Evaluation
For the exploring lighting project I used different techniques like half-lighting, Rembrandt lighting and butterfly lighting, using different colour gels made the light look more interesting. The different techniques give different moods and that’s what’s so interesting about lighting.
I used my parents, teachers and random people of the street for this project since the idea of this is too be authentic so when I saw my brother playing , or my dad walking in our garden that’s when I asked them if I could take a photo I wanted these pictures to be the most realistic as possible and I think I achieved that.
gallery
My inspiration for this project was how women view beauty even if beauty is relative as soon as I heard the theme I knew I wanted to focus on femininity. I wanted to show how beauty can be viewed in different ways for example when I was photographing the girl playing the drums I used one of my friends for inspiration since she always says that she feels more beautiful when playing the drums. I also know how clothes can take part on how we feel about ourselves so I wanted to show that.
for this image I wanted to kind of do a tittle page that explains the idea behind the rest of the photos
For this image I tried making a contrast between things that are consider feminine ( reading, beauty products) and playing drums that are considered masculine ( playing drums)
This image the idea behind it was that women feel more beautiful when they are wearing clothes and accessories that they like.
Gallery
DOUBLE/ MULTI EXPOSURE
Double exposure is the art created by jointing/ layering images together. This can be achieved in camera settings, or editing platforms. This technique can be made by using different images and layering them or the same image and move it around you created the effect to wanted to.
MAN RAY
Man Ray was born on August 27th, 1890, he was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all, He was best known for his pioneering photography, and was renewed fashion and portrait photography.
MY PICTURES INSPIRED BY HIS WORK
I used photoshop to edit this image Started by picking an image that I liked and then layer the same image on top but removing the background, I then lowered the opacity and positioned it where I though it looked better.
JUXAPOSITION
Juxtaposition is the art of combining two or more elements in the same picture, highlighting the interesting contrast between them, to create an eye- catching and thought-provoking image.
ALICJA BRODODWICZ
Alicja Brodowicz is a photographer born in Poland. She graduated of the institute of creative photography in Opava. And later in her life won 1st place in the portrait category in Black and White Child Photo Competition.
MY WORK INSPIRED
The first photoshoot was taken in the studio in just one day however we had a few ideas so even though it was taken in just a day we made our ideas come to life.
In total we took 139 pictures
I alone took 56 pictures not including the ones tat didn’t work out
I labelled green 37 pictures
I didn’t edit this image much since I liked how it looked without any alterations however I wanted to add more colour and reduce the whiteness in the picture so it added more contrast.
I decided to make this image black and white because I think It fits with the message that I’m trying to show.
We went down to the studio as a group of 5 and we tried different techniques of lighting them being Butterfly lighting and Rembrandt lighting we switched positions through the photoshoot so everyone would have a go at taking the pictures, arranging the light, modelling and managing the reflector.
These were out best images.
This was the first picture I took trying out the Rembrandt lighting technique, I think the upside down triangle is really defined and we did that by using a reflector on the side that we wanted the triangle. The light was far away from the model and a bit higher than her but not too much.
EDITING
I made this image black and white because it makes it look more professional and it also makes the Rembrandt lighting stand out wish was the initial idea.
BUTTERFLY LIGHTING
For the butterfly lighting we positioned the camera quite high and pointing down , then the model used a small reflector to this effect of a butterfly.
EDITING
I decided to keep this one in colour but make the shadows more defined this darker lighting that I’ve created through editing makes the image have more meaning in a way that it looks moody. This way I think the image also looks very professional and the quality is very good.
CREATIVE EDITING / EXPERIMENTING WITH PHOTOSHOP
Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 she is an American Photographer born and film maker who mostly explores gender and identity. What made her famous is the use of her own body in roles or personas in her work, with her seminal untitled Film Stills ( 1997-1980) being particularly important. These black and white photographs feature the artist herself as a model in various costumes and poses, and are her portrayals of female stereotypes found in film, television, and advertising. Sherman examines and distorts femininity as a social construct ” I like making images that from distance seem kind of seductive, colourful, luscious and engaging, and then you realize what you’re looking at is something totally opposite, ” she reflected. ” It seems seems boring to me pursue the typical idea of beauty, because that is the easiest and the most obvious way to see the world. It’s more challenging to look at the other side.”
( information taking from artnet)
In this image Sherman is portraying as a house wife her hair is done and so is her make up, and she is also wearing a put together top. This can symbolize the stereotypical women that always has to look her best even when cleaning. The image is situated in a kitchen which is stereotypical place for women around her there are dishes and soap. She is standing wish a hand on the counter and the other one placed around her belly this can suggest her insecurity even when she is put together. Her gave is on something behind her might be her husband. And the her face expression looks uncomfortable.
Looking st the picture I can see the the objects on the counter around her are unfocused this suggests that the image has a wider aperture. The shutter speed is most likely fast since the subject ( women) is in complete focus. I would say that this picture was taken in a low angle comparing it to the women, I think that the camera was placed on the counter top I say this because the objects are in the way of the camera. This image is definitely a half body shot.
Historically, women have often been portrayed in the media through limiting and stereotypical roles. The common roles include domestic caretaker who spends her day cleaning, making food, taking care of the children, prepare, dinner before the husband comes home, always looks put together while the husband goes to work a gains a lot of money. Women in Hollywood were extremely sexualized instead of being their own person with a personality they were seen as an object that sometimes it cleans and sometimes it looks beautiful and makes children. Media concisely showed women as inferior to men. They were seen as very week, always In need of help from a male character. Images of women’s appearance, hair, weight and voice consistently been distorted towards sexual attractiveness.
Cindy Sherman’s untitled films Stills series critiques how Hollywood and mass media construct identity and stereotypes, particularly for women. Sherman posed as typical characters from old movies and shows that those roles are fake and created to meet society’s expectations. Her photos exposes how media reduces women’s roles to simpler.
Femininity
Masculinity
Claude Cahun was born in France October 25th 1894 she is most remembered for her incredible work as a photographer, sculptor and writer.
Cahun was born in Nantes, into a well known Jewish Family. Cahun attended a private school in surrey after experiences with antisemitism in high school. She later attended University of Paris, Sorbonne where she began making photographic self-portraits as early as 1912( aged 18) and continued taking images of herself throughout the 1930s.
Cahun’s work evolved writing, photography, sculpture and theater, of which the most remembered are the highly staged self portrait. During the 1920s Cahun produced as astonishing number of self- portraits in various costumes such as aviator, dandy, doll, body builder, vampire, angel,…
Cahun used mirrors, collages and doubling in her photos to reflect the diversion from social norms.
This image a self portrait taken by Claude Cahun she was also the model for it. She is posed in an unnatural way her hand is on her head and she is standing on one foot, she is looking directly at the camera which makes the image look more intimate. She is wearing a white shirt saying ” I AM IN TRAINING DONT KISS ME” which I’ve found that it serves as a poignant parody of the virginity complex arisen from societal and family pressures. she is also wearing black shorts grey ish ballerina shoes and wearing the leather like material around her wrists and her legs she’s also wearing white tights and a white scarf. She’s holding a circular black object with her left hand and with the other she has it positioned on her head.
The lighting in the picture isn’t very bright however I think the lighting that she used was artificial since the shiny materials have a strong light reflecting on them. All parts of the picture are equally illuminated. The aperture used was a high setting the whole picture is in focus meaning it had sharp focus . I would say that this photograph was taken in a eye level angel this contributes to the viewers being able to see the whole body which indicates that is a full body shot.
In the 1920s British society remained intensely gender and class ridden however women began having more job opportunities due to better education and gained of political rights At the time many women worked as teachers, clerks and nurses while others stayed at home and took care of the children.
Claude Cahun’s work challenges the rigid gender roles and societal expectations of the 1920s and 1930s by rejecting the common stereotype of identity and femininity. Her self- portraits use costumes and unisex poses to show that gender is no more than a performance. By refusing to participate in the traditional ideas of femininity and instead creating their own image as not defined by their gender, The “I’m training don’t kiss me shirt” rejects social expectations of women of objects of pleasure, declaring autonomy over their body and identity.
WHAT IS IDENTITY ?
Identity refers to our sense of who we are as individuals and as members of social groups. It also refers to our sense of how others may perceive and label us. We develop our identities and the identities of others through our interaction with people close to us, like our family and friends.
Our ideas about our identity are also influenced by social groups to which we belong. This concept is called social identity.
Social identity refers to your idea of yourself based on your memberships in certain groups. While there are many social groups, some of the main ones include ability, age, economy class, gender, nationality, language, race, sexual orientation,…
TYPES OF IDENTITY
GENDER IDENTITY
For many people gender identity corresponds to the gender you were given at birth, for others it means the gender you identity with even if its not the same as the one given to you at birth.
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Cultural identity refers to the shared beliefs, norms, values, and practices that define a group of individuals, often linked by ethnicity, nationality or religion. This identity shapes individuals perceptions of themselves and their relationship to the world influencing their behaviours, attitudes, and interactions with others.
SOCIAL IDENTITY
Social identity is the portion of an individual’s self- concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group.
GEOGRAPHICAL IDENTITY
An individual or group’s sense of attachment to the country , region, city, or village in which they live
POLITICAL IDENTITY
Political identity is a form of social identity marking membership of certain groups that share a common struggle for a certain form of power.
LOSS OF IDENTIY
Identity loss refers to the gradual erosion or disappearance of distinct cultural traits, practices, and beliefs, often resulting from external influences or pressures such as globalization. migration, or technological change.
WHAT IS FEMININITY?
Stereotypical Femininity refers to a set of cultural and social norms associated with characteristics typically attributed to women, such as nurturing, empathy, and gracefulness. It often includes qualities life emotional intelligence. Long hair, long eyelashes, painted nails, the colour pink and red,…
WHAT IS MACULINITY?
Stereotypical Masculinity refers to a set of cultural and social norms associated with characteristics typically attributed to men, such as physical strength, assertiveness and independence. It often encompasses traits life competitiveness, emotional stoicism and focus on career success. Short hair, strong looking, facial hair,…
STEREOTYPES
Stereotypes are characteristics that society instinctively attributes to groups of people to classify them according to age, weight, skin colour, gender, etc. Sexual stereotyping involves associating girls and boys with opposite sets of characteristics.
IDENTITY PHOTOGRAPHY ( not my pictures)
