Artist: Michael Betzener:

In the double exposure images, the overlapping imagery suggests that a person cant be reduced to a single image or perspective. Instead, we are multifaceted, shaped by different things for example our emotions, memories, experiences which come together to form our sense of self. I believe these portraits ask us to consider not just the visible aspects of a person, but also the invisible, the inner complexity that often goes unnoticed.

The overall effect feels like peering into someone’s soul, not just focusing on the surface, it makes you think about the subjects experiences, thoughts and internal contradictions.

When I look at the mirrored images, the symmetry powerful, the subject is split in half with a perfect mirror image on either side. It feels like you’re staring at a reflection in a way that feels both calming and unnerving. The symmetry creates a sense of balance, but there’s something about it that doesn’t feel totally natural. It’s like there’s another version of her that on the surface level is identical but i think it is representing another vulnerable side that the subject is reflecting upon.

In terms of technique, Betzner is extremely precisise in these mirrored images. The way he aligns everything with perfect symmetry but still leaves a little room for imperfection gives the images a sense of realism that’s slightly unsettling.

The perfect split image feels like Betzner is playing with the idea of fragmentation, how our identities are often divided between how we project ourselves to the world and how we experience our inner selves. It’s like the mirror isn’t just about reflecting what’s in front of it, but about making us question what we really see when we look at ourselves.

Betzner’s use of double exposure inspires me to experiment with the idea of layering in my own work. The layers in his images don’t just add visual interest, they tell a story, often suggesting that the subject’s identity is never fully visible or contained within a single image. And I am going to attempt to expose that other side in my images.

My experiments with double exposure:

In this image the eye contact is what draws you in. The eyes create a direct connection, that feels personal, as though the subject is looking right at you. There’s a feeling of being watched or observed, but also of being unable to fully understand what’s being communicated. The eyes are clear, sharp, almost as if they’re holding something back, while the rest of the image feels like it’s slipping away as the colours and features blur. It’s unnerving because the subject feels both present and distant, both familiar and foreign at the same time.

In this image the contrast between the deadpan expression and the screaming overlay creates a strong tension throughout. In the background image her face is almost emotionless, as if she’s holding something back, like a mask of control, suppressing her true feelings. The screaming image almost erupts out of her face, disrupting the calm and revealing her raw emotion.

In this double exposure portrait, I used pink and blue/green to create a strong contrast that gives the image both depth and emotion.

Pink (Warm)

The pink tones add warmth and a personal touch to the photo. They make the subject feel more intimate and alive, like you’re connecting with them on a deeper level.

Blue/Green (Cool)

The blue/green tones, on the other hand, bring a sense of calm and tranquility to the image. It also creates a distant feel between the two images, the eye contact in the camera makes it feel like she’s looking right through you which creates a sense of unease.

The Contrast Between Pink and Blue/Green

The way pink and blue/green work together creates a nice balance. The pink draws your attention to the subject, giving it warmth and intimacy, while the blue/green tones add space and mystery. One colour feels close and emotional, while the other feels farther away, even though it is layered in front of the other image..

Using a double exposure camera:

Contact Sheet:

Images:

Experimenting with Photoshop:

Inspiration: El Lissitzky

El Lissitzky is a Russian artist, architect, and graphic designer, that was closely involved in the Russian avant-garde movement. His photomontages combine photography, graphic design, and typographic elements to create strong, political layered images.

The Image I used as inspiration:

My Image

Final Images

Photo Shoot 1

Experimenting with editing using photoshop:

In this image I had Emily serve him food to show how women’s main purpose was to ‘serve men.’

I set this up so he had a lot of food and she had whatever was left over to symbolize the superiority men had over women. I also had Emily look straight into the camera to create the sense that she is almost trapped; whilst he was sat oblivious watching television.

Here again, I added a grainy filter to attempt to give the image a vintage feel.

Identity is the distinctive qualities or traits that define an individual and make them unique. It is usually something people associate themselves with, and it helps people to understand who they are as individuals. Identity can be influenced by the people you surround yourself with, and the place in which you have grown up in, as it can change your view on your own identity and the people surrounding you. There are many factors that affect what you view your identity as, like your specific culture can be a key identity for someone who celebrates it or their religion can also be a strong part to their identity.

Femininity

Femininity is a set of behaviours and roles that are generally associated with women and girls. This is a typical social structure used to define people who act in a girly or feminine way, and are used to stereotype women.

Masculinity

Masculinity is a term used to show the traits used by men like strength, assertiveness, leadership, courage, and dominance. Masculinity is known to be social expectations suitable for a man. It is a set of attributes that are typically linked with men and boys to stereotypically make them feel as though they should be masculine through society.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is how a person feels and understands their own gender, which may not match the sex they were assigned at birth. It can include identities like male, female, non-binary, or genderfluid. Gender identity is different from sexual orientation, as it’s about who someone is, not who they’re attracted to. People express their gender through things like appearance, behavior, and pronouns. Respecting a person’s gender identity is important for supporting their rights and dignity.

Cultural Identity

Cultural identity is the feeling of belonging to a particular cultural group, shaped by things like traditions, language, values, and shared experiences. It connects people to their heritage and how they see the world. This identity can be influenced by factors like ethnicity, nationality, family, and community. It plays an important role in how people understand themselves and how they relate to others. Cultural identity can change over time based on personal experiences and exposure to different cultures.

Social Identity

Social identity is how individuals see themselves based on their membership in different social groups, such as those defined by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or social status. It helps people understand their place in society and shapes how they interact with others. A person’s social identity can influence their beliefs, values, and actions, and also affect how they are treated by others. It provides a sense of belonging and can boost self-esteem, but it may also lead to biases or conflicts if differences between groups are focused on too much.

Geographical Identity

Geographical identity is how people see themselves based on where they come from or live. This could be their hometown, country, or any specific place that affects their values, experiences, and way of life. It’s shaped by the environment, culture, language, and traditions of that place. Geographical identity helps people connect with others and understand their place in the world. For example, someone might feel a strong connection to their city or country, which influences how they see themselves.

Political Identity

Political identity is how people see themselves based on their political beliefs and values. It’s shaped by views on issues like government, rights, and social values, and is often tied to political parties, leaders, or movements they support. Things like upbringing, education, and personal experiences influence political identity. It affects how people get involved in politics, make choices, and interact with others who have similar or different views. Political identity helps people feel connected to a political group or cause and gives them a sense of belonging in society.

Loss/Lack of Identity

A loss of identity is when someone feels disconnected from who they are or where they belong. This can happen if they’re unsure about their values, beliefs, culture, or role in life. It often happens after big changes, like moving to a new place or facing difficult situations. People who experience this might not know their purpose or how they fit in, which can make them feel isolated, insecure, or unsure of themselves. Finding or rebuilding their identity often involves rediscovering what’s important to them, connecting with supportive people, or trying new things.

Stereotypes and Prejudices

Stereotypes are wrong ideas about a group of people based on things like their race, gender, age, or sexuality. These ideas assume that everyone in the group is the same, ignoring differences between individuals. For example, thinking all teenagers are troublemakers or that older people don’t know how to use technology. Stereotypes can be harmful because they lead to misunderstandings about others.

Whereas, prejudice is when you have a negative opinion about someone just because of their group, like their race, gender, religion, or nationality, without knowing them personally. It’s often based on unfair assumptions made before getting to know the person. Prejudices can lead to treating people unfairly. For example, thinking someone is untrustworthy just because of where they come from is a form of prejudice.

Femininity

Masculinity

Claude Cahun was born in France October 25th 1894 she is most remembered for her incredible work as a photographer, sculptor and writer.

Cahun was born in Nantes, into a well known Jewish Family. Cahun attended a private school in surrey after experiences with antisemitism in high school. She later attended University of Paris, Sorbonne where she began making photographic self-portraits as early as 1912( aged 18) and continued taking images of herself throughout the 1930s.

Cahun’s work evolved writing, photography, sculpture and theater, of which the most remembered are the highly staged self portrait. During the 1920s Cahun produced as astonishing number of self- portraits in various costumes such as aviator, dandy, doll, body builder, vampire, angel,…

Cahun used mirrors, collages and doubling in her photos to reflect the diversion from social norms.

Analyse

Visual:

This image a self portrait taken by Claude Cahun she was also the model for it. She is posed in an unnatural way her hand is on her head and she is standing on one foot, she is looking directly at the camera which makes the image look more intimate. She is wearing a white shirt saying ” I AM IN TRAINING DONT KISS ME” which I’ve found that it serves as a poignant parody of the virginity complex arisen from societal and family pressures. she is also wearing black shorts grey ish ballerina shoes and wearing the leather like material around her wrists and her legs she’s also wearing white tights and a white scarf. She’s holding a circular black object with her left hand and with the other she has it positioned on her head.

Technical

The lighting in the picture isn’t very bright however I think the lighting that she used was artificial since the shiny materials have a strong light reflecting on them. All parts of the picture are equally illuminated. The aperture used was a high setting the whole picture is in focus meaning it had sharp focus . I would say that this photograph was taken in a eye level angel this contributes to the viewers being able to see the whole body which indicates that is a full body shot.

Contextual

In the 1920s British society remained intensely gender and class ridden however women began having more job opportunities due to better education and gained of political rights At the time many women worked as teachers, clerks and nurses while others stayed at home and took care of the children.

Conceptual

Claude Cahun’s work challenges the rigid gender roles and societal expectations of the 1920s and 1930s by rejecting the common stereotype of identity and femininity. Her self- portraits use costumes and unisex poses to show that gender is no more than a performance. By refusing to participate in the traditional ideas of femininity and instead creating their own image as not defined by their gender, The “I’m training don’t kiss me shirt” rejects social expectations of women of objects of pleasure, declaring autonomy over their body and identity.

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

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

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

Visual

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

Technical

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

Contextual

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

Conceptual

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

Chosen Artist Reference

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

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

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

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

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

Visual

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

Technical

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

Contextual

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

Conceptual

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

Identity is what makes us as a human. Everything we do leads to our identity which defines who we are. This could be a range from your finger print, hair colour and behavioural traits etc.

Femininity are qualities in which are ‘female’ or ‘girly’. The word is normally used against women as they are seen as more let loose and bubbly however there are other ways femininity can be seen as a bad way to describe how women act because males often see women in household settings like, cooking or cleaning because this is seen as a feminine thing to do as its almost a delicate way of living because they are home bound and not doing ‘masculine’ activities.

Masculinity are qualities in which are ‘male’ or ‘acting tough’. The word normally links to men as they are usually seen as having to be masculine. This means instead of doing household work they’re outside providing for the women showing that they are in charge of the house. However, the thought of having to be ‘masculine’ can effect boys’ mentality as they think they need to fit in a specific category causing them to think which side is wrong or right and which one they should fit in.

Identity, Femininity and Masculinity can be strongly influenced by where you’ve lived, who you surround yourself with and many other attributes. Cultural identity allows people to be closer to who their family are but can lead to aspects in which people might not want to participate in like having an arranged marriage set up for a woman who doesn’t want to but with her culture its allowed. Social identity is also a major problem as society is a big part of the world but this means it can lead people judging and giving their opinions on how someone should act, dress or look like. This can affect someone deeply if it’s coming from people you might know or just a group of people who have opposing views from you. This leads to stereotyping and prejudice against women and men having to act how the rest of the world wants them to act. Women stereotyping are seen as doing delicate jobs and only helping their higher male figure, while men are seen ass doing the hard stuff providing for their families, laying back, playing sports etc however when either gender steps out of that category society sees this as a personal attack as they ‘aren’t fitting in society’.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was a key figure of the movement Pictures Generation. This movement was a transformation that reveals identity as role-play, where femininity appears as something that is shaped by male expectations. The pictures were profoundly intriguing to intellectuals of the time.

Before becoming a photographer, in 1972 Sherman enrolled in the visual arts department at Buffalo state University, where she majored in painting. However, when she finished school in 1977 she moved to New York where she would begin working on what would become the Untitled Film Stills.

Her main key goals were to explore with themes such as identity, gender, and the role of women in society. She achieved these goals by using herself (self-portraiture) to create fictional characters to explore such themes. A range of personas are created as she uses make up, costumes, lighting and settings to make each of them different like, Clowns (2003-2004) a series of colourful images where Sherman portrays herself as a variety of clowns, or Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980) a series of black-and-white photos in which she plays various female characters inspired by film noir.

Cindy Sherman Mood Board

Photoshoot plan 1 & 2:

• location: my house —> my room, kitchen, living room and dining room
• People: myself in different settings —> self portraits
• lighting: natural lighting using windows or artificial light to emphasise the image setting
• how i’m going to do it: using my Sony camera
• editing ideas: use Lightroom to turn most images b&w or turn up the saturation

Rosanna Jones

Rosanna Jones is a photographer and mixed media image maker based in London. She is a graduate in Fashion Photography from Falmouth University. Her work specialises in an experimental blend of art and photography; celebrating the physical possibilities of an image, rather than simply its two dimensional form. Her trademark aesthetic has been built through years of painting over, ripping up, burning and otherwise distressing her photography to create tactile portraits that defy the flat images they once were.

She finds destroying the photographs a largely therapeutic process and her work “draws attention to portrait photography’s central conflict—the idea that taking a person’s photo can immortalize them, in a way, but it can also be an act of violence.” Jones also did another collection called “Skin” about how body image, positive or negative, can impact identity.

A lot of Jones’ work is making a statement about misogyny and the male gaze within the art/photography world, as it is still mainly dominated by men. Her manipulations of the photographs and the fact that in most of them the majority of the model’s bodies are painted over or edited so that they are unclear, even to the extent of being torn up could symbolise that Jones refuses to let her model’s bodies be exploited and wants people to focus on the photograph and why she creates it the way it is, rather than only focusing on the model’s body itself. This is clearly shown in another of her collections called ‘Girls’ where she manages to convey more attention to what’s going on in the image rather than the girls in the picture.

Rosanna Jones Mood Board

Photoshoot plan 3:

• location: friends house —> their room, plain walls —> outside, shed, hammock
• people: friend —> style them to fit the different shoots (including hair, makeup etc). —> myself to add contrast to the images (helps link to other photos in the mood board)
• lighting: —> mostly artificial lighting as most images are set in a studio, some natural lighting
• how i’m going to do it: using my Sony camera, my polaroid camera and my cheap digital camera to capture an old style of shooting.
• editing idea: print out most photos —> tear them up, paint over them, glue and layer them —> edit them in Lightroom where i can turn them into b&w if need to

I used images from the studio lighting photoshoot to be able to create these images. Whilst doing that I also used coloured gels to give the images a different look to them making none the same.

I put all the images into lightroom where I would be able to see all of them in better detail. This also helped me choose which photos I wanted to use and which ones I didn’t. We used a range of poses to see which ones would look the best and different shutter speeds to see how it would look against the coloured gel.

I went through the images and chose 9 final ones to edit. I chose these pictures because I felt I had the most creative freedom to do something with it. I inspired colours from Spider-man using the red and blue and making Emma pose as if she’s just found out she’s been bitten. Using other movies the blue and red reminded me of Star Wars, good vs. evil. I made Luke and Emma pose on either side of the light to show the contrast

Creative Portrait Edits

Here I used two images and layered them. I then turned down the opacity of one creating a split effect. I also used a high saturation setting to create the vibrant colours, I like this image because you can still see both pictures even if they are layered. The clothing from each picture are also opposite colours which adds a nice contrast.

In this image I used the same technique as the one before to create the overlay effect. This created a cool layering of colours on the clothes and in the background giving the picture depth and tone.

With this image I used the smudge tool where I would use it to almost erase her eyes and used the spot blemish tool to fully erase her mouth to give it a creepy look. The harsh lines of red and blue on her eyes give a nice contrast to the blended blue and red on her jumper.

I went for a more simple look just overlaying one image on another however, both images are completely different creating strong contrast between both pictures.

For this image I layered multiple of the same image and either moved them up or down to create the desired effect. I then lowered the opacity to create a multi-exposure look like Alexander Rodchenko

For this image I decided to overlay the same image and flip it upside down. I also turned the original image black and white so the upside image with the selected overlay setting would be visible and create a cool effect, curating a contrast between pictures.

Lastly, I used the original image of the red and blue and decided to incorporate the colours by surrounding them in the neon versions of them, this created a ‘trippy’ effect.

Moodboard