All posts by Derek Marques

Filters

Author:
Category:

Identity Photos Final Images Outcomes

Presentation Ideas

These are my presentation ideas for my edited photos, Some of these photos together with the right ones almost look like they match up together and some of them display nicely next to each other. For instance the third presentation looks like a full building with the rock wall on the right looking like it joins up to the old building on the left image. One of the presentations which is my favourite is the second one as those series of photos together go well nicely and it looks similar to how a panoramic view is laid out as the photos joined together look like they form a long rock wall.

Virtual Gallery Presentation

With Art Steps to put my photos into a virtual gallery. Using this I spread my photographs out nicely and displayed them similarly to how an art gallery would display peoples artwork/images.

My Final Images

These are the final images I have chosen to use and print, these images by themselves already look really good but when joined together it creates a panoramic effect which makes it look even better. For example the right side image and left side image both end up with the rock walls ending while the middle image is where both of those images connect to, resulting into a unique presentation when these images are together side by side.

Evaluation

I feel that the final outcome of my images turned out to be really successful, out of the 200 photos I took I had 80 photos which I felt were up to a good standard and out of those 80 there were 6 that really stood out to me. Using those 6 photos and analysing and then editing them turned out to make these already good photos into even better ones. Resulting into me using 3 out of 6 of those photos as my final images. Those final images when printed will look unique and amazing when presented side by side.

I used the plan that I had set for my photographs which were to take photos similar to Clare Rae’s style while changing it up slightly whether it was the pose of the subject or the background behind her. Most of my images met that plan and helped achieve the effect I wanted in my photographs. Especially with editing which allowed me to change the colour scheme to match Clare Rae’s style and also decide what I wanted in view for my image.

When analysing my images I commented on the Conceptual parts of Clare Rae when referencing her, Often making my subject only reveal parts of her figure on my photographs which Clare Rae did similarly which was done to disturb the traditional representation of the female figure that society sees. I also followed her photography style where she would use different landscapes/areas for her photographs which helped make the images unique but also to make a connection between the person and the place hence why some of my landscapes in the background of the image are quite different and not something you would see ordinarily.

If I had to change or do something differently when I did this project I would of experimented with different environments such as doing a photoshoot in a forest or in town, this could have made a more diverse set of images and could of ended up with me having more unique and good quality images I could of used as my final images.

Identity Photos Experimentation Ideas

To enhance my images and make them standout I am going to edit my images in a manner which allows for more detail to pop out and prioritise what I want to be seen in the photograph itself.

Photograph #1

Unedited
Edited

Photograph #2

Unedited
Edited

Photograph #3

Unedited
Edited

Photograph #4

Unedited
Edited

Photograph #5

Unedited
Edited

Photograph #6

Unedited
Edited

Identity Photo-shoots

For my Photoshoot I aimed to follow closely to the style of Clare Rae’s photography, In Clare Rae’s photos (The Entre Nous Collection) You can see that she often balances herself and presents herself in weird ways. whether is standing, climbing on rocks or positioning herself in a way where her full body is not always seen in the picture which was done to unsettle the traditional representation of the female figure. To achieve those same results I tried to get my subject to pose herself looking away and hiding some of her figure next to the rocks and old buildings that were around us. As a result it ended up creating a good series of images which looked very appealing to look at. Using a different landscape every 20 to 25 photos I took and posing differently each time made these photos look more appealing and different to each other. The different structures such as the inner rock arch, the giant rock near the edge of the cliff or the old remains of what used to be a building, All of it helped to compliment the subject with the background and build a connection between the subjects figure and the place it was taken at which was one of Clare Rae’s aim when taking her series of photos.

Contact sheet

For my photoshoot I took about 200 Photos to ensure that I would have a few good pictures to choose from and edit my final ideas into them. Most of the images taken I felt did not meet my expectations of what I was looking for, however there was a good amount of photos that did meet my expectations and may be used for my final images.

My Top Choices

I have chosen these images as my top choices because they all utilise different poses and environments which makes them unique to each other, they also all have potential to look better and more effective and eye catching when edited as I will be able to crop what I want in view and highlight certain details by making the image black and white or by adjusting certain settings such as contrast or highlights which will help bring out more detail in the image. With Clare Rae as my artist reference these photos are going to be mostly inspired from her hence why I have tried to get the landscape in clear view along with my subject posing in different and unique positions.

Identity Project Ideas and Mind Board

Mood board

I have added these images to my mood board for inspiration as they mostly match the style I am going to be going for in my own photographs. To match Clare Rae’s photos I will be taking my photos in an outside environment with the scenery and landscape visible to give it more detail and more meaning. I will also be attempting to add on to her style and maybe try taking a different approach to the photos such as trying new positions.

Image Ideas

For the images I want to achieve I will be aiming to try find different and unique landscapes which can help make the image standout more alongside the subject. I will be taking most images with a wide aperture to ensure the whole landscape and subject can be viewed clearly. I will also try and attempt to make my subject do various amounts of poses and stand or move in different positions which I believe could produce some interesting photographs, to follow similarly to Clare Rae I will try to get my subject to reveal more of their limbs rather than their head or torso which can be effective in the right environment. I may also want to take close shots to keep as much detail as I can into my images and make it look appealing to the viewer.

Clare Rae

Clare Rae is an artist from Melbourne, Australia (b. 1981) who produces photographs and moving images work which explore the representations of the female body using exploration of the physical environment. Rae visited jersey as part of the Arch isle international artist-in-residence programme in 2017. She was interested in the Claude Cahun archive and was researching into it as well shooting new photographs and film in jersey as well as even running workshops. From the research she produced she formed a new body of work called Entre Nous (Between us). The work was produced after being heavily inspired by Claude Cahun and it was even exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne Australia, 22 March – 6 May 2018.

In these series of photos she produced named “Never standing on two feet” she explains that she took Cahuns engagement with the physical and Cultural landscapes of jersey and was inspired to take similar photos. She commented on her work saying that like Cahuns, her photographs depict her body in relation to place with this instance being jerseys costal geography and Jerseys Neolithic ritual monuments. The photographs also include a moving body to contrast and unsettle the traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape.

Clare Rae has always discussed and expressed her interests in artists such as Claude Cahun, Francesca Woodman and Jill Orr. She also talks about how she researches on areas that she’s interested in and takes inspiration from as well how she produces her image and the analysis behind them. With these methods it makes her photography that she takes very interesting to get into.

Visual

In this image we are able to see a self-portrait of Clare Rae where she appears to be gripping on to the rocks for support. She is looking away from the camera but towards the sea to indicate that she is becoming aware of her surroundings. She is posed in a way where most of her torso is hidden and appears to blend in with the rocks. We can also see that she’s wearing a dark coloured skirt and a light coloured top to maybe create some type of contrast. She also appears to be on a rocky hill near the sea to create some connection between her body and the place the photograph is taken at. She also appears to be holding herself up on the rocks and not sitting on them to show that she may be continuing to go further down or across.

Technical

The lighting used in this photo is natural light as it was taken outside. It was most likely taken with the sunlight being projected onto the rocks so the subject would be well illuminated. It also looks like a wide aperture was used due to the amount of detail we are able to see in the image from the ripples of the sea to the shape of the rocks in the hill. The photo may of been taken at a low angle to capture the rocks underneath the subject and show how far down the hill goes. The photo also appears to be a full body shot as her whole body can be see in the image with the exception of her right arm.

Contextual

Clare Rae has great interests in artists such as Claude Cahun, Francesca Woodman and Jill Orr. When coming to jersey and discovering the work of Claude Cahun she decided that she wanted to take inspiration and create her own series of photos inspired from Claude Cahun. Following the same ideas as Claude Cahun where she took her photos to criticise the gender roles of women in the 20s/30s, Clare Rae has taken images with a moving body which unsettles the traditional representations of the female body.

Conceptual

These series of photos that Clare Rae created were to show the public that her work is more invested into the feminist act of self representation compared to Cahuns who used self-portraiture to subvert the dominance of the male gaze in photographic depiction of the female body in landscape photographs. She uses the performing body and gesture in order to disturb the traditional representations of the female figure in landscapes. She used Jerseys costal sites and monuments in order to create a visual dialogue between her body and the environments around her.

Chosen Artist Reference

I have chosen Clare Rae to be my inspiration for my series of photos as I find that the photos that she has taken are intriguing and unique and its something I would like to replicate in my own photos and add on furthermore.

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun (25 October 1894 – 8 December 1954) was born in Nantes France, Cahun was best known as a self-portraitist and a writer. At birth Cahun was given the name Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob by her parents, she later changed this when she was older and she identified herself as gender neutral. The goal of her photographs were to challenge the traditional ideas of gender, sexuality, and identity. To achieve these goals she photographed herself but changing her identity/how she looked which was needed to present her goals and show the criticism she has against the society who follows these traditional ideas. She also often worked with Marcel Moore who often helped take her self portraits.

Cahuns pictures are portrayed in a specific manner in order to make the viewers see that she is dressed and presented in such a way that she can be seen as a rejection of traditional ideas of feminine beauty. The message that her pictures are trying to convey is that society distinguishes people from each other which can be separated into groups like Genders however individuals are the ones who play the role into creating or shaping their own identities based on things they express upon or their understanding on certain things which could be based on personal choices or experiences. Cahun in her portraits shows that gender is something you can act as and the things you do which define what gender you want to be rather than someone you are biologically.

Claude Cahun connection with Jersey started early with childhood holidays which were spent in Jersey and Brittany. By 1937 both Marcel Moore and Claude Cahun decided to move from France to Jersey to live where they took up their old names and letting people assume they were sisters. But by 1940 following the invasion of the Nazis they refused to evacuate to England and remained in jersey where they setup an underground resistance campaign following the Nazis invasion of the island. The campaign lasted 4 years before they both got investigated and got locked up in the St Helier prison where they almost got the death sentence. After Jersey got liberated they remained on the island till 1953 where they decided to check if they could live in Paris once again. However Cahun in late 1954 died in Jersey under hospital care.

Claude Cahun was described as Cindy Sherman before her time. These two artists both explored similar ideas and criticised society for their perception of gender roles and identity. Cindy Sherman started her work in 1977 compared to Claude Cahun who started in 1912, both of their photograph styles are very similar where they change their appearance to portray different roles of people.

Visual

In this image we can see a self-portrait of Claude Cahun posing for the camera, They are posed in such a way that it closely resembles a feminine posture with the crossed legs and straight posture, They’re gaze is also pointed directly at the camera to make that connection with the viewer. They appear to be wearing a long tight shirt with leggings and what appears to be a scarf, the outfit does appear to make her look like a mime especially with the paint/makeup applied to her face. They also appear to be holding something that looks similar to a barbell which is labelled “Totor popol” and the other side of it appears to have “Castor” Written on it. The writing Totor popol may be a reference to the two comic characters by the Belgian cartoonist Herge, Castor and Pollux is a older reference to the twin half-brothers of the Greek myth whose names grace the two brightest stars in the Gemini constellation. The sign on her chest says “I am in training, Dont kiss me” and this could be in relation to the fact that she had styled herself to look as a mime which makes it so the writing in her chest is her communicating with the public as mimes typically cannot speak with their voice.

Technical

The lighting that Claude Cahun appeared to have used is artificial light as the setting they are in suggests that she’s in a studio environment which makes it easier for the subject to be illuminated easier especially with the angle you want the light to go towards. It also looks like a Wide Aperture may of been used in order to capture all the details in the picture from the details on her face to the writing on the barbell and their chest. The angle this photo may of been taken at is straight on/dead centre as the camera may be on a tripod to shoot the picture on the centre to ensure that Claude Cahun would be the main priority of the photo. The photo is closer to a 3/4 body shot as her body is mostly shown except from the knees down.

Contextual

The roles of women in the 1920s and 1930s were typically working as clerks, teachers and nurses while others were expected to stay home and raise children and make sure the house was maintained and cleaned. Women back then were not really seen as strong or being able to be independent in the eyes of society. With Claude Cahuns image it was taken to criticise societies view and the stereotypes made against women which suggests why she may have the barbell in view to challenge societies view of the strength of women.

Conceptual

Claude Cahuns work made the role of women/gender in the 20s and 30s appear that it was more of a lifestyle that anyone can adapt from rather than someone you are from birth. Her work protested these gender and sexual norms and showed people that they do not need to follow these norms that society expects them to follow. With the feminine pose as well as the barbell she has laid on her lap, she is trying to convey the message that women can do anything that men can do and that your gender or your background shouldn’t prevent you from doing things that you would like to do.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born in January 19, 1954 in the United States, She was part of the Pictures generation photography movement whose purpose was to make art that analysed their relationship with popular culture and the mass media. She worked at the intersection of personal and collective memory section where she rummaged through the throwaway products from their youth.

Before she became a photographer she at first experimented painting in a super-realist style in art school during the aftermath of American Feminism. She then in the 1970s decided to turn to photography to explore a wide range of common female social roles.

Her key goals of her photography is that she wanted her work to be characterised by her use of self-portraiture to create fictional characters and to explore themes such as identity, representation and the construction of femininity.

To achieve her goals she would typically take photographs of herself in a range of different costumes to portray the common roles of women, the way society portrayed women as back then. And she would then take the photos by herself in her studio assuming multiple roles such as an author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress, and model.

Cindy Sherman herself does not consider her work to be self-portraits as she took the pictures while wearing a costume/being in character but she does acknowledge that technically in the photo wearing the costumes is her but in her opinion she does not agree that her photos are a self portrait.

Cindy Sherman Image Analysis

Visual

Untitled, Film Still #14, New York, Museum of Modern Art (1978)

The character that Sherman is adopting may be a women in her home who is not very comfortable and may be stressed, to back up my claim you can see on the right side of the dresser the picture frame of her, you can also see the positioning of her hand where on hand is comforting her neck like she is holding it up and on the other hand it looks like she’s holding a weapon especially with the angle that she’s holding it at. The mirror on the wall reveals her back which can suggest that she is vulnerable and we also get to see a table with a cocktail glass and a jacket on the chair which could be hers or it could be someone else’s, and in the top left corner you can notice smoke which could suggest somebody else is in her home.

From all the things we can see in this image and the title being called an “Untitled Film Still” this may be trying to portray the typical women in distress that are often seen in movies and this photo was most likely created to criticise the media and their depiction of females.

Technical

The photo could be using a wide focus aperture as all the details in the foreground are clear and easy to see, the photo could of also used a slightly fast shutter speed as the subject doesn’t appear blurry and the photo also has a lot of light coming in. The angle of the photo is quite high to show her full body so we can have more of an idea of her character but also be able to view the things around the room which helps you immersive yourself in her environment. The photo is a full body shot as well as this helps to get a full view and understanding of her character.

Contextual

Back in 1978 where the picture was taken, women were perceived as house wife’s, being weak, couldn’t fight for themselves and struggling to be independent in society. The photo she has taken takes these ideas and she portrays them to criticise the media with how they used this perception of women that society saw back in the day and how they integrated those stereotypes into their films, hence why these series of photos she took were named “untitled film stills”. This photo is meant to show that women can fight for themselves and that the stereotypes that were used and seen were not accurate.

Conceptual

Seeing that the photo is not a housewife but instead Sherman herself who is posing, it gives us the idea that Sherman is the one directly calling the media out as she was the one who took and posed for her photos. She may have done this to show the mass media that she’s aware of what happens in the media and how females are presented in those films, and criticises how they always make females look so vulnerable. This could link to the media today as there is still many movies and different types of media which still show women playing the same stereotypes from decades ago, However it is less common now then it used to be back in the 1970s.

Identity, Femininity and Masculinity

Identity is the unique set of characteristics that are used to describe and identify the person themselves. Identity is not just based off looks but also their personality, views, interests and what they do in their life in general. Having an identity is important as you can identify yourself as a person and it can also help you connect with people who may have similar interests as you.

Femininity is the characteristics, attributes, behaviours and anything related that is generally associated with women and girls. For example this is things like long hair, wearing pink, having long nails or they’re moods and personality. It is basically a typical representation and picture of how women and girls are seen.

Masculinity is the same but with characteristics of men and boys. This can be things like being strong, independence, confidence and taking interest in things like football and cars. Its the typical representation and picture of how men and boys are seen.

Identity can be influenced by lots of things like for example:

Gender identity is the identification of someone’s gender and how they perceive themselves. People may identify themselves as someone different and differ themselves to how society would perceive them as.

Culture identity is a part of a persons identity and is usually related to their race, culture, nationality and religion. For example stating your nationality would be identifying your culture identity.

Social identity is the group in society that you identify as, for example people born in 1997 – 2012 would be identified as gen z as they were born in that specific span of a few years. So if they’re gen z they would be seen in the gen z group of society.

Geographical identity is the identification of a person based in the country/area they live in, for example lets say you were born in Texas and raised there for a majority of your life you may refer to yourself as a Texan to other people.

Political identity is where people define and engage their beliefs in relation to the political system, movements and policies. There beliefs typically come from personal beliefs, cultural influences or experiences with governance and power dynamics.

Lack/loss of identity is where someone experiences confusion or absence of their identity. By having a lack or loss of identity it can affect a persons personal, social, cultural or political parts of their life and often leading them feeling disconnected with other people.

Stereotypes is assumptions or generalized beliefs made based by a persons characteristics such as their race, gender, age, religion, profession, nationality and other traits. These beliefs are often exaggerated and inaccurate and can lead to certain biases in how people see and interact with others.

Prejudices is a opinion or judgement made on someone without any reason, experience or evidence. This often involves negative attitudes, feelings or beliefs about people based on their particular group, such as gender, religion, race, ethnicity.

Creative Portraits

Creative Portraits are photos which focuses on both the surroundings of the photo as well as the person in the photo. Its a excellent way to depict a lot of information of a person just from looking at a single photo. Creative Portraits usually consist of images and other elements being combined to create unique images. There is many styles you can use in Creative Portraits which can help make your images look more creative and unique.

Double/Multi-Exposure

Double or Multi-Exposure is the process of layering a portion of images on top each other to create illusions. This can be done by either using a camera and adjusting the settings in order to take these multi-layered images or you can take multiple photos in the same place but different poses and then layer them on top of each other using photoshop.

By layering the photos it can result into some spectacular photos being created as there is many different ways you can layer out the photos to achieve the effect and look that you want. For example you can place the images very close together to make that blur effect or space them out evenly or away to create that ghost effect.

Taken By Man Ray

Photo Montage

Photomontage is the process of taking and gathering images and then editing them together mainly by cutting, gluing, rearranging or overlapping two or more together to make it into a new image. However Photomontage doesn’t have to be done physically, you can use editing programs like photoshop to edit your images in the style of photomontage like cutting pieces of the image and rearranging them or rotating them. As long as your edits fit the style of Photomontage then it can be done digitally.

This style is very popular and it was famously used to make political images. A Good example would be Russian Constructivism where many people created posters using Photo-Montage by using a solid background and a main subject for their images with usually a message written on it to get their point across.

Made by Alexander Rodchenko

Artist References

For my Double/Multi-Exposure I have chosen Man Ray as my inspiration as I like the poses that his subjects use in the photos as well as how he positions the subject to make the double exposure look unique and interesting which is something I want to replicate myself with my own ideas.

Taken by Man Ray

For my Photo Montage I have chosen Kensuoke Koike as my inspiration as I found it really interesting how he reconstructed the image in a way where it looked odd but appealing, most of the images are cut then reformed into different shapes and patterns which made it look more alluring to look at which is why I want to also replicate his photos and try achieve the same effect that his photos have.

Thomas Sauvin and Kensuke Koike: ‘No More, No Less’

My Photos

Double/Multi-Exposure

With my Double/Multi-Exposure images, I have been able to match the same style as Man Ray but with my own ideas, For the first image I told my subject to have a sinister look while also using a red colour gel to portray the red side as an evil while for the other side using a blue colour gel I got my subject to maintain that same position but to smile instead to show that the blue side is more of a happy/positive side. In the end it created a really interesting and funny image where you can see both sides of the Double Exposure perfectly. For the second image I tried to replicate that same idea but differently, I got my subject to make an angry expression like he was yelling with the red colour gel inserted to show the anger in his face while with the other side using the blue colour gel I got him to tilt the other way while making a happy and carefree expression which in the end resulted into another image I am quite proud of.

Photo Montage

With my Photo Montage images, I wanted to try replicate that same style that Kensuke Koike used with the shapes and patterns, so using photoshop I was able to find some shape and pattern templates and I ended up overlaying them on top of the image so I was able to cut out pieces of the image and rearrange them into unique patterns. In the end result it made for some very interesting and creative images with the first image being square pieces of his face flipped which worked out well thanks to the colour gel lighting in the image and with the second image being cut out triangle pieces of his face being rearranged in a way that ended up making it resemble the Rhombus shape.

Studio Portraits Final Photos

These are my final photos presented in art steps. Overall I am satisfied with the result of my images and how they came out as they matched all the lighting techniques I wanted to use and they mostly look like unique photographs. However one thing I would do differently next time is I would try make the butterfly lighting look more dramatic/more clear as I think it could result into some even better photos if I was to achieve this.