Clare Rae is an artist from Melbourne, Australia who makes photographs and moving image works that examine representations of the female body via an exploration of the physical environment. Rae came to see Jersey as part of the Archaise international artist-in-residence programme in 2017. She was researching the Claude Cahun archive .Rae is very inspired by Cahun. She was shooting new photography and film in Jersey, as well as doing workshops. 

From her research she produced a new body of work, Entre Nous (between us);Claude Cahun and Clare Rae. That was exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne Australia 22 March – 6 May 2018, and subsequently at CCA Galleries  in Jersey, UK, 7–28 September 2018.

This is from her series Standing On Her Own Two Feet.

In her series, Never standing on two feet, Rae considers Cahun’s commitment with the physical and cultural landscapes of Jersey, an aspect of her work that has received not a lot of analysis to date.  Rae writes:

Like Cahun’s, my photographs illustrate my body in relation to a place; in these instances sites of coastal geology and Jersey’s Neolithic ritual monuments. I will use a visual dialogue between the body and these environments, and will trial how their photographic histories impact upon contemporary engagements. Cahun used self-portraiture to overthrow the dominance of the male gaze in photographic representation of the female body in the landscape of Jersey .

My practice is invested in the feminist act of self-representation and I draw parallels between my performances of increasing vocabulary of gesture and Cahun’s overtly performative images of the body expressing a multiplicity of identity. In this series, I tease out the interpretations inherent in landscape photography. I will be using gestures and the performing body to contrast and unsettle traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape.

Image Analysis

Visual

In the image there is a large rock covering Rae’s face. I think these rocks are granites, gabbros and diorites, since Jersey is very famous for these rocks and they are the most common rocks as well. One leg is straight which is the left and the right leg is slightly bent to create this pose. In this angle it looks like a skirt is being worn from the waist down. In this image they are holding a rock which my show the connection to family.

Technical

This photo is a half body shot due to her face not being present. In this image there is little to no lighting due to the image being very black and white, so there is no colour present. In the background there is no focus which means the aperture is very large, with a large hole in the middle of the camera and a very shallow depth of field.

Contextual

Some types are connected to rocks and buildings which suggest attachment. I utilise gesture and the performing body to contrast and unsettle traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape. This may suggest rocks are too heavy for women. This was influenced by Claude Cahun.

Conceptual

Through my photographic performances I will research specific gestures and movements undertaken within public and private spaces, considering the impacts on the body by educational and institutional authority. This is linking to Morden day portraits.

Artist Number 2

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun (born October 25, 1894, Nantes, France—died December 8, 1954, St. Helier, Jersey) was a  French writer ,photographer, surrealist and a performance artist. Who was largely written out of art history until the late 1980s, when her photographs were included in an exhibition of Surrealist photography in 1986.

In early-20th-century France, when society were normally considered women to be women and men to be men, Lucy Schwob decided she would rather be called Claude Cahun. It was her way of protesting gender and sexual norms.

One of the most interesting figures to emerge from the island’s artistic community is Claude Cahun, a ground-breaking artist whose work challenged traditional gender roles and explored themes of identity, resistance, and self-expression. Surrealism will aims to revolutionise human experience.

She used self-portraiture as a tool to deconstruct and explore various personas, often presenting herself in androgynous or fragmented forms. Through costumes, makeup, and props, Cahun blurred the lines between masculinity and femininity, demonstrating that identity is not fixed but rather fluid and performative. Her work aimed to provoke viewers to rethink conventional notions of gender and self-expression.

Cahun’s relationship with Jersey began extremely early, with childhood holidays spent in Jersey and Brittany. They were born Lucy Schwob in Nantes, France to a wealthy and well off Jewish family. In 1937, Cahun moved to Jersey with her partner, Marcel Moore. But in their late teens and early twenties Cahun had been looking for a new, gender-neutral name for a while.

A Mood-board of Cahun’s work

Image Analysis

Visual

In the image there may be a man or a woman due to Cahun becoming gender neutral later in life. . In this photograph, Cahun is posed facing to the camera, yet her gaze is directed downward, with her face isn’t obscured by any part of her body. This creates a sense of mystery and ambiguity, which makes the viewer’s ability quite hard to categorize her into a traditional gender role. The obscured face also speaks to Cahun’s exploration of the fluidity of identity, rejecting fixed, conventional representations.

The object Cahun holds in her hands is a dumbbell, was not something a female figure would usually have in the 1920s considering, it was made for men because they are classed as “strong”. A time when women were often portrayed as delicate and gentle. The dumbbell implies strength, power, and physicality, which is in contrast to the more elegant, ornamental role which was often assigned to women. The choice of this object reinforces Cahun’s rejection of gender norms and her embrace of physicality, autonomy, and control over her identity.

Technical

The photograph used artificial lighting, likely studio lighting, given the sharp contrast between light and shadow. The light contours Cahun’s face and hands , which means the viewers eye is getting immediate attention to where the face and hands are positioned.

The background is blurred which will give a shallow depth of field, which suggests that a wide aperture (low f-stop) was being used. This sharp focus on Cahun’s figure, contrasted with the soft and out-of-focus background, which will direct the viewer’s eyes on her and the symbolic elements she presents, such as the dumbbell and the sign.

The image is caught from a straight-on or slightly elevated angle. This neutral and original angle will emphasize the subject’s self rule and implies that Cahun is presenting herself on her own terms, without depending on traditional hierarchical positioning.

The image was taken at a three-quarter body shot, focusing on Cahun’s torso, waist and hands. This framing allows for a accurate examination of the subject and the symbolic elements that will make up the image ,while also depending on the performative nature of Cahun’s self-presentation. The three-quarter shot also will allow for a sense of confidence while keeping the viewer at a slight distance, which keeps the public a certain distance away so thy can’t interfere.

Contextual

She wears a loose, neutral outfit, steering away from the traditional feminine dress of the time. This ambiguity in dress further tests the social expectations of how women were expected to look like in the 1920s.

In the 1920s and 1930s, women had to follow a strict dress presentation. The 1920s, known as the “Roaring Twenties,” saw the rise of the “New Woman,” which were more self-reliant, more mobile in public spaces, and more vocal about particular rights. This period also was a victory of women’s suffrage in many Western countries. However, many social pressures still remained, especially as the Great Depression in the 1930s was a return of the more traditional, conservative gender roles. In this context, Cahun’s work responds to these shifting dynamics, particularly the tensions between newfound freedoms and the persistent constraints on women’s roles.

Conceptual

Cahun’s works on the challenges of the rigid roles that were imposed on women between the 1920s and 1930s, using her art to critique both gender expectations and the broader societal limitations placed on individuals. By adopting an different appearance and rejecting the traditional representations of femininity, Cahun declines the traditional gender expectations in the 1920s-1930s.

The sign on Cahun’s chest, “I am training – don’t kiss me,” serves as a direct acknowledgement of the independence and autonomy. It suggests that Cahun is focused on her personal growth, which suggests this ants really expected from women because it implies using dumbbells in the gym.—whether intellectual, artistic, or physical—and rejects the idea of being defined by romantic or sexual attraction. The phrase “don’t kiss me” further suggests a refusal of being known as an object and a desire to assert control over how others interact with her.

Artist Number 3

Gillian Wearing

Gillian Wearing is a CBE, Who is an English conceptual artist, one of the Young British Artists, and winner of the 1997 Turner Prize. In 2007 Wearing was elected as lifetime member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London (RAAL).She was Born :December 10,1963,which will make her 61yrs.

Wearing was part of a movement where conceptual as very popular. This type is of art is from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Conceptual is where the ideas are more important than the actual image.

Wearing, was initially inspired by fly on the wall documentaries such as Michael Apted’s Up series, which is about lives of others and her own family history; she uses photography, video and a range of devices to reveal and include personal details. Wearing also uses documentaries in her work.

A Gallery of Her Work

These images are from her ‘Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say’.

Image Analysis

Visual

In this image there is a man holding up a piece of paper saying ‘I’m Desperate’. ‘I’m Desperate’ may imply he may be in danger due to the environment he’s in The environment looks a bit run down due to slight bits of rubbish in the background. The man is standing straight up and straight on which means the man is clearly seen. This man is wearing a suit which suggests he may be rich and wealthy, since suits were expensive back in the 1990s.By wearing a suit may imply a certain amount of power.

Technical

In this image the aperture is a low F-number due to the shallow depth of field and the background has also been blurred by the camera. This photo was taken was taken in all natural lighting because it outside and there no other light sources appearing on it. If you look closely on the photo there may of been a slightly high ISO in some parts of the image due to some visual noise appearing which will give the image a degrading quality. The visual noise slightly appears on the Blue, navy blazer. This is three quarter shot due to the legs not being shown. This image is zoomed in which means you can see the finer details. The three quarter body shot will  highlight the facial characteristics while still giving a close view of the body.

Contextual

Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and the early 2000s and it was the main culture. The statement lad culture continues to be used today to refer to collective, boorish or misogynistic behaviour by young heterosexual men, particularly university students.

By the 1990s the notion of a crisis of masculinity in con temporary life had begun to make news headlines. Concerns were raised about “deadbeat dads” and the increase of the “angry white man” as a voter type.

As the 90s dawned things were looking up for women. Daughters of second-wave feminism came of age and chose new paths unavailable to their mothers: delaying marriage and children, pursuing higher education, joining the workforce, and were assuming independence and identities outside of the home.

Conceptual

It also wasn’t traditional for women to go through to higher education until the late 90s.

It was right for men to wear proper suits and have only men jobs. E.G Builders and many more. Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say. HELP, 1992-1993. Gillian Wearing’s candid videos and photographs reveal the disconnection between inner lives and public personas.

Cindy Sherman was a key figure in the pictures generation. The purpose of the movement was to make art that analysed their relationship with popular culture and the mass media.

Cindy Sherman  enrolled in the visual arts department at Buffalo State University, where she majored in painting. this was before she did photography. In the late 70s she switched to photography.

Cindy Sherman’s work is use of self-portraiture to create fictional characters and explore themes such as identity, representation, and the construction of femininity. She also  To portrayed the various roles and identities of herself and other modern women.

Her work usually features photographs that depict herself dressed and made up as different female characters. Sherman’s photos are often interpreted as feminist art since her works raise questions regarding the objectification of women by the male gaze and the construction of the female gender.

Cindy Sherman’s photos were self portraits because a statue or a person was present every time. Cindy Sherman think her photos are not self-portraits because it looks nothing like her, she stated.

Cindy Shermans Photos In A

Mood board

Image Analysis

Visual

Sherman is looking away from the camera this implies she might be looking at someone or she might be guarded. By having the mirror it shows her back, which is quite revealing and it implies she’s quite vulnerable. In her left hand she’s is holding her own evening bag, this isn’t being held the correct way, by holding it like a weapon it shows she’s in danger. By seeing the smoke in the mirror it shows someone else is present in the room at the same time. She is posed with the right fist on her neck to support it this shows she may be uncomfortable or she might of hurt her neck. Furthermore there could be a bruise on her arm which would explain her discomfort and vulnerability.

Technical

The aperture in this Film Still is a narrow aperture because everything in the photo is in focus. A smaller aperture suggests there is a larger depth of field. The shutter speed is slow because you can see all of the details and there is no filming any action in this photo. I predict the shutter speed is 1/15-1/2. This photo is a full body shot because none of here body has been cut off. This photo has photographed the important things.

Contextual

Historically,media narratives have constrained women to follow what the man does. In the 1950-60s the film stills that Sherman made imply femininity that, through the media culture of movies, had a hold on America’s collective imagination at the time.The film also represented social class, status and reputation.

Conceptual

Overall, Cindy is using selfies to show she can deceive everyone and can be who she’s wants to be. Furthermore challenging mass media. This also relates to the current culture of phones and media.

What Is Identity?

The unique set of characteristics that can be used to identify a person as themselves and no one else and the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

What is Femininity?

Qualities and attributes to have characteristics of women or girls.

What is Masculinity?

 By displaying attitudes and behaviours that will signify and validate maleness and it will be involved by being recognised, by other people.

Identity can be influenced by a number of things such as gender ,cultural, social, geographical, political, lack of / loss of identity, stereotypes, prejudices

Identity

Gender Identity

Gender identity is the personal sense of their own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person’s assigned sex or they can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are consistent with the individual’s gender identity. Gender expression will  typically reflect a person’s gender identity, but this is not always the case. While a person may express behaviours, attitudes, and appearances consistent with a particular  gender role such expression may not necessarily match their gender identity. 

Cultural Identity 

Cultural identity is a part of a person’s identity, or their self-conception and their own self-perception , and this will relate to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality and gender. Or any type of group linked to a certain culture. In this way, cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual  but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural identity or upbringing. Cultural identity is an unfixed process that is continually evolving within the discourses of social, cultural, and historical experiences.

Social Identity

Social identity is the portion of an individual’s self-concept  borrowed from a perceived membership in a relevant social group.

Geographical Identity

An individual or group’s sense of connection a country, region, city, or village in which they live.

Political Identity

Political identity is a form of social identity  marking a membership of certain groups that share a common struggle for a particular form of power. This can include identification with a political party, but also positions on specific political issues, nationalism, inter-ethnic relations or more abstract ideological themes. These views will change all the time.

Lack of/loss of identity

A lack of self-identity can come from a variety of causes, including childhood trauma and pressure, as well as mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are  attributes that society will make groups of people to classify them according to age, weight, occupation, skin colour, gender, etc.

Prejudice 

Prejudice can be an emotional feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) a classification   of another person based on that person’s recognised personal characteristics, such as  sex, gender,values,social,class,age,dissability,religion,race,ethnicity,language,nationality,culuture,wealth,education and many more. or other anticipated characteristics.

What is identity Politics?

IDENTITY POLITICS is a phrase that describes a political approach where in people of a particular religion, race, social background and class or other identifying factor form special socio-political alliances. It makes the distinct experiences and challenges faced by these groups and advocates for policies and practices that address their specific needs and rights.

The term was coined by the Combahee River Collective in 1977. It took on widespread usage in the early 1980s, and in the ensuing decades has been employed in myriad cases with radically different connotations dependent upon the term’s context.

It has gained currency with the emergence of social activism, manifesting in many dialogues within the feminist  , American civil rights , and  LGBT movements , disabled groups, as well as multiple nationalist   and postcolonial  organizations, for example:  Black Lives Matter  movement.

How does Identity Politics link to Culture Wars?

CULTURE WARS are cultural conflicts  between social groups and the battle for dominance of their  values, beliefs, and practices. It commonly refers to topics on which there is general social disagreement and  polarization in societal values is seen.

A “culture war” will signal much more than a disagreement. It will describe an impression of conflict between two irreconcilable worldviews in what is “fundamentally right and wrong about the world we live in” (1991).

This term is commonly used to describe contemporary politics in western democracies  with issues such as abortion, homosexuality  ,transgender rights, pornography, multiculturalism, racial viewpoints and different cultural conflicts based on values,  morality , and  lifestyle being stated as the major political cleavage.

What are some of the positives associated with Identity politics?

Identity politics will help centre the experiences of those as they will view as they will be facing some systemic oppression so that society can get better understanding the interplay of different forms of demographic-based oppression and ensure that no one group is disproportionately or affected by political actions.

Dangers of Tribalism

Tribalism is defined as
“behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group.”

The definition of as “a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked
by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a
recognized leader.” When we listen to the word tribe, we may think of Native Americans, but in modern
usage the term can also refer to people who share common ideas and allegiances.

Tribalism

Tribalism can have extremely negative consequences when it is used to eliminate individuals or groups or to
banish their rights, status, and/or independence. These negative impacts of tribalism are often sustained
by competition and the perception of a very common threat. They will promote fear, anxiety, and prejudice, all of
which make us more susceptible to fake news, propaganda, and conflict.
Tribalism can take lots of forms in our modern society. One example of tribalism is individuals’
strong connections with sports teams. These partnership are frequently built on regional identities and
approved through the use of symbols. We often see deep connection between fans of a specific
team who classify strongly with each other and against fans of opposing teams.

What are Creative Portraits?

Creative Portraits are what types of things will surround the photograph and its only a single shot.

Double/Multi-Exposures

Double/Multi-Exposures is creating an illusion by layering images (Section of images), which are over the top of each other. This may be achieved by using the correct camera settings ,or using Adobe Photoshop also by creating layers and then using BLENDING OPTIONS and opacity control, by getting rid parts of layers to then reveal other parts of the image.

Examples of DOUBLE/MULTI-EXPOSURE PHOTOS

Above there are some examples of double/multi-exposure photos , these photos were taken from many different artists.

Artist Reference

A famous Man Ray Photo

Technical- The lighting in this image is a natural lighting due to no lights reflecting on the photo. The aperture was likely quite large with a low f/stop number. This is because the man is in focus but the background isn’t in focus . Moreover the shutter speed was most likely quite quick, I can tell this because there is not a lot of motion blur and the man is in focus, I think it is something like 1/120 or 1/250. The ISO is most probably low, something like 100 or 200. Due to no visual noise and it doesn’t have a degrading quality.

Visual- There is no colour due to it being black and white, however its quite a light tone due to the bright and natural lighting. The man has rough, old skin which brings a large amount of texture to this photo and furthermore because of the multi- exposure due to two face being reflected in the photo. This image appears 3D. The rule of thirds is followed in this image, this is apparent because his eyes and head are in the centre and most of his body is not present in the image.

Man Ray

Man Ray was a visual artist and he spent most of his time in Paris, France. He was an important contributor to the Dada and the surrealist moments. He was also a painter. He was Born: August 27, 1890,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ,United States and Died: November 18, 1976 (age 86 years),6th arrondissement of Paris.

Examples Of His Work

My Double Exposure Photos

Contact Sheet

This my contact sheet for my double exposure photographs.

Image Selection

Above you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out my worst ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good.

My Double Exposure Photos

This photo didn’t need to be cropped on the sides due to equal negative space on each side this will create a balanced photo. On the top and the bottom it needed to be cropped due to having unequal negative space. To complete this photo three layers very needed to complete the background. In two of the layers I have reduced the opacity to make a shadow of the portrait. By reducing the opacity it removes most of the photo, so it will become a shadow. That is what has happened in my photo. This is a part of Man Ray’s work which adds opacity, shadows and lots of double exposure.

By being cropped, there is equal negative space on the top and the bottom of the photo.

This photo used has used six layers. If less layers were used I don’t think this photo would work out. I have reduced the opacity to 32 percent, this is why the photo has a blurred effect in the foreground. This photo has gave me inspiration from Man Ray, I love the way he gave a distorted effect to his photos.

In the background, I have some stars that you can slightly see. To make the stars in the background I have made a slight shadow so these stars can be clear.

This is the same photo as above, I have cropped it due to both sides having to much negative space ,which will create an unbalanced photo. I have also cropped the photo because I want the subject to be centred in the foreground of the photo.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is placing two images together to show contrast or similarities. An example of a Juxtaposition is matching colours of your clothing to something out in the wilderness an example of an artist doing this is Nikita Pirtogov.

Artist Reference

Nikita Pirtogov

Nikita Pirogov is a photographer, artist and a poet who was born in Leningrad, USSR, in 1989. He studied in RGISI (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) and has got an MFA from IED Madrid (Madrid, Spain). His works were exhibited in Russia, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia, Portugal, USA, Brazil, China, Cambodia, Fiji and South Korea and are in the collections of State Russian Museum in Saint-Petersburg, Russia and Gallery Image in Aarhus, Denmark.

Examples of Nikita Portogov’s work

These photos are an example of juxtaposition due to the photographer matching colours with the subjects clothing, hair and the background. These photos are opposites of each other.

My Juxtaposition Photos

These photos where edited in Lightroom using the filters BW11 and 05,this is how I achieved these final images.

Photo-Montage

Photo-montage is the process and the result of making composite photograph by cutting , gluing, rearranging and overlapping images to create new images.

Artist Reference

John Stezaker

 Is a British artist who is thrilled by the amount of images. Taking classic movie stills, vintage postcards and book illustrations, Stezaker makes collages to give ancient images a original meaning. By adjusting, inverting and taking-apart separate pictures together to create unique new works of art, Stezaker explores the subversive force of found images. Stezaker’s famous Mask series fuses the profiles of glamorous sitters with caves, hamlets, or waterfalls, making for images of dark beauty.

This photo is one of John Stezaker’s most famous photos .It is called Mask XIV and it was created in 2006.This work follows a simple format: Stezaker covers an old and ancient publicity portrait of a film star with a postcard. The postcard is becoming the mask over the face, It opens a window into another space. This images will give different interpretations of people faces. The scene in the postcard could is reflecting the peace and tranquillity of the setting.

Above, His ‘Dark Star’ series is popular publicly portraits into cut-out silhouettes, creating an important presence in the place of the absent celebrity. Stezaker’s way of giving old images a modern place in life it will reach its height in the found images of his Third Person Archive: the artist has removed elegant , haunting figures from the margins of out-of-date travel illustrations. Presented as images on their own, they now take the centre stage of our attention.

Examples of John Stezaker’s Work

My Photomontage Photos

Contact sheet

This is my contact sheet for my Photomontage Images.

Image Selection

Above you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out my worst ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow

This is the original photo without being cropped. Below is the same photo but cropped. To complete and finalise this photo four layers were needed for this in the background , otherwise it wouldn’t be as effective because less layers would make an empty photo. In all four layers I have kept the opacity the same. I have had some inspiration from John Stezaker because I love the way he uses photomontage in his photos.

This is the same photo as above, I have cropped it due to both sides having to much negative space ,which will create an unbalanced photo. I have also cropped the photo because I want the subject to be centred in the foreground of the photo.

This photo above gave me inspiration from John Stezakars work. I have done this photo in light instead of dark. The original photo done by John Stezakar’s was done in the dark. My favourite photo of his is called Mask XIV, which was photographed in 2006. I love this photo because it includes the beautiful beach in the foreground then a portrait in the background of the photo. This work follows a simple format with a portrait and a photo of a beach. The picture becomes a mask over the face. Alternatively, by replacing eyes with a beach creates tranquillity and peace. This photo will need to be cropped due to negative space on either side.

This is the cropped photo. By cropping it the subject is much more centred than it was before.

El Lissitsky

EL Lissitsky was a Jewish-Russian artist and photographer , active as a printmaker, painter, illustrator, designer, photographer, and architect. He was Born: November 23, 1890 Pochinok, Russia. He died December 30, 1941 (age 51 years), Moscow, Russia. He is known for using Geomertic shapes and negative space.

An Example Of One Of His Photos

Suprematism is famous art movement, focused on basic geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors. It was founded by  Kazimir Malevich  in Russia, around 1913, and announced in Malevich’s 1915 exhibition, The Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings 0.10, in St. Petersburg, where he, alongside 13 other artists, exhibited 36 works in a similar style. The term suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon “the supremacy of pure artistic feeling” rather than on visual depiction of objects.

My Process For My Photo

This is the process I had to go through to create my photo below. In total I had to make 7 layers to create this photo.

I also used this bar to see how dark I wanted my photo .You can pick many different filters till you pick one that matches your theme.

My Final Photo

I added a target on the shoulder in the photo because it got inspiration from El Lissitsky and it makes the photo more interesting and it adds more detail to he photo.

Contact Sheet

Image Selection

Above you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out my worst ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good.

Image Editing

This is one example of Rembrandt lighting due to a triangle present under the left cheek, Which resembles Rembrandt lighting. In this photo there is an intense shadow. On the right of the image you can see all I have done is makes some slight adjustments to the texture and contrast and many other things like that.

This is the same image cropped due to lots of negative space on the left side, which will create an unbalanced photo and I decided to crop the image to centre the subject a bit more.

This is the same photo that has been cropped and slightly edited to enhance the Rembrandt lighting more. By being edited the image looks much more clearer.

Contact Sheet

This is my contact sheet for Rembrandt lighting.

Image Selection

Above you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out my worst ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good.

Original Image

This is one example of Rembrandt lighting due to a triangle present under the left cheek, Which resembles Rembrandt lighting. In this photo there is an intense shadow. On the right of the image you can see all I have done is makes some slight adjustments to the texture and other things like that.

Black and White Image

This is the same image cropped due to lots of negative space on the left side, which will create an unbalanced photo and Next you can see I decided to crop the image to centre the subject a bit more.

This is the final black and white image. This is the same photo that has been cropped and slightly edited to enhance the Rembrandt lighting slightly more. By being edited the image looks much more clearer and concise .

Butterfly Lighting

Contact Sheet

Image Selection

Above you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out my worst ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good.

Image Editing

I have done some slight editing to enhance the contrast, texture ,whites and black.

Next ,I’ve decide to crop the image to decrease the negative space on either side , so the photo can looked balanced . I have also cropped the image make the subject more centred.

Final Outcome

Black and White

This is the same image cropped due to lots of negative space on the left side, which will create an unbalanced photo. Next you can see I decided to crop the image to centre the subject a bit more.

Final Photo with an Evaluation

This is the final black and white image. This is the same photo that has been cropped and slightly edited to enhance the butterfly lighting slightly more. The butterfly lighting is present under the frame of her glasses . By being edited the image looks much more clearer and concise .

Spilt Lighting

Image Editing

In this photo, I have some slight editing. I have edited the texture, highlights, black and the shadows.

I have cropped the image due to there being to much negative space on the left side .I have done this because it might ruin the photo and the photo will be unbalanced. I also cropped it to ,make the subject much more centred.

What is studio lighting?

Studio lighting refers to how a light source, artificial or natural, lights up the scene, subject and object that is being photographed.

Why do we use studio lighting?

We use studio lighting because its an  essential tool for photographers to brighten up their images and videos. 

What is the difference between 1-2-3 point lighting?

One point lighting is where only one light is involved when the photo is taken. One point light will give off light equally in every direction, similar to a light bulb as all rays will come from a single point.

Two point lighting is used is an essential lighting technique used in film and photography that consists the use of two light sources to brighten up a subject. This setup makes depth and dimension, enhancing the visual appeal by adding shadows and highlights that will define shapes.

Three-point lighting is a classic method for lighting up a subject in a scene with light sources from three noticeable positions. The three types of lights are key light, fill light, and backlight. Key light is the most intense light source in the three-point lighting setup. Three point lighting gives off a three-dimensional look.

 Key Light

What it provides: Generally  the key light is the common  source of light and its placed at an angle to the subject to create texture, depth, and contrast. It highlights the form and dimension of on-screen subjects and allow cinematographers to manage  the atmosphere of a scene.

Positioning: The key light is generally  placed at a 45 degree angle to the person, it has to be only  above eye level and to one side.

Effect: Using a soft and flattering  key light it will make some more distributed  shadows, conveying a gentle, pleasant and natural feel. On the other hand, a hard key light generates sharp, acute and well-defined shadows, which can be used to create a more sudden  or stylized portrait.

Fill Light

What it provides: The purpose of a fill light is to brighten up the parts of the subject that the main light wont be able to reach.

Positioning: If your main light source is trailing behind your subject, then place the fill light forward of your subject. If your main light source is to the side of your subject, then place your fill light to the side of your subject as well.

Effect: Balancing the overall brightness of a scene, specifically in areas with shadows or low light contrast. Its main function is to soften and weaken the shadows and get rid of the firmness of the key light. This results in a more engaging and balanced visual.

Back light

What it provides: Backlight is light that hits an actor or subject by trailing behind, typically its higher than the subject than its exposing. Backlighting an object or actor from the background creates more depth, texture and shape to any subject.

Positioning: Place the camera in the direction and insight of the subject and position your subject in a way so that the backlight is directly trailing behind the subject.

Effect: This will create a light spill effect, where the light seems to spill from behind the framework of your subject.

Rembrandt Lighting

What is Rembrandt Lighting?

This type of portrait photography is named after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, A great Dutch painter. It points out a way of lighting on a face so it is an upside-down light triangle which will occur underneath the eyes of the subject. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector  or two lights, which is very popular because it is able to produce images which will appear both natural and fascinating, with minimal of equipment. 

Example of Rembrandt Lighting Photo

Why should you use Rembrandt lighting ?

Rembrandt Lighting should be used because it makes the subject or the object the main focus of the image by producing a lit up face and a very dark background, in doing this the eye of the subject or object of the image is the first thing that you will see offering a unique view point of the image. Using this style of inventive writing is something that will make the portrait that you have taken stick out while still being something that you wouldn’t normally expect from what people usually predict.

Who was Rembrandt?

Rembrandt (born July 15, 1606, Leiden, Netherlands—died October 4, 1669, Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter, he was a very intelligent, brilliant and capable artist and was well known for being able to catch people emotions in his portraits, he was also well known because of the use of shadows in his work.

How To Create A Rembrandt Lighting Set Up

Light: Lighting styles are decisive by the positioning of the light source.  Rembrandt lighting is created by the single light source coming in at a 40 to 45-degree angle and larger than the subject. Use cans use both lights and continuous lights.

Lens: Use a 35mm or 50mm focal length, if the space is at a premium – or if you’re looking at adding more of the subject than just the head and shoulders. A 50mm works perfectly for portraits and will give a great depth of field if you’re shooting at a shallow aperture. But a 35mm will give you a wider point of view and is great to fit more of the body in of your subject or the object.

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
Focal length: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod
Manual exposure mode
White balance
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources are used
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens

Rembrandt Lighting Mood Board

This is my collection of photos I have gathered on Rembrandt Lighting.

Chiaroscuro Lighting

What Is Chiaroscuro Lighting?

Chiaroscuro Lighting is an Italian lighting technique that stands for Light Dark in English , its a very high contrast lighting technique that needs to use a low key lighting set up, it needs to have a single light source to generate a dark background with its subjects and objects.

Why should you use it?

Chiaroscuro Lighting should be used as it will provides an abstract contrast that will draw attention to the subject or object and to build a dark , shadowy background, doing this can include a more unique look to the images that you take to boost the atmosphere and can will create three dimensional look to the image.

Who Created This Type Of Lighting?

Chiaroscuro lighting was developed by Leonardo Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. It is a trademark quality in the works of their Renaissance period and art movement but is well known today for its role foe being key in the film noir sub-genre of movies through low-key photography.

How To Create A Chiaroscuro Lighting Set Up

To create Chiaroscuro in photography you need to:

Chiaroscuro in photography: Chiaroscuro using one key light and to use a variety using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.

flash “bouncing”, fill-in flash, TTL / Speedlight flash, remote / infra-red flash (studio lighting), fast + slow synch flash and light painting c/w slow shutter speeds

Chiaroscuro Lighting Mood Board

This is my collection of photos I have gathered on Chiaroscuro Lighting.

Butterfly Lighting

What Is Butterfly Lighting?

Butterfly lighting is an element of studio lighting that is usually used within portraiture photography, as the name suggests the lighting used forms a butterfly shape underneath the nose of the subject of the image. This is because the light comes from above the camera and you face will create a shadow.

Why Should You Use Butterfly Lighting?

You should use butterfly lighting because it will create a narrow face. It also produces a soft, flattering illumination that will minimize imperfections on the subject’s face. This type of lighting is a unique type of lighting due to creating a different atmospheres in images we usually see.

Who Created Butterfly Lighting?

Butterfly lighting was not created by one specific person but it was rather developed over time in Hollywood back in the 1930’s, it was mainly used on a person called Marlene Dietrich who was massive Hollywood star around that time.

Butterfly Lighting Set Up

Lighting: Butterfly lighting will need a key light that can be a flash or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun.

A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup and not to the quality of light – it can be soft or hard light depending on what you want your photo looking like.

Butterfly Lighting Mood Board

These are pictures I have gathered to make a Butterfly Lighting Mood Board.

My Environmental Portrait Photoshoot

As you can see above I took 50 images from the camera of my sister and my mum. I took lots so I could experiment and pick my best photos and the one I wanted to use for my final piece. I then continued to take many of photos of my sister and my mum with many different camera settings and different lighting conditions to achieve the ideal result I wanted.

Photos I didn’t like

I didn’t like this photo due to lots of visual noise that has been taking part and will give the photo a degraded quality. This photo was taken at an ISO of 400. It also has a wide aperture of 7.1 and has a shutter speed of 1/6.

I also didn’t like this photo due to how dark it is and you can also barley see it. This is what happens when you don’t have enough light in your room, in the camera or in the photo. It gives no proper final image. It was also taken at a shutter speed of 1/80.

Lastly, I also didn’t like this photo due to extra light from the flash it has made the photo go extra fuzzy and made it to create a degrading quality. It also didn’t match the theme is was going for.

Selection Process

As you can see above I pressed P to keep the images I wanted to use for my final photos. I used X to get rid of the images i didn’t wanted to use for the future. Then I gave a rating for the images, they all had a rating out of 5.The images with 4 and 5 stars are the images I wanted to use for my final photos. The photos I didn’t like I rated 1-3 stars. Finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being average . Red was for very bad photos. I will edit the images so I can present final photos.

Editing My Best Images

These are my three best images that have been edited.

This image started with more negative space on the left than on the right. To create a more balanced outcome, I cropped the image as above.

When cropping, I made sure to maintain an equal photo

For this image I also wanted to enhance the contrast and tone, to exaggerate the texture.

This image had lots of negative space on the left rather than the right. For the image to be more balanced I had to crop it to get the best result.

When cropping I mad sure that the photo was balanced on both sides, so the photo would look aesthetically pleasing to the eye and make people want ton look at it .

Also, I enhanced clarity and the dehaze setting on Lightroom to get the image to look like this.

In this image I had to get rid of most of the negative space on the left side on the photo rather than the right. I also got rid of negative space at the top and the bottom of the photo. To get the best result this photo need to be cropped.

As I was cropping this photo I need to make sure that the photo was balanced and proportional , so the photo looks pleasing to the eye.

For this image I also had to enhance the contrast and tone, to exaggerate the texture. I also enhanced the shutter speed.

Black and White Final Images

These are my final images edited

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being balanced . If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

After being cropped the photo looks more visually appealing to look at.

For this image I also had to enhance the dehaze, clarity and the texture setting to achieve this type of image.

For the filter I used the style; Cinematic to create this type of photo.

This isn’t a white photo but i managed to brighten it up since it was dark. To brighten it up is used two filters called BW7 and F6 these filters are from Lightroom.

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being proportional. If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

After being cropped the photo looks more visually pleasing and nice to look at.

For this image I also had to enhance the contrast, exposure ,dehaze, clarity and tone to exaggerate the texture.

This isn’t a white photo but I managed to brighten it up since it was dark. To brighten it up is used three filters called BW07,FT06 and SP05 these filters are from Lightroom.

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being proportional. If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

After being cropped the photo looks more visually pleasing and nice to look at.

For this image I also had to enhance the exposure ,dehaze, clarity and tone to exaggerate the texture.

Editing Photos into a Black Filter

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being proportional. If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

After being cropped the photo looks more visually pleasing and nice to look at.

For this image I also had to enhance the dehaze, clarity and tone to exaggerate the texture.

In this photo I used the filter called BW11 this filter darkened the photo a bit, this is what a aimed for.

In this photo I used a black and white filter called BW09, this darkened my photo, this is what I achieved due to using this filter.

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being proportional. If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

After being cropped the photo looks more visually pleasing and nice to look at.

For this image I also had to enhance the highlights and the shadows to enhance the clarity on this photo.

In this photo I used a filter called BW11, this has made this image both light and dark, this has balanced out the highlights and shadows, so it means that the foreground is more in focus.

In this photo I had to slightly crop it due to the sides of the photo not being proportional. If I hadn’t cropped the photo, the photo would look unbalanced and there would be too much negative on the background of the photo.

For this image I also had to enhance the highlights and the shadows to enhance the clarity on this photo.

My Final 4 Photos With Analysis

These are my final 4 photos due to a mixture of a light and dark tone. By having a light tone it makes the photo produced have a sharp with a strong contrast. By having a dark tone many photographs seem to have less impact and less visual vibration. By having some straight lines in the photos it means these lines have geometric quality and also have centre of attention. . The images that I took had lots of negative space around it so I had to crop it to make the photos balanced on each side.

Arnold Abner Newman was an American photographer, known for his “environmental portraits” of artists and politicians. He was also known for his composed abstract and still life images. Newman was born : March 3, 1918,  New York , United States and Died: June 6, 2006 (age 88 years), New York, United States.

Photo Analysis

Visual

The person is the main focal point. Krupp is in-between the concrete pillars which create a cold and outdated effect, he is placed in the centre so the photo will create a line of symmetry. Krupp is leaning forward with hands which are interlocked in-between each other. Interlocking hands means that Krupp is connected to the place in the photo. Krupp shows lots of eye contact which creates a feeling of intimidation towards us, which also makes us scared and not want to go near him. Eye contact also shows a high level of confidence. The background of this photo is in an industrial environment, which shows that Krupp is in charge or owns the environment that he is in. Leading lines make the photo look balanced and proportional and position Krupp very central due where the lines start and finish.

Technical

The lighting may be artificial due to many different light that may be used and also due to the intensity of the light. Also the lights will create a powerful contrast on the sitters face. Which will make him more mysterious and darkening his gaze. The aperture is placed at a medium due to the amount of light the will want in the photo. This ha a very sharp foreground due to having a low ISO which makes the image look a lot clearer. Is placed at a medium aperture- very sharp foreground, slightly softer background . Able to identify environmental details, which means that easy to see. The Shutter speed- is quite a fast because Newman wanted to capture a very specific moment while the subject is in focus and also creates a balanced exposure. The angle is exactly eye level with the sitter which means we are immediately drawn tot him and also feels like we are extremely close to him.

Contextual

Alfred Krupp is the only subject in this photo which means he’s the main character. An Industrialist who ran war factories manufactured arms for the Nazi assault on Europe. Using slave labour from the concentration camps, is where the prisoners of war were literarily worked to death. The majority of the men and boys who perished were Jewish and Krupp holds a particular grudge amongst there people.​Arnold Newman was Jewish of origin. Krupp was reluctant to agree for the photo to be taken but he eventually agreed. He didn’t want the photo taken by Newman due to him being Jewish, Krupp disliked the Jews. When deciding what to do with the shot , Newman asked Krupp to lean forward slightly, when he did he interlocked his fingers together tightly under his chin. The light hit the face completely and when Newman saw this effect he said ‘That he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck’. This image became one of the most famous images of Newman’s Career.

Conceptual

When Krupp saw the picture he was said to have been furious due to the artist being Jewish. For Newman this was a little bit of revenge for him. The photo captures Krupp in a serious, sincere and a menacing light. The flow of the photo brought Krupp out from the shadows and allowed Newman to share his envy for his man with the world.

August Sander

August Sander (1876–1964) was a German photographer , which was well known for his work documenting and capturing German community in the early 20th century.

August Sander’s photography is powerful for its organised approach to gathering people and securing a wide range of individuals from different parts of life in Germany, often attention on class, occupation, and social role.

Social and Class Structures: Sander’s portraits weren’t just about capturing the physical appearance of his subjects. They were important roles that people played within the larger framework of a community . He saw his work as a way to show the complexities of class, identity, and occupation, often seeing how social status and profession were reflected in a person’s appearance and lifestyle.

He gave respect to the people he photographed, regardless of their social standing and state . His photography gives a message that a sense of equality among the subjects in the photographs. He wanted to truly show the reality of life in Germany, from lower class life to high class.

Legacy

Sander’s most memorable series was , People of the 20th Century, was never fully accomplished in his lifetime, and much of his work remained unpublished during his career. However, the project has since been regarded as one of the most important photographic tasks of the 20th century.

Typologies

A photographic typology is a study of “types”. That is, a photographic series that prioritizes “collecting” rather than single or one image. It’s a powerful method of photography that can be used to reshape the way we see the world around us.

The concept of Photographic Typologies gets its origins from August Sander’s 1929 portrait series  from Face of Our Time, which captured the diverse social fabric of Germany between the two World Wars. Sander’s intent was to capture a cross-section of a community in Germany —its various types, classes, and the relationships that are linked them. He recognized that displaying his portraits as a collective series revealed much more meaning than displaying them individually. Unfortunately, his photography had such significance and power that just four years after its creation, the Nazi regime had the photographic plates which were demolished and then the book was banned.

A typology in photography is a study of “types” , which is a collection of images put together to gather a meaning, rather than individual and isolated shots. This approach shifts the focus to “collecting” and categorizing, and has become a method for reshaping and how we think about the world around us . The term “typology” itself gotten exposure in photography in 1959, when the German artists Bernd and Hilla Becher began documenting the industrial architecture of Germany that was disappearing quickly . The Becher’s described their subjects as buildings where anonymity is the new style. Their objective was to document a fading landscape, and in doing so, typologies not only captured a moment in time but also invited viewers to reflect on the photographs in the broader context of history and community of Germany.

August Sanders Photography Analysis

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

Due to the black and white format and filter on this photograph , it is hard to see what lighting was used. However, upon further inspection I can able to conclude that the source of light could be natural, coming from a window in the middle of the day , This is because if you look into the metal bowl grasped by the chef, the lighting seems to be in the shape of a distorted rectangle, which closely comes from a window. Additionally , due to the lighting being softly diffused, and not having a hard tone and definition within the subject/ where the projection is giving heavy and contrasting shadows upon the subjects body and face ( Similar to how artificial light would create a hard light with little diffusion) It is fair to say that the lighting is natural due to it having very similar characteristics to it. Finally, due to the angle of the reflection on his head compared to the angle of the light on the bowl, we can also conclude that there many windows positioned to the right of the subject and in the foreground of the photo ( due many light sources within the reflections) , all working together to make the scene of lighting and the atmosphere.

The tonal range in this shot (the range of tones in-between the darkest and brightest areas of an image that are caught by your camera.) which is wide as they are clearly many points within the image with pure black and pure white , along with lots of shades of grey in-between, This in return creates a lot of contrast within the image which will highlight the key features of the subjects body and outline. Additionally its easy to tell that this image is perfectly exposed, because the detail is still clear and nothing is too dark or too bright, cutting out the glare within the shot, from reflections.

APERTURE

The Aperture Used to create this shot is most likely quite low in the ranges of f2-4.He used a low aperture to capture a great shallow depth of field. Low apertures are ideal foe capturing portraits , as seen in the photograph with the chef, the subject (chef) is in focus which is the foreground, whereas his background is out of focus.

SHUTTER SPEED

With the Low aperture , I predicted there will be a fast shutter speed that was in use in order to capture the amount of light being let in through the lens. ( at least 1/200th of a second handheld or 1/15th of a second on a tripod.)A tripod was used to keep the camera still while in use . What supports my prediction is that there is no minimal motion blur, Meaning either the subject stood very still or at a  high shutter speed was used to capture the moment in time without any blur.

ISO

The ISO used to take this photo was most likely quite low, as there is no visible grain or a degrading quality present in the photo and the image is very clear , additionally the image itself is extremely dark meaning a low ISO must have been used, which makes sense as the low aperture already lets in plenty of light into the camera , meaning that the light sensitivity of the camera wouldn’t need to be high, around 100-200 was probably used.

My Plan For My Photoshoot

Environments

Subjects – I will take photos of my sister and my mum in the same environments.

For this I will take photos of my mum and my sister so both of them will feel connected.

Mum- Holding a ukulele

Sister – Kicking a ball, reading a book and roller-skating.

Poses

Will be quite natural and will be of their type of hobby. They will pose with a natural and stern face.

Gaze

I intend of all of my subjects to be look at the camera.

composition

I will experiment to with lots of different types of composition such as the rule of thirds .

Aperture

I will use most of the aperture numbers on the camera to get a wide range of experimentation and photos to show.

Framing

I will be using full body,1/2 and some headshot photos and I will crop but I wont use a tighter crop because I want the environment behind to have a visible picture. Examples are shown below.

Oriental

In my environmental portraits I will make a majority of landscape phots so is able to capture the environment and i will also incorporate some portrait photos.

Portrait environmental Portait

Landscape environmental portrait