Cindy Sherman is a renowned artist from the Pictures Generation, a group of artists who sought to critique and analyze their relationship with popular culture and mass media. Sherman grew up on Long Island, New York, and in 1972, she enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo, initially majoring in painting before switching to photography. Her work is defined by her use of self-portraiture to create fictional characters, exploring themes such as identity, representation, and the construction of femininity. Through her art, Sherman challenges the societal norms and expectations placed on women. While Sherman herself contends that her images are not self-portraits, I believe that, technically, they still function as such, as she uses herself to explore and question the roles and stereotypes imposed on women.

Mood Board of her work

Image Analysis

Mise en scene

It is the arrangement of the scenery. Sherman has used it effectively to portray the woman as a house wife sort of person. The way she is stood over the sink with the white basket for dirty plates and cutlery and washing up liquid near her is very stereotypical. also you can see a pan in the bottom left and a mug bottom centre which she looks to be cleaning. The woman is also wearing an apron tied around her waist.

Visual

Sherman has taken on the role of a housewife preparing a meal for her family, as indicated by her apron and the cooking supplies visible in the frame. The photo appears to have been taken at the kitchen counter, with part of her head cropped out, emphasizing the cramped space and the sense of confinement she may be experiencing. She stands at the counter, holding her stomach and looking over her shoulder, conveying a sense of worry or concern about what might be happening behind her. The act of cradling her stomach suggests protectiveness, possibly toward herself or an unborn child. The overall atmosphere is one of unease, further emphasized by the tight space around her, as she is positioned against the wall, hinting at isolation. Her placement to the right third of the image subtly reinforces her secondary role or diminished importance in the scene.

Technical

The shutter speed in this image is relatively fast, ensuring the subject remains in sharp focus with a well-balanced exposure, despite the monochrome palette. The camera angle is positioned lower, enhancing the sense that we are either sharing the moment with her or observing the scene from an outsider’s viewpoint, much like a friend. The composition is a half-body shot, focusing on her waist and above, which adds intimacy by bringing us closer to her—rather than seeing her full body from a distance. The aperture appears small, keeping most of the image in focus, although the depth of field is shallow, with the pan handle in the foreground blurred.

Contextual

Historically, women have often been depicted in the media as housewives whose roles were limited to depending on men, staying at home to clean, cook, and care for children. They were also expected to maintain their appearance for their husbands, always having their makeup and hair done, in addition to fulfilling these domestic duties. This portrayal reduced women to objects, reinforcing traditional gender roles. However, Sherman subverted these stereotypes by dressing as these idealized women, challenging the media’s narrow and unrealistic representations. Through her series Untitled Film Stills, she highlighted that these portrayals are mere stereotypes, not reflective of the diverse and complex reality of womanhood.

Conceptual

Given the context, it’s clear that Cindy Sherman is the subject in every one of her images. She uses herself to embody various stereotypes, critiquing the film industry through her Untitled Film Stills series. By choosing this title, Sherman targets the film industry as the source of these limited, dominant portrayals of women. By acting as the subject, she mocks the media’s idealized image of the “typical” woman, revealing how these depictions are fabricated. Sherman exaggerates her features, using fake noses and eyebrows to transform her appearance, highlighting the artificiality of these representations. Her work also resonates with today’s media landscape, where many young girls are influenced by models who embody similar stereotypes of femininity, something Sherman was already challenging in her time.

Linking Image

In this pseudo-self portrait, Sherman assumes the persona of Claude Cahun, pioneer of self-portraiture and the French surrealist movement. Like Sherman, Cahun’s interdisciplinary and political art practice explored notions of gender performance, using masquerade and costumes to play with identity construction for the camera. 

Close-cropped and black and white, Sherman highlights the artists’ signature French mime makeup and confrontational gaze. She holds a piece of silk fabric tightly bound at her chin. 

Claude Cahun

Like Sherman, Cahun’s interdisciplinary and political art practice explored notions of gender performance, using masquerade and costumes to play with identity construction for the camera. Close-cropped and black and white, Sherman highlights the artists’ signature French mime makeup and confrontational gaze.

Her work left a huge impression on photography and directly influenced contemporary photographer Cindy Sherman who developed a fascination for disguise.

What is identity ?

The fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

Identity is the set of qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person or a group. Identity emerges during childhood as children start to comprehend their self-concept, and it remains a consistent aspect throughout different stages of life.

What is femininity ?

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls.

Femininity, in the context of the Social Sciences, refers to a socializing ideology that encompasses various interpretations and expressions of being a woman. It is not a fixed set of essential traits, but rather a concept that defines and organizes gender-related practices and relationships.

what is masculinity ?

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men or boys.

Masculinity involves displaying attitudes and behaviours that signify and validate maleness, and involves being recognised in particular ways by other men and women.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is your deeply-held inner feelings of whether you’re female or male, both, or neither.

Cultural Identity

Your cultural identity is a critical piece of your personal identity that develops as you absorb, interpret, and adopt or reject the beliefs, values, behaviours, and norms of the communities in your life. Our cultural identity can evolve, as culture is ever-evolving and dynamic.

Social Identity

Social identity refers to the ways that people’s self-concepts are based on their membership in social groups. Examples include sports teams, religions, nationalities, occupations, sexual orientation, ethnic groups, and gender.

Geographical Identity

An individual or group’s sense of attachment to the country, region, city, or village in which they live.

Political Identity

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

loss of Identity

A lack of self belief. Questioning value and worth – who am I without this job, role, title? Feeling lost without a sense of direction. Disconnected to personal values 

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are characteristics that society instinctively attributes to groups of people to classify them according to age, weight, occupation, skin colour, gender, etc. Sexual stereotyping involves associating girls and boys with separate and, at times, opposing sets of characteristics.

Mood Board

1. DOUBLE/ MULTI-EXPOSURE: layer or merge two or three images into one portrait.
2. MONTAGE: Select an appropriate set of portraits and create a montage of layered images in Photoshop as an A3 document.

Double or multiple exposures are an illusion created by layering images (or portions of images) over the top of each other. This can be achieved in the camera settings, or on Adobe Photoshop by creating LAYERS and then using BLENDING OPTIONS and OPACITY CONTROL, but also by erasing through parts of layers to reveal parts of other images.

Artist Reference

Man Ray

Man Ray, originally named Emmanuel Radnitzky, was born on August 27, 1890, and passed away on November 18, 1976. He was an influential American artist who spent a large part of his life in Paris. While he played an important role in the Dada and Surrealist movements, his connections to these movements were more casual than formal. Man Ray created significant pieces across various art forms but primarily identified as a painter. He gained fame for his innovative photography and was well-known for his work in fashion and portrait photography. Additionally, he is recognized for his unique photograms, which he referred to as “rayographs” as a nod to his own name.

Multi-Exposure

Multi-exposure in photography is a technique where multiple exposures are combined into a single image, creating a composite that captures different moments, subjects, or perspectives in one frame. This technique can be achieved either in-camera or through post-processing.

In-Camera Multi-Exposure:

Many modern cameras have a multi-exposure mode, where you can take multiple shots and have them automatically merged into one frame. For instance, you might take two exposures, and the camera blends them into a single image.

This can be used to create a layered effect, where the elements of each exposure blend together, often in artistic and creative ways. It’s useful for capturing motion, combining portraits with landscapes, or adding surreal effects.

Post-Processing Multi-Exposure:

In post-processing, you can manually combine several exposures using software like Adobe Photoshop. You might take several photos, each with a different subject or lighting, and layer them into one image, adjusting opacity, blending modes, and masking.

This method allows for much greater control over the final result, such as selectively blending certain parts of each exposure.

Creative Uses:

Motion and time: Capturing a subject in multiple positions over time, such as a person walking, leaves blowing, or a bird flying.

Double Exposure: A specific form of multi-exposure where two different images (e.g., a portrait and a landscape) are merged in a way that they overlap and interact.

Surreal Effects: Combining unrelated elements or scenes to create dream-like or abstract compositions.

Key Tips:

Exposure Control: Each exposure in a multi-exposure sequence should be carefully managed to avoid overexposure or unwanted artefacts.

Composition: Consider how the subjects or elements will interact, as the layering effect can sometimes cause confusion or distraction if not thoughtfully arranged.

Multi-exposure offers creative flexibility, allowing photographers to produce imaginative and unconventional results.

Photo Montage

Montage in photography is a technique that involves combining multiple photos or elements to create a single, unified image. This can be done by digitally blending different photographs or physically assembling pieces of images, often by cutting and pasting. Montage allows photographers to create complex, layered compositions that can convey a range of ideas or emotions, often in an abstract or surreal way.

Historically, montage gained prominence in the early 20th century, particularly within the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Artists like Hannah Höch and Raoul Hausmann used photomontage as a form of political expression or to critique societal norms. The technique also played a significant role in Soviet cinema, where filmmakers like Sergei Eisenstein used montage to build powerful narratives and emotions.

In photography, montage can serve a variety of creative purposes. It allows for storytelling by combining images that represent different moments or ideas. It also gives room for symbolism, where contrasting images are brought together to create a deeper meaning or message. A photographer might use montage to form visual metaphors, such as blending a portrait with nature or cityscapes to explore themes like identity or societal pressure. Juxtaposing seemingly unrelated images can create striking contrasts or harmonious compositions, depending on the artist’s intent.

To achieve a successful montage, a photographer must pay careful attention to the technical aspects of blending images. This includes adjusting lighting, colour, and shadows so that the combined elements appear cohesive. The composition also plays a crucial role in ensuring the image is balanced and that the viewer’s attention is guided through the visual elements in a meaningful way.

Overall, montage is a versatile and creative technique in photography, enabling the photographer to build new realities or present complex ideas in a single frame.

Here are some of my creative images

Photomontage is often used as a means of expressing political dissent.

It was first used as a technique by the Dadaists in 1915 in their protests against the First World War. It was later adopted by the surrealists who exploited the possibilities photomontage offered by using free association to bring together widely disparate images, to reflect the workings of the unconscious mind.

In 1923 the Russian constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko began experimenting with photomontage as a way of creating striking socially engaged imagery concerned with the placement and movement of objects in space.

Coloured Gels

Coloured Gels is a transparent coloured material that is attached on to the red-head lights which can modify the temperature and the feel of the image which is useful if you want to find a type of lighting to suit the subject your taking a picture of or if you want to make your picture look unique or standout more.

It is used for multiple different purposes such as to colour light and for colour correction and it is used in not only just photography but in videography and theatre as well.

Mood Board

Studio Lighting

Here are three examples of lighting in more detail

Top Lighting, Bottom Lighting, Side Lighting, Front Lighting, Back Lighting

Top lighting is when the source of light is above the object being shot.

Bottom lighting is when it is below the object being pointed up.

Side lighting is when it is to either side of the object lighting up one side of the face.

Front lighting is when the light is at the front being pointed straight at 90 degrees.

Back lighting is when the source of light is behind the object you are shooting shining through the face.

1. Key Light

• What it provides: The Key Light is the main source of illumination in the scene. It’s typically the strongest light and is placed at an angle to the subject to create depth, texture, and contrast. It defines the overall look and mood of the scene.
• Positioning: The Key Light is often placed at about a 45-degree angle to the subject, slightly above eye level, and to one side (either left or right).
• Effect: The Key Light creates shadows and highlights on the subject, shaping their features and adding drama or contrast. The direction and intensity of the Key Light largely control the mood of the shot (e.g., soft lighting for a gentle mood, hard lighting for a more dramatic or intense look).

2. Fill Light

• What it provides: The Fill Light is used to soften the shadows created by the Key Light. It doesn’t create its own shadows but fills in the areas of the subject that would otherwise be dark or underexposed.
• Positioning: The Fill Light is usually placed opposite to the Key Light, often at a lower intensity. It may also be positioned close to the camera to light the subject from a more neutral angle, reducing harsh shadows while maintaining some contrast.
• Effect: The Fill Light ensures that the subject’s features are visible in the shadow areas, preventing the shot from looking too contrast-heavy or having overly dark regions. The amount of Fill Light can be adjusted to achieve the desired balance of shadow and detail.

3. Back Light

• What it provides: The Back Light is placed behind the subject, often at a high angle, to illuminate the subject from the rear. It’s used to separate the subject from the background and add a sense of depth and dimension to the scene.
• Positioning: The Back Light is usually placed opposite the camera, behind the subject, and sometimes slightly elevated, depending on the effect desired. It can also be called a Rim Light if it’s used to highlight the edges of the subject, or a Hair Light if it’s specifically used to light the hair.
• Effect: The Back Light creates a rim or halo around the subject, which can help define the subject’s silhouette and give the subject more visual separation from the background. It adds contrast and depth, preventing the subject from looking flat. In portraiture, it can also create a nice glow around the subject’s hair or shoulders.

Rembrandt Lighting

What it is:
Rembrandt Lighting is a classic lighting setup that creates a distinctive triangle of light on the subject’s cheek, often on the shadowed side of the face. It is named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who famously used this lighting technique in his portrait paintings to create a dramatic yet natural look.

Butterfly Lighting

What it is:
Butterfly Lighting is named for the butterfly-shaped shadow that is cast under the subject’s nose when the light is positioned directly above the subject’s face. It’s a glamorous and high-fashion lighting style that was popularized by Hollywood portrait photographers in the 1930s.

Chiaroscuro

What it is:
Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that means “light-dark” and refers to the technique of using strong contrasts between light and dark to create a dramatic, three-dimensional effect. This technique has its roots in painting, especially in the works of artists like Caravaggio, who mastered the use of light and shadow to create a sense of depth and volume in his subjects.

Fill Lighting

Fill lighting is a key lighting technique used to soften and balance the shadows created by the key light in a lighting setup. While the key light is the primary source of illumination, creating contrast and defining the subject’s form, fill light serves to reduce the intensity of those shadows without eliminating them entirely. This allows for a more natural, balanced look in the image or scene, ensuring that important details in shadowed areas are visible without compromising the dramatic effect created by the key light.

Purpose of Fill Lighting:

• Softens Shadows: The primary purpose of fill light is to soften or “fill in” the dark areas (shadows) created by the key light, reducing contrast in a way that maintains a more even exposure across the subject.
• Balance Exposure: Fill light helps ensure that no areas of the subject are too underexposed (i.e., too dark), which can be especially important for preserving detail in portraits and ensuring the subject’s features are clearly visible.
• Control Mood and Contrast: By adjusting the strength of the fill light, you can control the overall contrast in the image. A stronger fill light will result in a flatter image with fewer shadows, while a weaker fill will maintain more dramatic shadow areas.
• Preserve Depth and Dimension: While fill light softens shadows, it doesn’t remove them entirely, allowing for some sense of depth and three-dimensionality in the shot.

Artist Reference 1

Rankin

John Rankin Waddell (Rankin) is a British photographer and director who has photographed, amongst other subjects, Björk, Kate Moss, Madonna, David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II. 

The London Evening Standard described Rankin’s fashion and portrait photography style as “high-gloss, highly sexed and hyper-perfect”. He has directed music videos, documentaries, a feature film, short films and commercials. He is renowned for revolutionising visual culture.

Rankin charges around £500 per shoot. He lets customers pose in front of the lens, solo or with a friend and takes there photos. After the shoot they will receive a digital version of their final portrait and an A4 authenticated print.

This is one of his photos which I really love. He has put the photo in black and white which I think is really effective as it helps emphasise and highlight all the different tones whilst keeping it simple. The lighting in this photo is well thought about her whole face is lit up and you can clearly see she is happy. However, the sides of her face are a bit darker which could mean he is using front lighting where the light is pointed straight at her face. I also really like how her hands are placed the one close to the camera adds a 3D perspective and looks really cool.

As you can see I drew lines on the image and realised that Rankin also uses the rule of thirds in this image as her face sits on the line.

Photoshoot

Rembrandt Lighting

This lighting is created when the light is shining at a 45 degree angle across the models face. The lighting creates a triangle just below the eye as you can see I have highlighted this triangle.

Butterfly Lighting

with this lighting the shadow is formed under the nose. It is achieved by shining the light directly down on the models face from above.

Chiaroscuro

This lighting is half light half dark. it can be achieved by shining the light at a 90 degree angle to the face so half his face is lit up and the other half is getting no light.

Fill lighting

Fill lighting is a key lighting technique used to soften and balance the shadows created by the key light. This allows for a more natural, balanced look in the image

1. Outdoor environment 1 person
2. Indoor environment 1 person 
3. two or more people

• who you are photographing
• what you are photographing
• when you are conducting the shoot
• where you are working/ location
• why you are designing the shoot in this way
• how you are going to produce the images (lighting / equipment etc)

Photoshoot 1

I photographed Connie in her garden as she loves gardening so this was her natural environment. I did the photoshoot mid day so the sun was out and there was good natural light.

These were all my photos I took 90 overall and I think overall it was very successful

In this snip you can see my favourite photos as I have highlighted them in green there is quite a few of them.

These are my favourite photos up close. There are 6 of them that I really like I am going to take them into Lightroom and do a bit of editing.

In this process I am rotating my photo so the background is straight and using the rule of thirds so she is sort of walking into the photograph.

This is how the photo ended up. I think it looks much better as the stairs in the back are straight and she is walking into the photo.

I presented my final pieces on art steps virtual gallery

An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings.

Arnold Newman

Arnold Abner Newman was an American photographer, noted for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images. In 2006, he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. He also won the Lucie award in 2004.

Alfred Krupp

Alfred Krupp was a German steel manufacturer and inventor; the largest arms supplier of his era, which earned him the nickname “The Cannon King”. Krupp’s wartime employment of slave labour resulted in the “Krupp Trial” of 1947–1948, following which he served three years in prison.

Arnold Newman and Alfred Krupp photo Analysis

Alfred Krupp was a Nazi war criminal who was known for using slave labour in his factories, this can be seen in the background of this image if you look closely. Krupp contacted the famous photographer Newman for a portrait in 1963. After finding out that Newman was a Jew, Krupp refused to let him take the photograph.

Newman didn’t give up he kept asking Krupp to have a look at his portfolio before making a final decision, after seeing Newman’s portfolio Krupp finally gave in and accepted. So on July 6, 1963, Newman and some others went into a derelict factory in Essen which belonged to Krupp, This was where the photo was taken. After Krupp’s history Newman decided to make him look as evil as possible under the eerie demonic lighting of the factory.

This portrait was taken using a wide angle lens, there is a bigger sense of perspective, the lighting is eerie and demonic with the green tint which makes the subject appear very sinister. Krupp is presented as smug and almost proud of his actions, this is seen through his positioning in the photo where his hands are being placed together, his smile is clearly shown. His position in the photo taking up the whole bottom half being above and in front of the factory also is trying to suggest that he is being smug or sly .

Artist reference 2

August Sander

August Sander was a German photographer whose work documented the society he lived in. He was one the most important portrait photographers of the early 20th century.

Bio

The son of a mining carpenter, Sander apprenticed as a miner in 1889. Acquiring his first camera in 1892, he took up photography as a hobby and, after military service, pursued it professionally, working in a series of photographic firms and studios in Germany.

By 1904 he had his own studio in Linz, and, after his army service in World War I, he settled permanently in Cologne, where in the 1920s his circle of friends included photographers and painters dedicated to what was called Neue Sachlichkeit, or New Objectivity.

About his photographs

After photographing local farmers near Cologne, Sander was inspired to produce a series of portraits of German people from all strata of society. He was committed to telling the truth. His portraits were usually stark, photographed straight on in natural light, with facts of the sitters’ class and profession alluded to through clothing, gesture, and backdrop. At the Cologne Art Society exhibition in 1927, Sander showed 60 photographs of “Man in the Twentieth Century,” and two years later he published Antlitz der Zeit which translates to Face of Our Time, the first of what was projected to be a series offering a sociological, pictorial survey of the class structure of Germany.

Brendan Austin

My Response:

This was my first photo but I don’t think it matched his style enough so I took a few more at different angles.

These photos were better as they matched his style more and looked like a terrain sort of thing.

Editing:

Final Photo:

Francis Bruguiere

Bio

Born the youngest of four sons into a wealthy San Francisco family, Francis Bruguière was interested in painting, poetry, and music, and became an accomplished pianist. Upon his return from Europe, where he studied painting, he met Alfred Stieglitz at the 291 Gallery in New York and soon took up photography. While studying with Frank Eugene (Smith), Bruguière joined the Photo-Secession. Although he returned to San Francisco, Stieglitz published one of Bruguière’s photographs in Camera Work and included several in the ground breaking 1910 Photo-Secessionist exhibition at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

Around 1912 Bruguière began to experiment with multiple exposures. In 1918 he published a book of Pictorialist views of his hometown, titled San Francisco. Soon thereafter, he returned to New York, where he opened a new studio, and began his famous series of cut-paper abstractions. In 1928 he moved to London where he designed stage sets and photographic murals. The later years of his life were spent mostly in New York, where his attention turned increasingly to painting and sculpture.

image 1 image 2

Overview of the photos

I like these photos because of there abstractness. The cuts in the paper are so random and the cropping she has done to the photos are so effective in hiding what the photos actually are.

Light

With the use of light, which travels through the cuts and folds of the paper, Bruguière has managed to create two alluring abstract photos and it is difficult to formulate what the image is. In both the photos, it’s the light catching the paper that creates patterns and textures that travel across the photo in the form of light and shadows.

Colour / Value & Tone

The monotone prints remove any distractions of colour and draw your attention to the tonal values created by the light and shadows.

Balance / composition

Within the first image, you can see the darkest shadows through out the frame. The random shapes in the photo creates diss balance to the image and draws your attention to the mess of textures and tones in the centre. The sharp, cuts and decorative detail of the paper sits largely in the centre of the frame, with softer light travelling to the top right and bottom left corners of the frame.

Camera techniques

The aperture of the camera allows for a sense of depth through the image, particularly in the photograph. Your eyes are drawn to the sharp folds of paper in the foreground, in contrast to the soft multi tonal background 

My Response:

Strongest Photo Selection:

I took the image into Lightroom and did some editing and this is how it came out.

Further Editing

I then cut and cropped my favourite 8 photographs and edited them this is the sheet of them.

This is the images separately:

I used art steps to see my photos in a gallery in real life this was a final step to presenting my photos.

Photoshoot 2

Aaron Siskind

This one of his photos helped inspire me to take similar photos with paper the amazing textures of the rotting wood make the photo really amazing. The photo is taken with a dead pan angle which makes it look unreal, you cant tell what the photo is. The fact its in black and white also pulls out the dark and light tones.

Aaron Siskind was an American photographer whose work focuses on the details of things, presented as flat surfaces to create a new image independent of the original subject.

These are my best 6 photos:

Here is them separately:

line

Lines are a great starting point when thinking about formal elements, as they are almost everywhere.

Start by looking for lines in your composition that can guide the viewer through your shot or to a specific focal point. These are known as leading lines. Your lines don’t necessarily need to be straight, horizontal or vertical; they can be curved, angular, or random too. Angular lines that converge into a central point, commonly known as a vanishing point, will add perspective to your image. Think of how a straight road or railway line naturally disappears to a central point on the horizon – this is a classic example of a vanishing point.

Shape

Regarding shape in photography, this usually means a 2D subject outline. In contrast, form refers to a shape with a more 3D appearance. We’ve put these two together for this video as one formal element.

Effectively representing shape and form in your compositions can turn objects, landscapes and figures into defined, striking focal points. Using various lighting techniques, such as backlighting, silhouettes, and paying attention to shadows, will help elevate the shapes and forms in your shot.

Space

Building space into your compositions creates a sense of scale and brings added depth to your shot. It can also provide breathing room for your image’s main subject, allowing the viewer to focus on the scene’s primary features.

Adding space to your compositions is particularly useful with outdoor photography, where you may want to emphasise the scale of geographical features – such as mountains and bodies of water. However, you can add space effectively when shooting almost any photographic subject.

Repetition

Repetition in photography refers to the technique of integrating recurring elements, patterns, or themes in a composition to produce a sense of rhythm and balance in an image.

Pattern and repetition in photography hold the viewer’s attention by using strong repetitive elements. The patterns can keep the eye anchored or move it around an image using line

Texture

Texture in your composition can bring your image to life by giving the viewer a tangible connection with it, and is particularly popular in macro photography. You can draw textures out of all kinds of surfaces and environments. And to do this, you can use a wide range of lighting setups and shoot with a variety of depth-of-field.

Textures are ideal for experimenting – try different setups and see what you like. You can use flat light with the camera head-on to bring out the surfaces of a weathered wall. Or, use backlighting for ripples in dunes, shallow depth-of-field for intricate materials, and long-exposure to get the silky-smooth look of flowing water.

Colour

A prominent colour in your image whether it’s a concrete colour block or a set of similar colours that form a palette can make a bold statement in your shot.

Colours can also convey a mood to your image that will be emotive to the viewer. And you could also single out one particular colour to make a striking statement and have it ‘pop out’ of your shot.

Tone

Focusing on tone in your image means using variables of contrast and light and dark areas to bring depth to your image.

The tone is fundamental in black-and-white photography, where it should be used to guide the viewer through your image where there is no colour present to focus their attention.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to tone, and we recommend trying different lighting scenarios and contrast levels for your preferred aesthetic.

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Camera Obscura

The camera obscura is about 200 years old. The name comes from the Latin words for ‘dark’ (obscura) and ‘room’ (camera). With a camera obscura, you can perfectly capture the world around you by projecting what’s on the outside down into a darkened space on the inside you don’t even need a power source. it’s not magic it is just some really useful science. ​

it is a rather theatrical-looking curtain that surrounds the darkened chamber, there’s a large lens mounted in a wooden panel. That lens focuses the light from the scene outside down onto a mirror which is held at a 45-degree angle behind it on the inside. The mirror reflects the rays of light onto a piece of paper or canvas laid out flat on the base inside the wooden box. To see the image, you need to cover yourself with a piece of black cloth to stop any other surrounding light from getting into the box. You’d then trace the outlines of the scene you can see projected onto the paper inside. And because this camera obscura uses a lens, which creates a relatively large aperture, you get a sharp, colourful image on the paper like a mini video feed of the outside world. ​

Nicephore Niepce​

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce was a French inventor and one of the earliest pioneers of photography. Niépce developed heliography, a technique he used to create the world’s oldest surviving products of a photographic process.

In 1826, Niépce used his heliography process to capture the first photograph, but his pioneering work was soon to be overshadowed by the invention of the daguerreotype.​

Henry Fox Talbot

William Henry Fox Talbot was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 19th and 20th centuries.

William Henry Fox Talbot was credited as the British inventor of photography. In 1834 he discovered how to make and fix images through the action of light and chemistry on paper. These ‘negatives’ could be used to make multiple prints and this process revolutionised image making.

​Louis Daguerre – The Daguerreotype

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography.

The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. The process required great care. The silver-plated copper plate had first to be cleaned and polished until the surface looked like a mirror.

Richard Maddox

Richard Leach Maddox was an English photographer and physician. Because of him, photography was given an early impetus to become a disseminator of medical knowledge. His interest in the camera, combined with his poor health and his medical training, enabled him to invent the gelatin bromide negative that is the backbone of today’s photographic film.

George Eastman

George Eastman was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He changed the world through his entrepreneurial spirit, bold leadership, and extraordinary vision.

Kodak Brownie

The Brownie was a series of camera models made by Eastman Kodak and first released in 1900.

It introduced the snapshot to the masses by addressing the cost factor which had meant that amateur photography remained beyond the means of many people; the Pocket Kodak, for example, would cost most families in Britain nearly a whole month’s wages.

The Brownie was a basic cardboard box camera with a simple convex-concave lens that took 2+¹⁄₄-inch square pictures on No. 117 roll film. It was conceived and marketed for sales of Kodak roll films. Because of its simple controls and initial price of US$1 (equivalent to $37 in 2023) along with the low price of Kodak roll film and processing, the Brownie camera surpassed its marketing goal

Digital Photography

Digital photography is a process that uses an electronic device called a digital camera to capture an image. Instead of film, it uses an electronic digital sensor to translate light into electrical signals. In the camera, the signals are stored as tiny bits of data in bitmaps, tiny bits of data that form the image.