the landscape, he tried to convert his vision into a photograph by using filters and darkroom techniques to achieve this.

Conceptual – I think Ansel Adams took this photograph because he was inspired and motivated by the landscape: “At this location one cannot move more than a hundred feet or so to the left without reaching the edge of the almost perpendicular cliffs above the Merced River. Moving the same distance to the right would interpose a screen of trees or require an impractical position on the road. Moving forward would invite disaster on a very steep slope falling to the east”.

Romanticism was an art and literature movement which had originated in the late 18th century in Europe. This movement was known for a new interest in human psychology, expression of personal feeling and interest in the natural world. It rejected the values and practices of the Age of Enlightenment and the church.

The difference between Romanticism and Enlightenment was that Romanticism supported and influenced the growth of creativity, emotion and an individual; believed that the universe grew in accord to the will of nature, On the other hand Enlightenment supports and influences the growth of science, industrialisation, reason and civil society; It is fixated by laws.

Edmund Burke’s definition of the Sublime: An artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling. He said the sublime comprises a state of astonishment, where “all its motions are suspended” and the power of reasoning is lost, coupled with the infinity of an object who cannot be seen distinctly, and therefore cannot be compared against others.

In other words, the Sublime is a term used to describe something that is extraordinary, invoking a powerful mix of awe, wonder, terror, and drama; something that is beautiful yet tragic.

This is an example of a painting that interprets what the sublime may look like. This shows how beautiful but also powerful nature can be; it is able to cause destruction and damage to individuals and it’s surroundings but can also be attracting.

The definition of Landscape as a genre – A genre that typically captures the presence of nature but can also focus on human-made features or disturbances of landscapes.

This term originates from the Dutch word landschap, which originally meant “region, tract of land” however it acquired the artistic connotation, “a picture depicting scenery on land” later on.

16th Century: ‘Landscape’ as an independent genre did not emerge in the Western tradition until the Renaissance in the 16th century.

17th Century: Classical Landscape was born. These landscapes were influenced by classical antiquity and sought to illustrate an ideal landscape recalling Arcadia, a legendary place in ancient Greece known for its quiet pastoral beauty.

Even as landscapes became acceptable as a genre in the 17th century, they were still often seen and created as settings for biblical, mythological, or historical scenes.

Late 18th Century to 19th Century: Landscape painting eventually gained prominence with the rise of Romanticism, and often continued to carry a religious significance. This was because people started appreciating landscapes much more and wanting to preserve it.

Romanticism was an emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of the past and nature. The main purpose for romanticism was that it celebrated the individual imagination and intuition in the enduring search for individual rights and liberty.

In between the years of 1826 and 1827, we had seen the first urban landscape photo taken by a French inventor by the name of Nicéphore Niepce. The influence of landscape photography led to decades of vitality in the world of painting, as artists were both inspired by photographic images and pushed beyond realism, and rethought the very nature of art.

20th Century: The world saw American photographers at the forefront of landscape photography, and this was because they had a rather vast and varied array of landscapes to photograph. 

A lot of landscape images and portraits were taken during the Victorian era of photography, but it was in 1904 when Edward Steichen produced a photograph known as Moonlight: The Pond that landscape photography gained certain recognition in the art world. Another pioneer for landscape photography was Ansel Adams, one of the masters of photography of the 20th century.

For all my photoshoots I have selected my best images that have been edited in Lightroom or photoshop and placed them inside a virtual (Artsteps) gallery.

Femininity and Masculinity

Evaluation and Critique

In this photoshoot I had experimented with the theme of masculinity, femininity as well as identity. I was very inspired by Claude Cahun and her style of work so I incorporated ideas from her own photoshoots into my work, for example, using a mirror to create a double portrait as well as bold makeup and outfits. I also wanted to keep some colour in a few of my photos because I like how Tsoku Maela incorporated it into his own work and how he used it to complement his subject’s skin tones as well as the other bright colours he has used .

I had used black and white filters in the majority of my second photoshoot to show more contrast with the colours in the image, especially the red makeup and hair.

The meaning I wanted to capture in my first photoshoot was that in modern society it is more accepted for young people to be more feminine, masculine or other, and identify as what they feel like without as much discrimination as past generations. However, I wanted to include sad expressions to show that despite society being more accepting, there is still hatred against trans people and identity. I also wanted to covey the idea of people still having an unclear identity so I have edited various images to have a blur-like affect mainly on the subject’s face.

In my second photoshoot I wanted to focus more on femininity. I included various elements of Claude Cahun’s style into it to show my interest and inspiration for my photoshoot.

I had used more sad expressions and objects, such as a gate, to convey the struggles of women and the role of femininity. The poses, which were inspired by both Claude Cahun and Tsoku Maela, I had used in my photos were also used to show this idea, including the idea of the male gaze.

I’ve experimented with using a piece of paper with a question mark drawn on it to suggest that femininity is still being questioned, however I felt like it made the meaning too obvious so I did not use it in the majority of my images.

I like how the majority of my images have turned out especially the black and white contrast affect on my second photoshoot and the blur affects I had experimented with on photoshop.

Next time I should aim to take a third photoshoot exploring masculinity and more identity. I should also try to improve on my lighting skills and make sure my images have an equal white balance.

Along with the virtual gallery, I have also created various mock ups of how I’d like to present my final images. I’ve experimented with various layouts and how I might mount them onto foam boards/card.

Below are some ideas that I have for presenting my photos.

Environmental Portraiture

Evaluation and Critique

In this photoshoot I had aimed to take a couple photographs of people in their natural everyday environment. I had managed to take pictures of a person metal detecting and my own mum doing tasks/hobbies that they regularly do.

In my first photoshoot I like how the flash of the camera captures the glass jug, that my mum is holding, and makes it look quite shiny. I also like the pattern on her trousers because it makes the image more interesting

In my second photoshoot with the metal detector I really like the contrast of his red jacket against the background, I also like how his tools take up some of the photo making it look not as empty.

Next time I need to take more photos with a bigger variety of poses or angles. I also need to make sure my exposure is balanced especially when using the flash on the camera.

Lighting Techniques

Evaluation and Critique

In this photoshoot I had worked on using different lighting techniques, Rembrandt, Butterfly and Chiaroscuro. I had taken photos at different angles, as well as a lower exposure, to try and capture the shadows that correspond to the lighting techniques.

I like how I’ve edited my photos to be brighter and colourful, but I also like the simplistic black and white images. I might use the format in the first screenshot for my images as I like the contrast of the bold yellow and green colours against the black and white image in the middle.

I should experiment more with different poses and take more photos of Chiaroscuro lighting. I also should use colour gels to add colour into the photos. I need to make sure when doing Chiaroscuro lighting to set the lighting up correctly.

I have edited my best images from the lighting technique photoshoot. I’ve deepened the shadows on the face and background of my subject to show the lighting techniques more clearly, I have done this using photoshop.

Photoshoot 1

For my first photoshoot I have taken pictures of my mum at home. I have photographed her doing daily tasks in a natural setting.

I was inspired by Letizia Battaglia and her work. I have edited my images in black and white to mimic Battaglia’s style. I had also increased the exposure to brighten the images.

Photoshoot 2

In this photoshoot I have taken a few photos of a Detectorist. I had planned on taking pictures of him metal detecting and digging to show what he does in his environment.

I didn’t turned the images black and white because I like the contrast of the red jacket against the background.

Photoshoot 1

Edits of best images

Femininity

Masculinity

Masculinity X Femininity

Photoshoot 2

Edits of best images

Photoshop Edits Experimentation

I have experimented with a bunch of photos from both of my photoshoots by using photoshop.

On most of my photos I have created a blur affect in different sections of the images. I had also tried to experiment with the theme of identity when editing the images.

Evaluation

I was inspired by Claude Cahun’s work and her photographs that show her wearing exaggerated/bold makeup, I wanted to incorporate this into my work, as well as images that use a mirror to create a double portrait and self portraiture.

I wanted to include bold makeup to convey the ideas of beauty standards within modern society. I had drawn on a fake mole next to my lip because in some places it represents beauty and I wanted to use it’s meaning to represent how many people still believe that women must be beautiful.

I have aimed to play around with masculine and feminine stereotypes, I’ve done this by using lipstick and stereotyped feminine poses to represent femininity, a fake beard and stereotyped masculine poses for masculinity. I’ve also tried to contrast the lipstick with masculine poses and the beard with feminine poses.

In my first photoshoot I wanted to use my younger brother as he has quite an androgynous face which can easily be manipulated by makeup and I had planned to use a younger model to represent the idea of gender ideas changing and being more accepting in this generation compared to previous ones.

In my second photoshoot I had experimented with self portraiture and makeup to play around with the role of femininity. I have used objects like a cage represent the idea of women still being trapped behind female stereotypes and discrimination. I’ve used a glass orb and a piece of paper with a question mark on it because it adds to the idea of femininity being questioned.

In one of my images, I have also used a clock in the background, It is meant to represent how time has changed but the idea of femininity is still being questioned. I have also made my pictures a bit blurry to add to this idea.

Claude Cahun

Cahun was also well known for her surreal self-portrait photographs which show her dressed as different characters. She questioned the accepted status-quo, particularly the position of women, through her art and in the way she lived her life.

She began making photographic self-portraits as early as 1912 and continued taking images of herself throughout the 1930s. She experimented with gender presentation and the role of the viewer to a greater degree.

She often used the double exposure technique which is a technique that layers two different exposures on a single image, combining two photographs into one. This technique is seen being used in the photograph below.

Some examples of Cahun’s work:

I’ve chosen Claude Cahun as one of my inspirations because she explores the themes of identity and femininity + masculinity very well, I also enjoy her style and abstract ideas, as well as the way she has challenged gender stereotypes and her identity.

I like how Cahun has used various outfits that play around with gender and identity as well as the use of masks in one of her photographs which I think relates back to a quote she had said;

“Under this mask, another mask; I will never finish removing all these faces.”

(Claude Cahun, Disavowals, London 2007, p.183)

I believe this quote meant that Cahun had many identities and wouldn’t stick or be fixed to just one of them. It could have also meant that she would never be clear of what her identity really is.

In future photoshoots I would like to use elements that Cahun has used herself to inspire me and my work, I would like to incorporate her bold style such as her poses and the use of makeup.

Tsoku Maela

“An archivist of a future African past in the present time”

Tsoku Maela is a South African visual artist, suffering from anxiety and depression, who works predominantly in photography, film and text. His work navigates the human condition through the body, psyche and environment, his work scouts for ways to define human connection through exploring the themes of strength, willpower, life and death which all links to the theme of identity. He had started to take photographs to translate his thoughts and experiences into images, as a means of finding himself after he had experienced a perplexing medical emergency.

Maela had began his journey through capturing surreal, metaphorical self-portraits and using digital manipulation to realise his visions, channelling dreams into tangible realities. He had moved on to street photography then to sophisticated and thoughtful portraits and narrative series.

His is widely known for his “Abstract Peaces” self-portraiture series which studied and reflected on a subject at different states with their mental illness. In this body of work, he creates images that are meant to demonstrate an artists’ battle with depression.

He also reflects on the violent and destructive doctrines of manhood, Maela aims to open up a dialogue among men and boys about their own belief systems in the construction of contemporary masculinities. He also aims to destigmatize mental illness especially in the black community.

He has a book named “Book of Maskuline” which explores ideas of gender socialisation, particularly with respect to forming behavioural practices in masculinity, by drawing parallels to the biblical story of Jesus and his relationship with God.

He is inspired by many other artists such as Samuel Fosso, David Lynch and Frida Khalo.

Examples of his work:

Many of his photographs are self portraits, Maela is either seen engaging with a prop, such as a rose or paintbrush, or is digitally altered in some way in hopes of more accurately catching the essence of what it’s like to live with depression.

I have chosen Tsoku Maela as my second inspirational photographer because I also enjoy his style. I like how he has explored identity as well as mental health. I am inspired by the use of bright and bold colours in the majority of his work because I believe colour can reveal meaning and story behind some photos, it could symbolise or represent things or even just brighten and image and make it more interesting, however I also like the use of monochrome to create a more dramatic or old affect.

The way Maela uses his own traditional cultural clothing to show his identity inspires me a lot as it explores the theme of identity and his own cultural background.

I like the use of dramatic poses and blank expressions that use uses within his work. I would like to incorporate elements of this in my own work to show where I have gained by inspiration from for my photoshoots.

Comparison

Both Maela and Cahun explore the theme of identity, however they explore it in different ways. Maela focuses more on Masculinity, mental health and religion, while Cahun focused on challenging traditional ideas of gender, sexuality, and identity.

Both photographers use drama whether it’s through make up, bright colours or poses. I think this adds more to the theme of identity because it could be how they present themselves in person and it also adds more meaning to the images to maybe show how dramatic or serious identity is to them personally and maybe to others that they are representing, Cahun may have represented the genderfluid community.

Cahun refused to conform to gender norms, adopting a masculine appearance and using gender-neutral pronouns to assert her identity, while Maela is tries to catch the essence of what it is like to live with depression as well as reflect on the violent and destructive doctrines of manhood and masculinity.

Both of these photographers have an abstract style, their work challenges the norms by using bright colours and outfits. They use themselves to convey the meaning of their work and beliefs.

Definitions

Masculinity – It is a set of attributes, behaviours and roles that are generally associated with men and boys.

Femininity – It is a set of attributes, behaviours, and roles that are generally associated with women and girls. 

Binary Opposites – Two things that relate to each other that have an opposite meaning, e.g. strong vs weak or young vs old.

Stereotypes – A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. There are many stereotypes about men, women and others, some of these stereotypes are that men can’t wear dresses and must be very masculine. Another example is that women must stay at home and do house work.

The different influences on identity

Many things can affect people’s identities, here are a few examples:

Different cultures may play a role in people’s identities, for example you may have a different way from doing something compared to someone from another place because that’s how you have been brought up or taught, or you have a different way of thinking because of social standards in certain countries, for example a women’s role in a marriage.

Another way that impacts identities is social class. For example, according to stereotypes, someone with a poor background may turn out to be more rebellious, however if they were born in a much more richer environment and social class they be more authoritative. Social class affects people’s identities by giving them different ways of seeing the world, this can play an affect on who they want to be.

Gender roles or stereotypes also have a huge impact on people’s identities. Society has created gender roles which affect how people expect for example women to act or look. In some cases gender roles only state that there are only two genders and both have to look and act a certain way. In some places these expectations are very reinforced among several cultures.

New ideas about sexuality and gender helps and encourages some people to explore and discover their true identity. For some these new ideas can explain how they feel about themselves and their own preferences. It can help determine what they actually identify as instead of identifying as something they feel like they aren’t.

New technology allows people to change their identity by, for example, fully converting into the opposite sex and start taking e.g. testosterone which makes them more masculine.

Definitions and other words that associate with identity politics and culture wars

Identity Politics: A wide range of political activities and theoretical analyses rooted in experiences of injustice shared by different, often excluded social groups. This term was coined by the Combahee River Collective in 1977, it later took on a widespread of usage in the early 1980s, then it had gained currency with the emergence of social activism.

The identity politics’ aim is to support and center the concerns, agendas, and projects of particular groups, in accord with specific social and political changes.

Some examples of volatile issues that are usually addressed in identity politics is abortion, homosexuality, transgender rights, pornography, multiculturalism, and racism.

Social Activism: Working with other people to bring about a change in society. It aims to defend human rights wherever they are threatened or violated, and at whatever level.

It has played a huge role in ending slavery, challenging dictatorships, protecting workers from exploitation, protecting the environment, promoting equality for women, opposing racism, and many other important issues.

Some examples of this being seen is in a protest, strikes, petitioning and so on.

Social Injustice – The unequal treatment of a group of people within a society, which results in one group being at a disadvantage.

Some examples of social injustice are discrimination, income gaps, racism, food insecurity and many more.

Culture Wars: A conflict between groups, especially liberal and conservative groups, that have different cultural ideals, beliefs, or philosophies.

An example of a culture war is the controversy over gay rights and homosexual marriage.

Marginalization – It is the treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.

Examples of marginalized populations include groups that are excluded due to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, or language.

 Own view on identity politics and culture wars

I believe there are many positives and negatives with identity politics and culture wars, some of which have a huge impact of society.

One of the positives are that identity politics are an effective strategy to combat discrimination and marginalization. It helps people who are more exposed to hate and discrimination get equal rights or at least have their voices heard. These political debates challenge established views on equality and bring about an alternative demand for identity-based equity as a better approach.

These debates demand that the world becomes more equal. It threatens people in power and forces them to make a change because it destabilizes their control over people.

On the other hand, identity politics identifies and addresses the differences between people which could prevent people with, for example, different backgrounds, ethnicities, identities or experiences find commonality between the rest of society. It also primarily focuses on experience.

A negative that comes identity politics is culture wars. These wars tend to result in violence and conflict because of miscommunication or tension build up from opposing social groups who often have different ideas and beliefs.

I think identity politics helps people who suffer from discrimination and marginalization get their voices out and be able to fight for equal rights, but it can lead to consequences such as violence and criminal activity and because of different beliefs and views about certain subjects like abortion.

Hyperlinks and sites used:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/14/identity-politics-right-left-trump-racism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_conflict