I feel like these images relate to the beauty within females in our society. They reflect confidence and power, showing women that we are strong and beautiful. Out of the 100 photos we took I managed to narrow it down to two images that are my favourite. This is because its pin pointing the beauty of this particular female.
These images are just the start of showing female and feminist poses to attract attention and
https://www.martintoft.com/becque-barbe
Martin Toft explores themes of suppression and silence with abstract representations of Jèrriais speakers using black and white portraits beside places of special interest in Jersey’s landscape.
In Mathinnyi by Kit Ashton, he records various generations and supporters of the language discussing thoughts on the revival of Jèrriais. He uses old footage of his father on a fishing boat in the introduction, and in-between the various locations has artistic shots of the island.
https://littleriverpictures.com/films
Jim Goldberg
Moodboard
Overview
Method’s-
A key method that Jim Goldberg uses is street photography. He takes images that are mostly candid and images of street names and many different signs to signify different key concepts.
Style-
Jim Goldbergs photographic style is very warm toned, mainly black and white photos that give off a dark wintery feel.
Approach-
Jim Goldberg mainly uses documentary photography, to capture real-life events, people, and places in an honest and objective manner.
Subject Matter-
Urban/Architecture: Focuses on man-made structures like buildings, streets, or cityscapes. Social and Political Issues: This subject matter explores societal, cultural, or political topics, often with a goal of raising awareness or documenting significant moments in history.
Key Image
The reason I have chosen this image as my key image is because I love how the backdrop is so minimal. It’s such a simple image that connotates all the themes of my book. My main theme is youth culture, this skateboard heavily connotates a teenagers use. I like how the skateboard has clearly been used and battered around, explaining how teenagers have a certain anger within them that they need to unleash.
The technical analysis of this image would be how it is clearly taken using a light box, and a flash. This is to exemplify all the things the skateboard has been trough.
The main visual element of this is of course the skateboard in itself, I like how its visual elements will be very different from all my other images. My other images are going to include people and life which just makes this image even more special.
A contextual element of this would be how teenagers tend to skateboard, and how there was a massive debate over whether it was a hobby or a sport, but I think that it makes people realize that no one really cares either way, it’s not a sort of competition it’s clearly a form of anger release.
My conceptual element would yet again be how it is a form of anger release. This is a sort of therapy for struggling teens.
Tom Wood
Moodboard
Overview-
Method’s-
He mainly uses candid and unposed photography, his street photography is marked by the ability to capture raw, authentic expressions of people, often in public settings like streets, markets, or at social gatherings.
Style-
He uses street photography, a style that involves capturing spontaneous moments of everyday life in public spaces. His images document ordinary people in their natural environments, focusing on unguarded, candid expressions.
Approach-
Wood often captures environmental portraits, where the subject is shown in their natural surroundings, adding context and depth to the photograph. The environment plays a significant role in telling the subject’s story. Environmental portraits provide insight into the subject’s life or background, making the setting just as important as the person. Wood’s careful use of location reveals socio-economic backgrounds, emotional states, and the relationship between the person and their environment.
Subject Matter-
Everyday people and candid moments, Tom Wood’s photography is deeply rooted in the depiction of ordinary people- often captured in candid, unposed moment’s. His subjects range from strangers in the street to close acquaintances in social settings.
Key Image
The reason I have chosen this image as my key image is because I think that it is so conceptual, it unlocks so much through a simple landscape image. It connotates the theme of my book because I want y book to be very minimal, I want to leave a lot for people to consider and connotated themselves, creating a very subjective vibe.
My technical analysis of this image is that its taken using daylight, creating a nice blend between the colouring., The bright blue sky blends in with the shine on the buildings.
My visual analysis of this image is a good use of third’s. By having a main object in the foreground, background and the middle it creates a nice blend between the objects. It doesn’t specifically pull you in and focus on one, allowing for wider viewing.
My contextual analysis is that it creates a deeper meaning of the working population, like working teens or teens in school and how they’re generally disregarded, people always say children are so expensive but what about teens, is that when we are just meant to fend for ourselves?
My conceptual analysis of this image is the notion of working people and public spaces. I want to focus on public shared places, because a place that could be so special to us may also be the core memories’ of others, and that’s what we don’t realise. We all think that we have individual experiences, when in reality we all live on the same earth, with the same shared places, so really how much of you can be individual?
Siân Davey – Martha
‘No matter what era you grow up in, the awkwardness of being a teenager never really changes. You’re an adult and a child in the same body, trying to make sense of who you are and your place in the world. For all the drama and self-righteousness that involves, most of us are keen to escape the cringe as soon as possible, leaving few witnesses.’ Spanning two years, the images in ‘Martha‘ capture teenage life in rural Devon, along the UK’s south coast. There are hangovers and haircuts, topless swimming and tears over the telephone. But there are also developmental shifts on either side of the camera, often reflected in Martha’s gaze. Some feel raw and innocent, some knowing and weary. And as much as they provide an intimate insight into a complex time in life, it says just as much about the relationship between step-mother and daughter.
Sian Davey is known for her deeply emotive and personal approach at photography. She explores themes of identity, family, societal norms and vulnerability. Davey takes a careful and reflective approach to observing her subjects, allowing moments to unfold naturally. she captures subtle gestures, expressions, and interactions. She also seeks to uncover the more complicated layers of her subjects lives, searching for moments that convey their inner emotions and experiences. Davey challanges societal stereotypes and conventions, especially regarding themes of disability, mental health and family dynamics.
Mood Board
Sian Davey’s Martha is a good shoot to study because it combines emotional depth, thoughtful composition, and a nuanced exploration of identity. This is what I wanted to focus on for my shoot, as I’m looking into teenage lifestyle, and see if the stereotypes fir the reality. Her shoot challenges stereotypes and encourages a deeper, more empathetic understanding of individuals who are often marginalized, making it a powerful example of how photography can tell stories that go beyond surface appearances and provoke thought about representation and human connection. Davey’s ‘Martha‘ photoshoot exemplifies the “Observe, Seek, and Challenge” approach in photography by deeply engaging with her subject, Martha, through intimate and reflective portraits that capture both vulnerability and strength. Davey observes Martha’s natural state and environment, seeking to understand her personal narrative beyond surface-level imagery. By challenging conventional beauty standards and representations of difference, Davey highlights Martha’s individuality and complexities, encouraging viewers to rethink societal norms and embrace diversity in its rawest form, showing more in to teenage life than the stereotypes. The photographs create a powerful, emotional connection, challenging viewers to engage with the subject in a more empathetic and refined way.
Image analysis
This image is called prom. The depth of field used in this image is eye catching as although it focuses on the girls doing their makeup in the background, the girl at the front is blurred, creating a sort of pictorialism feel to the image. I also feel like this image resonates with my friends because we love getting ready together and helping each other get ready. This image also gives me inspiration for my own photoshoots because although this activity is just a day to day activity, it is very intimate and requires the trust of others to alter your appearance and enhance your beauty. I also like this image as its showing exactly what i want to shoot.
Quotes and comments from Sian Davey
“She was separating from us, becoming her own person. But what I hadn’t seen was that she was worried I was losing interest in her. Her question felt like a request to be seen.”
“She allowed me into parties and gatherings in the park, she let me come along to lazy afternoon swims in the river. I’d meet them all in the early hours of the morning, spilling out of a club or a takeaway place in Plymouth or Torquay…”
I knew I had to gain their trust and I did it by taking extremely small, incremental steps,”
Mind Map
Mood Board
Observe
To observe in photography means to engage deeply with the world around you, noticing details, understanding the context of a scene, and making thoughtful decisions about how to capture that moment visually. It involves both an acute sense of visual perception and an intuitive connection to the subject, allowing the photographer to create images that are more than just technical reproductions, but meaningful, expressive interpretations of the world.
Seek
To seek in photography is the active, intentional process of searching for compelling subjects, moments, compositions, or emotions to capture. It involves exploring, discovering, and engaging with the world around you to find and frame the elements that align with your artistic or documentary goals. Seeking is about pursuing what inspires you—whether that’s the perfect light, an emotional moment, a story, or a new creative challenge—and it’s a critical part of the photographic process that drives a photographer to actively engage with the world rather than simply document it.
Challenge
A “challenge” in photography refers to any factor—whether technical, creative, environmental, or personal—that makes capturing an image more difficult or requires the photographer to adapt, experiment, or overcome obstacles. Challenges in photography are inherent to the medium, and they often provide opportunities for photographers to grow, innovate, and refine their craft. A great photographer is often defined not just by their ability to take good photos, but by their resilience and skill in overcoming these various challenges.
Binary Opposites
Binary opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. It is the contrast between two mutually exclusive terms, such as on and off, up and down, left and right.
According to French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, meaning is often defined in terms of binary oppositions, where “one of the two terms governs the other.”. An example would be the white/ black binary opposition in the United States, the African American is defined as a devalued other. An example of a binary opposition is the male-female dichotomy, where male is the dominant gender and women are subservient.
Claude Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss, a French anthropologist in the 1900s, proposed a theory of ‘binary opposites’ which entails that the majority of narratives in media forms such as books and film contain opposing main characters. These binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative; and introduce contrast. Claude Lévi-Strauss was interested in the structures that stories use to create meaning. He analysed
traditional myths and legends in an attempt to uncover the essential ingredients, or universal laws, of
story structure. Lévi-Strauss concluded that all stories need some level of conflict in order to produce
meaning. He also came to the conclusion that the conflicts covered in stories tell audiences something
about the kinds of ideas and beliefs society ought to adopt. Strauss called these conflicts ‘binary oppositions’.
At their simplest, binary oppositions give us stories in which good battles evil, but there are countless other formulations of conflict found in media products: humanity versus technology, age versus youth, brawn versus intelligence. Importantly, Lévi-Strauss tells us that binary oppositions also construct ideological positioning. Ideology, in this sense, refers to how stories reflect the values and beliefs of society. The conflicts presented in Star Wars, for instance, tell us that the greed and exploitation of Darth Vader are bad, whilst Skywalker’s bravery and team working skills are positive traits.
These are a few of my best topics that I did. I mainly thought my portraits were my best, or at least any of the topics that involved people, I also enjoyed taking these photos the most because I can be creative with it and it shows my skills to the best ability. My topics were, portraits, street photography, environmental photography, and masculine and feminity, I don’t think my outcomes were actually the best to masculinity and feminity but I did feel like I could express it more and do it better, and enjoyed it.
I have learnt a lot throughout my whole time in photography like camera skills, and artists, or how to edit using photoshop and Lightroom. But I think my main skills or skills I learnt the best and want to develop into more things came from, Portraits, environmental portraits, street photography and masculinity and feminity.
Portraits
In portraits we learnt about all different lighting, like Rembrandt lighting, this is a small triangle of light on the subject cheeks opposite the light source, creating a dramatic and shadowy effect. Its often used in portrait photography to add depth and dimension to the subjects face. We also learnt about Butterfly lighting which is the main light source directly in front of the subject and slightly above their eye level. this creates a small, butterfly- shaped shadow under their nose. We then learnt about chiaroscuro lighting which uses a strong contrast between light and dark arears to create dramatic effects. This is how we started Portraits and headshots in the studio attempting these different lightings, we then added different colours lights and different poses.
Here are some of my best from this topic;
Environmental portraits
I think a lot of the reason I enjoyed environmental portraits is because I enjoyed portraits and it was adding more to it, finding a way to make my portraits a little more creative. This topic also taught me a lot and advanced my learning and photography skills, it taught me what an environmental portrait is, An environmental portrait is a photograph that depicts a person within their natural or chosen surroundings. Also learnt How and why to use environmental portraits, Environmental portraits are often used in magazines, newspapers, and documentaries to accompany articles or stories. They help to bring the subject’s experiences and surroundings to life, adding depth and authenticity to the narrative, Environmental portraits are frequently used in corporate settings to showcase employees, executives, or professionals in their work environment. They can be used for company websites, marketing materials, or professional profiles, providing a more personal and relatable representation of individuals within their professional context.
Here are some of my best from this topic;
Street Photography
I loved this topic because it was adventurous and different and left a lot more to imagination. In this topic we learnt about the deceive moment. It refers to the brief, fleeting moment when all the elements of a scene come together to create a powerful and meaningful image. For Cartier-Bresson, the decisive moment was not just about capturing a specific event or action, but rather about capturing the essence of the human experience. He believed that this moment was often a combination of several factors, including:
Here are some of my best from this topic;
Masculinity and Feminity
In masc and fem we learnt about qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls. Qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men or boys, femininity and masculinity are binary opposites which means it is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.
Here are some of my best from this topic;
Mood board of her work
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills comprises of over seventy black and white photographs made between 1977 and 1980. When thinking about this series, some aspects of her entire body of work immediately come to mind: disguise and theatricality, mystery and voyeurism, melancholy and vulnerability. The artist initially started these series in her apartment, using her own interior as setting for the scenes. Soon however, she moved her camera and props outside and shot in urban and rural landscapes as well, requiring a second person to assist her in taking the photograph. The artist Robert Longo, with whom she lived at that time, assisted her for a while, as well as her father, other family members, and friends.
What is Cindy Sherman’s message?
Sexual desire and domination, the fashioning of self-identity as mass deception, these are among the unsettling subjects lying behind Sherman’s extensive series of self-portraiture in various guises. Sherman’s work is central in the era of intense consumerism and image proliferation at the close of the 20th century.
Deconstructing “Woman”
Started when she was only 23, these images rely on female characters (and caricatures) such as the jaded seductress, the unhappy housewife, the jilted lover and the vulnerable naif. Sherman used cinematic conventions to structure these photographs: they recall the film stills used to promote movies, from which the series takes its title. The 70 Film Stills immediately became flashpoints for conversations about feminism, postmodernism, and representation, and they remain her best-known works.
Sherman is able to change her identity by adopting performative behaviours that have come to define femininity. Through the photographic series I have examined, Sherman’s photographs visually describe the feminist social constructionist argument that there is no natural identity behind the mask of gender. Women affirm their gender identity through performative behaviour; gender is constituted through the ongoing and repetitive assemblage of female representations depicted in culture. These behaviours position the male as a spectator, fixing his gaze on the sexualized female. Sherman’s photography is a depiction of the different ways culture defines “woman.” Her art plays on the feminist idea that gender arises exclusively within culture and deconstructs dominant gender ideologies, representing the underside of popular culture’s definition of “woman.” She exposes the arbitrariness of performativity and presents a variety of female identities that are found within popular culture, and reveals that these are nothing more than constructions. Behind each character there is no central identity. Each is a series of manipulations according to cultural conventions. There is no essential femininity; the whole self is an imaginary construct that can be changed through performativity.
The series features Sherman posing as various female stereotypes from generic black and white Hollywood B films of the 1950s. She is unrecognizable from one photo to the next, changing her appearance as she tackles the different identities, each an illustration of a cultural representation of women. Sherman plays the role of a young woman studying her own reflection. The photo visually portrays a woman assembling her identity, caught in the act of construction. It implies the lack of a fixed identity. Though Sherman is both the woman in front of the lens and behind it, she appears masked through make-up and costume, disguised to resemble familiar female stereotypes; her women are images of women, “models of femininity projected by the media to encourage imitation and identification” As in her other works, Sherman adopts the format of stereotypical female roles. However, her characters are unlike those found in magazines. “Instead these women suggest awkward adolescents or young women uncomfortable with their sexuality”. She interrogates the format and photographic genre of the centrefold and aims to destroy dominant notions of beauty and eroticism. The spread offers no context before or after the image, meaning that audiences must construct their own narrative, generally based on texts already embedded within popular culture.
She is not perpetuating the stereotypes but is assuring female audiences that there is no fixed femininity. Defending Sherman, Mulvey argues that as the gaze behind the lens, she is not perpetuating the objectification of women, but rather subverting the gaze. In each photograph, Sherman explores contemporary ideas about female identity – one being the trope of a sad female longing for a male companion. The male spectator engaged in scopophilia pleasure should feel as though he has interrupted a private movement. As the woman behind the lens, Sherman exposes the role of the male gaze in an attempt to make those who objectify the constructed woman feel like the violators they are.
“I’m disgusted with how people get themselves to look beautiful; I’m much more fascinated with the other side,” She stated in 1989
At the time, images of ailing bodies were painfully on view in the news during the AIDS crisis; these added poignancy to her investigation of the grotesque and of various types of violence that could be done to the body. In these series and throughout all of her work, Sherman subverts the visual shorthand we use to classify the world around us, drawing attention to the artificiality and ambiguity of these stereotypes and undermining their reliability for understanding a much more complicated reality.
Image Analysis
This image stood out to me the most as she is interpreting the stereotype of a woman. This could link to her message of ‘ Deconstructing a woman’, within this image there is a sense of objectification and housewife aesthetic. I state this because the image depicts a domestic scene in which the character – seemingly a housewife – stands at her kitchen sink. The construction of the picture hints at a number of possible narratives and is open to a range of analyses. Though almost cropped from the picture, the woman’s gaze – out of frame and away from the viewer, accentuated by eye makeup surely unnecessary in her own kitchen draws my attention. For me, though the image offers a portrait that I read as a stereotypical representation of a housewife from the late 1950s or early 1960s. Sherman’s gaze indicates an awareness of the world beyond the confines of the frame; the way her hand rests protectively on her stomach suggests the possibility that this is not without threat, creating a tension within the image. I think this image is a mirror due to the fact it is reflecting as of the artist herself. I also think it is a mirror as she is trying to intend an element and theme of gender roles within society during this time, but how she feels about it. She is also wearing an apron to emphasize the role she is playing. As well as this, the photo is set up to take an image of herself. It is obvious it is a staged approach due to the unfocused saucepan pointing directly at her, and the placement of the camera, clearly being on the counter to see from a lower angle. Furthermore, the gaze away from the camera also tells us it is a staged photoshoot and is not natural in any way, purely to reflect the artist. I think this image is a subjective expression, as in a way every viewer could have a different take on it. For example, as she is portraying gender roles in society in the late 1950’s she could not be intending to express herself, but how women as a whole felt during this time through a sense of reality. Therefore, she would be expressing the external world during this time. This brings to the debate is the only natural thing in this image herself? Therefore, this famous image of Cindy Sherman, reflects her as an artist, however meanwhile reflecting stereotypes of women in the 70’s. Sherman in my opinion, is sexualizing herself and playing the role of the ‘ house wife’ to execute the theme of stereotypes successfully as women in that time were seen only to make children and be there for the husband.
Another image analysis
This image has slight similarities but a few differences. A main difference to me is that the previous image was of Sherman, and also taken by Sherman, or so we assume. However, this image is not Cindy Sherman and is possibly taken by Cindy Sherman. The main factor that effectively stood out to me was the apron and the gaze. This is similar to the previous image as this woman is also portraying the role of the ‘ house wife’ which is a typical stereotype of women. Although, this image has a different setting. This one does not tell much and shows a dirty door. From what I personally get from this image, could be waiting for the husband to come home or putting coats back, I assumed this through the coat pegs. This in my opinion, is ‘deconstructing women’ as a women’s role in the 1950’s was to look after their home. The image of American women in the 1950s was heavily shaped by popular culture: the ideal suburban housewife who cared for the home and children appeared frequently in women’s magazines, in the movies and on television. Another effective factor that significantly got my attention was the female gaze. The subject is looking away from the camera, possibly looking at the male in the household or to something else. Either way, this creates a sense of objectification as women were only seen to be makers of the household. The black and white is used in almost all of Sherman’s images which I like as it keeps the older aesthetic which is relevant as Sherman’s images were in the 70’s, however it also creates an element of mystery and keeps people analysing images and attempting to find a story.
Image Analysis
This image stood out to me because of context and time lines. Cindy Sherman took her images between the 70’s and 80’s. This time line was when it was expected or stereotypical for women to be the house wife. Being the house wife normally meant for the female to be waiting at home meanwhile the husband was at work and looking after the children. Males were seen to be the educated ones and women not. This is proved through the second wave feminism movement took place in the 1960s and 1970s and focused on issues of equality and discrimination. Starting initially in the United States with American women, the feminist liberation movement soon spread to other Western countries. This allowed equal education for male and females. This image does not focus on the role of the house wife but instead of education. This significantly links to Sherman’s message of ‘ Deconstructing woman’ as Sherman has taken a self portrait of her in the library, grabbing a book. This is relevant to the timeline as this would of been a new acceptable thing for women to learn themselves equally to men. Not only this, women were seen as weak and nurturing to their children which was the only objective women were expected to do. One element that catches my eye is the female gaze, like every other one of her images. She is always looking away from the camera, potentially objectifying herself in the others, but possibly not this one. The purpose of the ‘female gaze’ becomes to connect with the female viewer via the female creator, coming together in a way that serves them, and upholding the idea that women are powerful and can control their own destiny. That is why one of the most notable differences between the male and the female gaze is intent.