Mind map & Mood board

Observe

Definition: To observe is to carefully watch with attention to detail or behaviour for its significance.

Synonyms: Notice, see, perceive, remark, detect, discover, behold, discover, spectator, bystander.

Antonyms: Overlook, disregard, ignore.

Ideas and Artists: Street photography and Henri Cartier Bresson.

Seek

Definition: Seeking is an attempt to find someone or something.

Synonyms: Search, pursue, strive, request, explore, follow, inquire, chase.

Antonyms: conceal, hide, neglect, ignore, idle.

Ideas and Artists: Archives and history.

Challenge

Definition: A Challenge is something new and difficult which requires great effort and determination. Also means proving or justifying through a contest.

Synonyms: Dare, opposition, ultimatum, confront, dispute, objection, protest.

Antonyms: Compliance, acceptance, approval, believe, support, fear.

Ideas and Artists: Cindy Sherman, propaganda posters.

Ideas

I like how Rogan brown uses textures to create the appearance and a mixture of colours/ monochrome to create artwork resembling living forms such as bacteria.

An additional idea I have came from the word ‘observe’ and ideas from Anthropocene as well as looking at work from Rogan Brown. I would start by observing people as they are and what they wear acting as a window to comment on trends, waste and materials. Once I’ve gained a better idea I would take images in a studio to reflect the mirror approach to ‘challenge’ . These images be made to resemble that from a fashion magazine with unnecessary accessories, fast fleeting trends and excessive waste with lots of animal patterns and textures.

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These types of posters were created to challenge ideals and act as propaganda. They use collages of images, striking colours and symbols to create a clear message. Formed an influential wave of art called the The Russian avant-garde.

I’ve had some ideas relating to propaganda and how hyperbolic they are are in imagery. To comment on both the subtlety and pompous approaches I could make some work which demonstrates how extreme and ridiculous some points that are made. While propaganda is commonly associated with war and recruitment as this was the most blatant and obvious however it is everywhere especially when the current political landscape is filled with ridiculous radical views that I could pick apart.

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Collages can be traced back to Picasso who’s work was much more subjective and abstract.

This experimental style created unique pieces which challenge ideals and innovated aesthetics of the time. Collages like these remind me more of posters which for challenging especially when confronting and protesting. Some ideas I’ve had has been combining history and modern images to showcase how places/people are products of both current influences and moments through the past. For example a building that has fallen into disarray in recent years might be infested with birds but quite a few years ago was extremely well used and had an extension added. I would combine images from archives of the building, images of past holders, images of bird nests and even images of the landscape to create a full picture of the ‘personality’ of the building. This would carry over ideas from landscapes and environmental portraits and resemble a piece more like Picassos collages then the propaganda. I worry this idea would require too much time on one collage and I would only have one fully fledged outcome by the end. I could create a small zine of each part of the collage to better show the makeup of this final image however I don’t want to limit myself to one building through this whole project. If the building was something larger like fort regent which has changed massively throughout the years, then there would be too much to combine into one piece however something smaller like one well used house might be too small.

An additional approach could be to combine a larger area such as flats/town/listed buildings and create a collage more like Beomsik Won’s which combine all the buildings into one larger body. This reminds me of ideas explored in Anthropocene which I would like to explore further.

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When reading through the exam booklet one line stood out to me: “For example, swifts outmanoeuvring insects on the wing…
birds and caterpillars stripping plants down to their stalks.” Insects are something that I and many other people have mixed feelings of as they are both essential for our ecosystems while also being really freaky. Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears. Insects when photographed are photographed in a way that resembles flowers in my opinion. I will be portraying bugs in the opposite way as something unnerving. Additionally the lines: “search parties, seances, ghosts, graveyards, churches, mosques, stone circles, universities.” gave me the idea of horror. I would like to make tiny insects large and formidable with shadows and themes. Additionally “Douglas Gordon created a film lasting 24 hours by slowing down Hitchcock’s Psycho, with
the intention of making us more aware of the nature of film itself.” also inspired this idea as instead of creating a film I would showcase these themes through still images. Psycho is a classic which has continued to inspire films not just in the horror genre still to this day.

Cindy Sherman also used film stills which I explored previously. I enjoyed this topic and I think this approach could work well as these images will act as mirrors.

I aim to use lighting techniques I learned from both still life and portraiture as well as natural lighting when outside from street photography as shadows are heavily associated with horror.

What you want to explore?

I want to explore the theme of misogyny, feminism, how men expect us to act and want us to act. How women are objectified and men are passive, women are active. John Berger said “Men act women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” This quote means so much more than what it says. He is trying to say that women are self-conscious because of men and have to act a certain way or will be looked down on. Men can make women feel uncomfortable, with things that happen daily such as cat calling, sexual harassment and all these things relate to the quote as women have to put up with the horrors from these men even in the 20th century. This could be raising awareness for women and could help them as its focussing on the points that need to change. Cindy Sherman explored the theme of stereotype and how women are portrayed in the 1970s which is why I also will speak about her and be referencing her in my project.

Why does it matter to you?

This area matters to me because its about raising awareness about women that have been going through this for centuries. Women are sexualised, objectified and treated like nothing. There is domestic abuse ,rape, violence, misogyny, a patriarchal society and so much more. However speaking about these issues can bring a light to these issues and could get some women to speak up in case they’re scared or maybe could change society bit by bit. I like speaking about issues especially when it could make change and make women feel comfortable enough to speak up about it.

How you wish to develop your project?

I will develop my project by exploring the complex and deeply interconnected themes of misogyny, rape culture, and feminism through the lens of visual storytelling. I aim to use photography as a view to see harmful stereotypes and raise awareness about the lived experiences of women. I plan to experiment with various photographic techniques, such as portraiture, landscape photography, and symbolic imagery, to create emotional and psychical work that sparks conversation. My goal is not only to highlight the core of these horrific issues but also to empower individuals to engage with them and try to speak up. This could change social justice and equality as women have go through a lot which I don’t like and I think its not fair.

Here is some of the images that I am inspired by and want to do similarly to this.

When and where do you intent to begin your study?

I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.

I would like to produce photographs that represent the lives of girls nowadays, and how social media and the internet has impacted our lives. I feel like as we have grown up, girls have decided to rather ‘fit in’ than ‘stand out’. To a certain extent, this means changing their personalities. Some examples may be the change from a colourful childhood, to colourless teenage years.

Here, I found a collection of archives from when I was younger. Clearly, there was a lot of vibrant colours, which conveys this idea around happiness, and liveliness. I would like to use these sort of images as a comparison to my life now.

Here are a few examples of the type of photography I will be taking, but also challenging. As you can see, most of the images are colourful and lively, but I would like to challenge this idea by looking into the reality of teenage girls, and not just the fun side of it.

For this project im thinking of familiarising myself with the themes of family, ageing, home and love/relationships. Some photoshoots may include resemblance looking at archival images and reflecting my my family and what feels like “home” and sentimental connections which can link to the questions of Where is home? Why is this important to me? How can I sum this up?

Other questions I could ask myself could be:

• What does this photograph say about the relationships within the family?
• How does this photograph reflect the atmosphere or feeling of the home?
• What objects in the photo represent home and family?
• How have the spaces in the photo evolved or changed over time?
• Who is missing from this photo?
• What do the backgrounds or settings of these photos tell us about the family’s history and identity?
• How does aging manifest in the subjects of these photographs?
• What emotions are evoked by looking at old, worn, or faded photographs?
• How do family members interact with old photographs?
• What stories or memories are attached to this photograph?
• How do old photos influence a sense of family continuity?
• What role do old photos play in memorializing loved ones or preserving family traditions?
• What types of photos are considered most valuable or meaningful to preserve in a family’s archive?
• How does the format of the photograph (e.g., digital vs. print) affect its emotional value or the way it is viewed?

In terms of my moodboard we tried to explore different ideas and branch of various thoughts/words that link to the theme of Observe, Seek and Challenge.

I think that the words and themes branching out about “Realistic” approaches and “Challenge” in terms of documenting and manipulating (linking to Windows and Mirrors) link more to my personal project and idea that I would like to lean more towards.

Mind Map

For My Personal Study, called “Normal Becomes Abnormal,” I originally created this mind map above focusing on a variety of themes which I have a particular interest in, to get a overall idea of my project and to gather ideas. I chose to focus on Family & Background, Lost Jersey and Architecture & Street. Whilst diving into these themes, thinking about possible photoshoots and artists who I can take inspiration from, I realised that I have an interest in how lighting, specifically low lighting and the lighting given to us during the night can change our judgement of familiar areas and places. This Mind Map helped me solidify my overall plan and theme for this project.

The Mind map Below is more specific to my final personal study project concept. This mind map focuses on things such as: Night Photography, the dichotomy of day vs night, locations, image ideas and inspirations for this project. This Final Mind Map gives me a strong and detailed plan for my project.

Mood Board

This selection of images highlights the transformation of the nighttime low lighting. The images which are relatively low light, show eerie/mysterious deserted streets, artificial lights/lamposts and empty urban and rural settings. These photographs powerfully show the difference between day and night, creating feelings of loneliness, mystery and surreal. For my project I can use this mood board to take inspiration for images and replicate the images to then tell a story with these images through the layout of my photobook

Personal Photoshoot with Elliot

This January I did a quite absurd photoshoot with my friend Elliot stemming from one of my many sporadic ideas. I wanted a portrait photoshoot in a bath with a toaster.

Elliot is a massive book and musical fiend, a fan of the gothic aesthetic and a historical whiz. Other than the toaster those are all his belongings. Elliot’s creative contribution comes from the literature If We Were Villains and Cirque du Soleil.

The beginning of A levels really threw me in the deep end, but my mock selection portraits from light experimentation are interest me despite the over the top editing.

At the time I would have discovered the photographer Jonti Wild. His stark style pulls colour and lighting to the forefront, which is what I somewhat got to explore in this project.

St Malo

The opportunity to take photos in a foreign country gave us an unbiased and fresh perspective to review our skills.

This photo is my favourite of the selection for its candid narrative and sharp capturing that gave me minimal work to do in post.

The pictures are too purple for me, but the concepts and composition I admire and want to build from.

Henri Cartier Bresson was the main influence here. I was intrigued by his photos of people doing odd movements but couldn’t pass the opportunity to photograph people that interested me.

James Popysy’s style where he lightly overexposes the shot was creeping into the back of my head at the time hence some of the shiny whites. It’s a technique I want to follow up now as well.

Equestrian Portraits

and the raw photos

In my spare time I like to take photos of my girlfriend and her friends on their horses. It’s a good opportunity to capture photos in a fast pace environment and to play with light (e.g. reflections) and composition.

I don’t really have any inherent inspiration, I just practice my skills.

Multi Exposure

I got to experiment with photoshop during our multi-exposure experimentation. I sparingly used motion blur and the clone stamp tool for these photos. Jonti Wild again was a big influence on me.

Photoshoot with my sister and an experienced photographer

At the start of photography A level my sisters co-worker asked to do a photoshoot of her. I was invited so I could learn and take photos which was essential for me learning exposure and composition tricks. I also practiced colour editing afterwards, but it was very beginner.

William Eggleston is an artist that takes photos based on the the theory of mirrors and windows. His work is based on windows as his photos don’t tend to be personal, it’s more an overlook on other people’s perspectives. William Eggleston used colour photographs to describe the cultural transformations in Tennessee and the rural South. He registers these changes in scenes of everyday life, such as portraits of family and friends, as well as gasoline stations, cars, and shop interiors. William shows that his photos can show both mirrors and windows as some of his images aren’t really personal, but some of his images might reflect himself, possibly taking images of close friends and family that makes the image more personal to him. Although most of his images tend to be street photographs and less likely focused on one singular person. Eggleston tends to find surroundings that he would find himself in which makes it personal but not known as some other photographers. His work tends to be in a city, meaning it could represent his childhood or something memirable to him but instead of a singular object he liked to keep his surroundings important to him. I really like how colourful his images are, it’s almost as if he adds a radiant effect to his images as they tend to stand out, they almost look retro, his images make the world look a lot brighter than it is, it’s almost as if the world is losing colour and Eccleston’s photos have all the coloured sucked into them. I really like the outcome of his images as they look very different to other artists, these photos almost look likely, they give off a happy vibe. 

When looking through Eggleston’s work I found that all his photos were quite ordinary and didn’t have a specific theme, he mostly looked at images of quite boring but colourful sceneries, mostly just images of banal everyday life. William Eggleston wasn’t interested in photographing “decisive moments” like Cartier-Bresson nor was he interested in capturing abstruse characters or extraordinary moments. He was all about finding the beauty in the mundane. Many of his photographs have primarily warm tones in the background (like red, orange, or yellow)– yet his main interest in the photo may be of a very cold colour (blue, green, or violet) which stands out from the photo. His photos are mainly taken during golden hour or when the sky is really blue, he doesn’t tend to take pictures of the bad weather, he stays away from it. William Eggleston’s is an influential American photographer, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of colour photography as an artistic medium., his work elevated everyday scenes- such as ordinary street scenes, interiors, and mundane objects using a striking use of colour. Some key aspects of colour uses used by William Eggleston were saturated colours and vivid imagery, he would use colour to evoke mood and emphasise the beauty of the everyday. His keen eye for light and colour was enhanced by the new technology of dye-transfer printing, which allowed for greater control over colour reproduction and more vibrant final print. He also made ordinary objects have extraordinary details, for example he would take pictures of petrol stations, empty streets, family homes and interior details, and through his precise framing and use of colour, these scenes felt loaded with significance. It wasn’t just about documenting reality but finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Some of his main themes were the democratic forest, southern landscapes, people and intimacy. His most famous one being Southern Landscapes where he highlighted themes of isolation, nostalgia and the passage of time. He would take his would be focused on the American South a place that he was intimately connected and familiar with. I would say his images from the southern landscapes would represent the theory of windows as images of suburban life, southern landscapes and ordinary people reveal a world that is simultaneously familiar and foreign, offering insights into a region’s cultural and social fabric. His work captures a specific historical and geographical moment, providing a view into a culture and lifestyle that may be distant or different from the viewer’s own. However, it could be controversial as some could say it’s seen as both a mirror and window, his images are personal yet universal, both intimate and detached. His careful attention to colour, light, and composition allows the viewers to engage with the image both on a personal level and an analytical level. His images tend to rely on their ability to be understood through both the lens of personal reflections (as mirror) and cultural exploration (as windows). 

Feminism, Female Identity, and Beauty

1. Research & Concept
   Investigate how photography reflects and challenges themes of feminism, beauty, and female identity. Key questions to explore include: How do beauty standards shape women’s identities? How can photography break traditional representations of women? Look at artists like Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, and Laura Zalenga for inspiration. Their work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation.
2. Personal Theme
   Develop a central question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?”
3. Techniques
   Use portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real, unposed moments that move away from stereotypical beauty standards.
4. Visual Style & Symbolism
   Use symbolism in your photos, like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities to reflect the variety of female experiences and challenge narrow beauty ideals.
5. Photo Shoot Planning
   Focus on photographing diverse female subjects to reflect a range of identities. Choose settings that feel personal or empowering, like home, nature, or urban spaces. Be intentional with clothing and makeup, either to highlight or challenge beauty norms.
6. Editing
   Keep editing minimal to preserve authenticity, but consider using black-and-white or color choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers, can help reflect the complexity of female identity.
7. Reflection
   Reflect on how your photos address themes of feminism and beauty. Consider how your work questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation.
8. Conclusion
   Conclude by summarizing how your work adds to the dialogue around women’s identity, beauty, and empowerment.

Herr are the top 3 artists at the top.

I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.

observe, seek, challenge

“the human desire to seek and explore the unknown has driven artists to look for fresh inspirations throughout centuries, compelling them to diverse subject matter and experiment with new materials”

historic paintings examples:

these paintings maybe thousands of years old but can still have many influences on artists around the world. For example Banksy a graffiti artist produced a piece in London’s Leake Street tunnel to comment on the fact that we seek the idea of attempting to preserve prehistoric examples instead of trying to do it with modern art such as graffiti in this case.

Banksy, Cave Painting Removal

(this is the painting referenced in the text above)

the soviet propaganda posters started in 1917 after the Bolsheviks took over Petrograd now known as saint Petersburg. as it was quite a young state it needed to spread an ideologies around the state effectively. this was going to be challenging as the literacy rates were only 37.9%, this meant that the image had to be the driving force of the poster not the words on them. this has influenced the modern age by propaganda now becoming used by for many things such as combating against world problems (COVID-19, climate change) and for things such as presidential election.

Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective, 1999

this project was produced by Ai Weiwei to project the idea that people shouldn’t just listen to governments and should have there own beliefs. he done this by going to significant monuments and putting up the middle finger. this obviously has had an influence on the modern day with many people speaking up against government, a big example of this would be Greta Thunburg as she challenged the Swedish government to take part and battle against climate change which then turned then helped raise awareness around the world drastically.

Painter Jackson Pollock, cigarette in mouth, dropping paint onto canvas

Joe Pollock was an artist that used the “drip” paint technique, the reason he used this technique was to help explore themes such as surrealism navigation of the unconscious and Jungian symbolism. this basically means he wanted people to connect to his images through emotions what it made them feel and why?  “The Search to unravel the working of the Human psyche and understand the very nature of consciousness has often inspired artists.”

Rogan Brown is a British artist based in France. His inspiration stems from his interest in the complexity of nature, creating pieces that help us look at the world on a different scale.

mind map

mood board