Cynthia Morris Sherman (better known as Cindy Sherman) is an American artist born on January 19th 1954, whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. For 40 years, Sherman has probed the construction of identity, playing with the visual and cultural aspects of art, celebrity, gender and photography. She is among the most significant artists of the Pictures Generation. Sherman has continued to transform herself, displaying the diversity of human types and stereotypes in her images. She often works in series, improvising on themes such as centrefolds (1981) and society portraits (2008). Her history portraits (1981), portray her use of theatrical effects to embody different roles and her lack of attempt to disguise her efforts: often her wigs are slipping off, her prosthetics are peeling away, and her makeup is poorly blended. She highlights the artificiality of these fabrications, a metaphor for the artificiality of all identity construction.

For four decades, Cindy Sherman has probed the construction of identity, playing with the visual and cultural codes of art, celebrity, gender, and photography. Sherman was always interested in experimenting with different identities. As she has explained, “I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.” Sherman has continued to transform herself, displaying the diversity of human types and stereotypes in her images.

Image analysis:

All of Sherman’s images incorporate a lack of femininity throughout them, as shown. One of the main aspects I noticed first was the deep contrast between the dull and dark colours surrounding the subject in the image. The background is black, allowing the face to stand out, along with the clothing she is wearing. These are effective because they do not allow the viewers eye to wonder throughout the image, rather we stay focused on the subject. Sherman regularly alters her appearance to the extreme, which makes her almost unrecognisable. For example, in this photo she has exaggerated her lips to the maximum, which I find interesting because I believe it symbolises femininity. She has also altered her eyes and eyebrows, making them very thin to the point they look fake. The use of this portrays a confused expression on her face. This is important because it gives the idea that perhaps Sherman is confused within her own identity, which leaves the viewer also questioning.

More of Sherman’s work:

Some of Sherman’s most famous artwork:

I have ideas to take action shots of models engaging with items, for example a dancer doing a pose and a girl doing her makeup, my ideas for my action shots is to take photos of boyd skating, i have many different ideas from my inspiration’s which include this moodboard, Francesca Woodman ,Clare Rae and Claude Cahun.

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.

At the age of thirteen Francesca Woodman took her first self-portrait. From then, up until her untimely death in 1981, aged just 22, she produced an extraordinary body of work. Comprising some 800 photographs, Woodman’s oeuvre is acclaimed for its singularity of style and range of innovative techniques. From the beginning, her body was both the subject and object in her work.

Although she died very young, there is no denying that Woodman was one of the most innovative and promising artists of her generation. She pushed the boundaries of experimental photography and played with the potential of shutter speed and exposure.

The very first photograph taken by Woodman, Self-portrait at Thirteen, 1972, shows the artist sitting at the end of a sofa in an un-indentified space, wearing an oversized jumper and jeans, arm loosely hanging on the armrest, her face obscured by a curtain of hair and the foreground blurred by sudden movement, one hand holding a cable linked to the camera. In this first image the main characteristics at the core of Woodman’s short career are clearly visible, her focus on the relationship with her body as both the object of the gaze and the acting subject behind the camera.

Woodman tested the boundaries of bodily experience in her work and her work often suggests a sense of self-displacement. Often nude except for individual body parts covered with props, sometimes wearing vintage clothing, the artist is typically sited in empty or sparsely furnished, dilapidated rooms, characterised by rough surfaces, shattered mirrors and old furniture. In some images Woodman quite literally becomes one with her surroundings, with the contours of her form blurred by movement, or blending into the background, wallpaper or floor, revealing the lack of distinction of both – between figure and ground, self and world. In others she uses her physical body literally as a framework in which to create and alter her material identity. For instance, holding a sheet of glass against her flesh, squeezing her body parts against the glass and smashing her face, breasts, hips, buttocks and stomach onto the surface from various angles, Woodman distorts her physical features making them appear grotesque.

PHOTO ANAYLSIS

This image has very similarities to Claude Cahun’s work as they both signify characteristics of feminine and in the mirror looking at there reflections would could symbolize a lot especially about emotions which is a typical female stereotype.

The major difference is that the subject in the image is not looking at their reflection compared to Woodman’s work. This could signify that Sherman’s work is implying that females are emotional and sensitive whereas Cahun’s work could imply that beauty does not control femininity. Another major difference is that Sherman’s work is that the subject has no clothes, in a sense this could imply vulnerability but also a strong sense of femininity.

MOODBOARD

some photo inspiration I found online, I looked for photos that where unique and presented my views on masculinity and how the line between masculinity and femininity doesn’t really exist.

The photoshoots I’ve decided:

different body parts mixed with traditional “male” items, I will montage them next to each other and have some in B&W – DONE

use reflections (i.e. a broken mirror), the reflection is self-conscious but the real life person is happy. – use the photo below as reference for the sad photo that will be in the mirror.

In these photoshoots, I took portraits of people, close ups of their face or body and I also took photos of objects belonging to them. The photographs I captured, will work well with the idea that I have in mind to present them.

Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome of the photos I produced. However, I would’ve liked to take more so that I had a variety to experiment with. I think the lighting used in some of them is much better than others, for example the photographs which used natural sunlight are slightly better than ones without. However, the photos taken in the studio are just as good because I was able to use proper studio lights and adjust the strength of the light and where it was.

Experiment 1:

Editing process:

• I opened Adobe Photoshop.
• On the top left, I pressed file and open and then selected one of the pictures that I wanted to use. I left the picture as it was and then pressed file and open and chose my second picture.
• With the second picture, on the left side I selected the object selection tool and pressed on the photo, precisely the subjects face. It selected the subjects face and then I pressed on it again so that it showed a pink outline.
• After, I right clicked on my mouse and pressed layer via copy. it created a copy of the subjects face whilst still keeping the picture the same.
• I pressed the move tool on the left side of the screen on photoshop.
• I grabbed the copy of the subjects cut out face and dragged it to the top of the screen where it showed the first tab I opened which was the one where it had my first picture. The cut out was transferred to my first picture and I placed the cut out on the desired place.
• As I placed my cut out on the first picture, it created one layers, one layer for the cut out so overall I had two layers.
• In each layer minus the first later, I put the opacity to 48% and fill to 83% which is on the right bottom side of the screen to create a ghost like texture to the one cut outs.
• I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
• On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

Experiment 2:

Editing process:

• I opened Adobe Lightroom.
• I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and then selected in one of the picture, I decreased the exposure by -1.67, vibrancy by -100 and saturation -46, increased clarity by +37 and dehaze by +33
• Then I did the same thing to the other two pictures.
• After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

Experiment 3:

Editing process:

• I opened Adobe Lightroom.
• I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and then selected in one of the picture, I decreased the Temperature by -26
• Then I did the same thing to the other two pictures.
• After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
• On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the black and white (warm) adjustment.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

Experiment 4:

Editing process:

• I opened Adobe photoshop
• I pressed file and open and selected the three pictures I chose and positioned them the way I liked.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

Experiment 5:

Editing process:

On the left side the picture was edited like,

• I opened Adobe Photoshop.
• On the top left, I pressed file and open and then selected one of the pictures that I wanted to use. I left the picture as it was and then pressed file and open and chose my second picture.
• With the second picture, on the left side I selected the object selection tool and pressed on the photo, precisely the subjects face. It selected the subjects face and then I pressed on it again so that it showed a pink outline.
• After, I right clicked on my mouse and pressed layer via copy. it created a copy of the subjects face whilst still keeping the picture the same.
• I pressed the move tool on the left side of the screen on photoshop.
• I grabbed the copy of the subjects cut out face and dragged it to the top of the screen where it showed the first tab I opened which was the one where it had my first picture. The cut out was transferred to my first picture and I placed the cut out on the desired place.
• As I placed my cut out on the first picture, it created one layer, one layer for the cut out so overall I had two layers.
• In each layer minus the first later, I put the opacity to 48% and fill to 83% which is on the right bottom side of the screen to create a ghost like texture to the one cut outs.
• I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
• On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

On the right side the picture was edited like,

• I opened Adobe photoshop
• I pressed file and open and selected another picture.
• Then I grabbed the right and left picture and put it on another opened file in Photoshop and positioned them how I liked them.
• I then I pressed on the background which is on the right bottom of the screen and pressed flatten image so that I could add some adjustments to the image.
• On the right bottom side of the screen I pressed adjustments and pressed once on the Soft Sepia adjustment.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

Experiment 6:

Editing process:

• I opened Adobe Lightroom.
• I selected three pictures that I wanted to edit and I selected two pictures (left and right) and I decreased the temperature by -67, and then the last picture (middle picture) decreased the temperature by -37
• After I pressed file and open in adobe photoshop and selected the three pictures I had just edited and positioned them the way I liked.
• Then I cropped the image using the cropping tool.
• Then I saved the image to a folder and that’s how I created this image.

For this second photoshoot, I wanted to try and bring in an aspect of masculinity which I lacked in the previous photoshoot. I did this by photographing a boy and using a blue coloured light (which is typically seen as a masculine colour). I got the model’s to face in different directions and use their hands to make each image slightly different and more interesting to look at. I also decided to mix both femininity and masculinity together by getting a boy to apply lip gloss to his lips which is typically seen as a feminine thing. Finally, I took some body shots of a girl model on a chair posing in different ways.

In order to edit my images I used Lightroom. I adjusted the highlights, shadows, whites and blacks of each image until I was left with a final image I was satisfied with.

My Final Images:

Overall, I like how this photoshoot came out. I think I managed to intertwine both femininity and masculinity into one picture successfully as I used a pink light for the boy model which is seen as a feminine colour, and then a blue light for the girl models which is seen as a masculine colour. I also like the dark backgrounds with the spotlights of colour as it gives it a cinematic like feel to the images.

I like the image where the model’s head is in her hands with a pink and blue spotlight shining behind her at each side, symbolising how some people may feel lost and feel like they don’t specifically fit into one category. Additionally, I like how the images of the boy applying lip gloss came out whilst having a pink light projected onto him as it embraces the idea of not having to fit into a specific category and that its alright to have feminine features/things whilst still being masculine.

Clare Rae is an artist works in Melbourne, Australia. She  acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups on whose unceded lands she lives and works. She respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present.

In her photographic practice Clare explores ideas of performance and gesture to interrogate and subvert dominant modes of representation. Her work is informed by feminist theory, and presents an alternate and often awkward experience of subjectivity and the female body, usually the artists’ own.

Clare Rae engages photography, stop motion animation and performance to navigate and defy the limitations of the everyday environments she inhabits. Her works explore tension, portraying situations that offer alternative spatial and psychological interactions between the artist and the possibilities that are held in her surrounds.

Clare Rae’s aim through her photography is to subvert the dominant ways that we depict women’s subjectivity by getting various women to pose in weird, unnatural poses that goes against the stereotype of women having to look good and act in a certain way. Her work is informed by feminist theory, and presents an alternate and often awkward experience of the female body.

Clare Rae Inspired Photoshoot:

For this photoshoot, I went around school and took pictures of Liv in various awkward poses. She wore a flowy dress as many of Clare Rae’s images include a women wearing a skirt or dress and I wanted to recreate her images as closely as possible. I think this photoshoot successfully captured her in a way that goes against the typical stereotype of women where they’re expected to look put together and act in a certain way.

One thing I would improve next time is the lighting as some of the images are very dark which makes it harder to see the model. This is the complete opposite to Clare Rae’s work as she has good, bright lighting. Additionally, Clare Rae’s image typically include a white background or backgrounds that have quite a lot of negative space. However, my backgrounds are quite cluttered which takes away the attention from the model.

For this photoshoot, I focussed on femininity and capturing feminine features like lips and curves. When taking my photographs, I placed one light source behind my model in order to create a dark background, which would ensure that the focus will remain on the model rather then the background. I then had a light source in front of the model which created a spotlight effect, portraying the idea that women constantly feel as if they are in the spotlight and have to worry about their body etc due to the unrealistic standards set upon them, making them feel badly about themselves because of it.

In this photoshoot, I took pictures of different women’s bodies from a side on angle, front and behind. I took some images where the bodies were hidden by the model’s arms and some where they weren’t (portraying the idea that women should feel proud of their body and show it off). I also took pictures of a girl’s lips whilst applying lipstick which is seen as a feminine thing. Finally, I took some images of hands which had designs on the fingernails and then a necklace, both of which are also seen as feminine.

In order to edit these images, I used Lightroom in which I adjusted the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, blacks and whites of each photograph.

Overall, I like how this photoshoot came out as I think I managed to successfully highlight feminine features eg nails, lips with lipstick being applied onto it and different body types, which is what I was trying to achieve. Through this photoshoot, I feel as if I was also able to portray the struggle that many women go through surrounding their bodies and constantly comparing themselves to others or feel like they must hide it (hence I took some pictures where the model was using her arms to cover her body). However, I also wanted to make my photoshoot positive too and so took pictures in which the models embraced their body and didn’t cover it from the camera, portraying the message of self love and confidence.