Three favourite photographers:
I picked three of my favourite photographers; Corinne Day, Petra Collins and Guy Bourdin and put them in a presentation as i will be creating a booklet for an exhibition of my choice. I picked these photographers as i love fashion photography but i find their approach to capturing the world of fashion the most captivating. Corrine Day was born in 1965 and died in 2010. Day is known for discovering Kate Moss and for her casual, gritty reality style photographs. However, although Day's shoots with Moss looked natural and simple, they were actually carefully constructed to look like that. I find Day's work so effective as its darker then most fashion shoots, Day captures fashion at a different angle. Petra Collins however uses a more glamorous, but atill very natural take on fashion photography. Collins is only twenty five years old and her work is mainly used in magazines such as Vogue and Wonderland. Collins uses a similar technique in all her photographs, she looks at the female gaze. She captures females how females view each other, she uses the lens to present females in a positive light. As Collins mainly photographs younger women she uses the female bedroom as the background for a lot of her shoots. I love how Collins portrays females in her work and i also love the use of colour and angles in her shoots. And finally the famous Guy Bourdin. Bourdin was a French artist and fashion photographer who was born in 1928 and died in 1991. Bourdin is known for his bold and provocative photos. I have been to a Bourdin exhibition and have a few of his photographs in my room. I find his work fascinating and love his surrealist approach to fashion photography.
WWW- I created a powerpoint of my three favourite artists.
EBI- If i had added the dates and locations of the works in my powerpoint.
WWW- I created a powerpoint of my three favourite artists.
EBI- If i had added the dates and locations of the works in my powerpoint.
Leaflet:
I created this leaflet as a draft for my curatorship task booklet. I used two of the same photographers i chose in my presentation but instead of Corinne Day i chose to look at Juergen Teller as i found his work particularly grasping. I created three themes which each room would present and picked a photographer for each room. The first room explores 'gritty reality' with works from the artist Juergen Teller, the second room looks at 'the female gaze' by the young artist Petra Collins and the third and final room looks at the 'provocative' with the works of Guy Bourdin. I find that the three photographers all link in the way that their work is bold and means to stand out from the mainstream fashion photography.
WWW- I created a leaflet for my exhibition as a draft for my real exhibition booklet.
EBI- My leaflet needs improving before my final exhibition booklet; I need to not stretch out the photographs and make the leaflet more bold and add further detail on the works of the artist.
WWW- I created a leaflet for my exhibition as a draft for my real exhibition booklet.
EBI- My leaflet needs improving before my final exhibition booklet; I need to not stretch out the photographs and make the leaflet more bold and add further detail on the works of the artist.
Exhibition: Shape Of Light
Tate Modern
The Shape Of Light exhibition at The Tate intertwines the relationship between photography and abstract art. The works of key photographs such as Man Ray and Alfred Stieglitz are brought together by the works of major contemporary artists such as Barbara Kasten and Thomas Ruff. Both photographs and paintings are included in the exhibition and each photograph links to the artwork it is near by. I found the exhibition interesting as i had never looked at the links between photography and abstract art and i also admired the way the exhibition was laid out.
Portrait task
I went out into Muswell Hill and took a white piece of card to place as a background for the portraits. The point of this task was to experiment with shots and lighting. I asked eight different people and of the eight only five agreed. The task also gave me more confidence in involving the public in my projects.
WWW- I gained more confidence in photographing the public. I experimented with camera shots and angles.
EBI- Made sure the white cardboard was straight. I had taken more photographs and asked more strangers. If i had experimented with different angles so different parts of the face were focused or not focused on. Furthermore if i had used different coloured backgrounds.
WWW- I gained more confidence in photographing the public. I experimented with camera shots and angles.
EBI- Made sure the white cardboard was straight. I had taken more photographs and asked more strangers. If i had experimented with different angles so different parts of the face were focused or not focused on. Furthermore if i had used different coloured backgrounds.
Darkroom task:
The aim of this task was to create work which reflected the art from the 'Shape of light' exhibition at the Tate. The first step was creating abstract shapes from pieces of card. I found that the thicker the card was the darker the shape came out in the darkroom thus, the shapes which are fainter and harder to see were thin pieces of card. I then placed the shapes under the enlarger. I did this multiple times with different shapes so i could get nine effective pictures. I then cut out nine squares on a big piece of cardboard which would form as a display. I then used sellotape to stick the nine pictures down to make each box look almost like a window full of shapes. The whole task was about experimenting with shape and light and how the two link together in art. However i wish i had used only thick paper so all the shapes would have been clearly seen.
Summer Homework- Exhibition
Tony Vaccaro
'From Shadow To Light'
Vaccaro initially started with war photography. His work during World War Two led him to being called, "greatest combat photographer of WWII" by the BBC and, "II Maestor" by the Italian Press. His war work is so amazing because his photographs document the mundane tasks, gruelling conditions and terrifying carnage of modern warfare at close range. Vaccaro even developed his exposed film in borrowed helmets on starless nights under makeshift cover using the purloined chemistry. However after the war Vaccaro was offered a choice, have a one way ticket home to America or stay in Europe. Vaccaro opted to stay in Europe and traveled round taking more and more photographs. As time went on Vaccaro's style changed, he started to photograph fashion. "When editor of Flair Magazine Fleur Cowles asked me if i can do fashion the way i was photographing war, i said to her "Yes i can." "I had never photographed fashion in my life."- Vaccaro. All Vaccaro's work fascinated me, however i picked this exhibition as his fashion photography links to my themes. He uses frequent high saturated colours in his work but also opts for the simple black and white in many photos.
Developments:
For my developments i am going to capture different types of fashion photography. My first development will be of documentary fashion photography and i will try to ask the general public to take their photo. However as i know i may have difficulty with this i am not going to develop documentary fashion photography too far and instead i am going to stick with what i am comfortable with, which is photographing my peers. So for my second development i am taking inspiration from the iconic fashion photographers Corinne Day and Juergen Teller and i am going to create a gritty reality style shoot of my own. However i also admire the works of Petra Collins and the female gaze movement and thus want to create my own series called, 'Bedroom Culture' where i will explore the culture of teenage girls and what their bedroom means to them. Furthermore i want to try and create a similar aesthetic to Petra Collins but also try creating my own. I want the series to tell individual stories but i know i will need to do some experimental shoots first so i can play with different aesthetics and objects. Ultimately my developments will help me experiment with my photography further and hopefully i will be able to create my own aesthetic which i can use for a final piece.
Link Artists-
Petra Collins
Juergen Teller
Corinne Day
Guy Bourdin
Luice Rox
Chloe Sheppard
Link Artists-
Petra Collins
Juergen Teller
Corinne Day
Guy Bourdin
Luice Rox
Chloe Sheppard
Development 1- Everyday Fashion In Camden
Link Artist: Luice Rox- ID Straight Ups
Many designers and photographers argue that fashion is not just in the physical form of clothes, fashion runs through the streets and I chose to focus on the streets of Camden as Camden is notorious for being the home to different types of fashion. I wanted to not only focus on what people were wearing but how fashion is all around. I asked a few people but also took some candid images as a lot of people refused to having their photo taken. Additionally, I edited a couple of the images on Photoshop and changed the saturation and temperature to make the images stand out more. The first four photos do not show fashion but represent an aspect of Camden life which has seen many different likes of fashion walk past and thus I liked the aspect of photographing a place where fashion doesn't really mean much to an extent but has seen thousands of different clothes. I then focused on taking photos of the clothes themselves and went around Camden market. After this I took a few candid shots which reflected everyday fashion where the clothes were more of an afterthought in the images. And finally I went up to people and asked to take their photo, even though many were reluctant, the people I asked I tried to make sure their styles were all as different as possible. This first development took more of a grounding foundation role in my project as it helped spark ideas for the rest of my developments such as looking into the personal meaning behind fashion for different people but perhaps through the eye of the female gaze. Furthermore, as it was a challenge for me to go up and ask the public to take their photo, I am going to stick with what i'm best at and take photos of my peers in a studio setting.
WWW- I created a first development to fashion photography by capturing everyday fashion through the streets. I took photographs in a documentary style way.
EBI- I was not happy with the outcome of my first development as many people were reluctant to having their photo taken and thus I have hardly any images and the candid images did not focus on the fashion enough. Takin ideas which this development gave me and start developing my project in the direction that links to my curatorship task.
WWW- I created a first development to fashion photography by capturing everyday fashion through the streets. I took photographs in a documentary style way.
EBI- I was not happy with the outcome of my first development as many people were reluctant to having their photo taken and thus I have hardly any images and the candid images did not focus on the fashion enough. Takin ideas which this development gave me and start developing my project in the direction that links to my curatorship task.
Development 2- Gritty Reality Fashion Photography
Link Artists- Juergen Teller and Corinne Day
Because i found asking the general public to take their photo difficult and i was not happy with the way the Camden shoot came out, i decided to stick to what i know and asked a couple of friends who had the same look as Kate Moss in the 'Heroin Chic' series and photographed them in a gritty reality style way. I photographed my two friends Luna and Tsuki in Luna's bedroom which has a very simplistic interior design which i thought would be perfect for the shoot. I then asked both models not to wear make up as the photos of Kate Moss are so natural and simplistic, make up would form as a distraction in the photos. I wanted the images to be similar to the photographers Corrine Day and Juergen Teller where the clothes in the shoot are an almost afterthought. However the clothes were also very important, they had to be 90's styled and very simplistic otherwise, they would not fit the gritty reality theme.
I used my camera and played around with zoom and angles. I did not want to edit the photos dramatically on photoshop as that would strip the shoot of its realistic theme. To now further develop i want to look at different locations and adding in new colours and even look at taking gritty reality to the streets. The images also look at the provocative nature of fashion photography as i got inspiration from artists Guy Bourdin and Steven Meisel.
WWW- I created a second development but focused on two models that i knew. I looked at artists Juergen Teller and Corrine Day and reflected on their techniques and aesthetic visions.
EBI- I create a new development but also focus on the female gaze in fashion photography with inspiration from the artist Petra Collins who has her own unique aesthetic. I try to develop my own aesthetic and create a fashion photography shoot of my own.
I used my camera and played around with zoom and angles. I did not want to edit the photos dramatically on photoshop as that would strip the shoot of its realistic theme. To now further develop i want to look at different locations and adding in new colours and even look at taking gritty reality to the streets. The images also look at the provocative nature of fashion photography as i got inspiration from artists Guy Bourdin and Steven Meisel.
WWW- I created a second development but focused on two models that i knew. I looked at artists Juergen Teller and Corrine Day and reflected on their techniques and aesthetic visions.
EBI- I create a new development but also focus on the female gaze in fashion photography with inspiration from the artist Petra Collins who has her own unique aesthetic. I try to develop my own aesthetic and create a fashion photography shoot of my own.
Selects:
I edited these four images on photoshop just by lowering the colour saturation. I choose these five images as my selects as they are most definitely the strongest, most striking images of the shoot. I did not want to overcomplicate the images by over-editing them on Photoshop as gritty reality photography is all about being raw and realistic to the moment they were taken. However lowering the colour saturation created more of an edge to the photos and gave them the gritty reality (Corrine Day and Juergen Teller vision) i wanted to parallel.
Artist and Me
The first photograph of Kate Moss was taken by Corrine Day and sparked what was known as, "Heroin Chic." Day's raw and uncommon approach to fashion photography caused mass controversy but also inspired a new wave of a photography. I find Day's work inspiring because she went against the mainstream conventions of fashion, she portrayed women and fashion in a new light. And even though many will argue it is not a positive light, she presents women are something other then barbie dolls- this is what i admire. I chose to imitate this photo of Kate Moss and thus put Luna in a bralett and Burberry skirt and told her how to position her body so that it was similar to Kate's. I edited the photo on Photoshop by changing the colour saturation and then colour contrast, this way the blacks stood out even more against the white.
Development 3- Bedroom Culture Series
Link Artist- Petra Collins & Chloe Sheppard
TANYA
Selects:
For my third development i wanted to create a shoot that would pose as a juxtaposition against the gritty reality shoot. I am fascinated with how Petra Collins created her own aesthetic and I strongly admire her work. Collins created a shoot called 'Coming of age' which i loved and thus i have created my own shoot called 'Bedroom Culture.' Bedroom Culture was a subculture created by the feminist sociologists McRobbie and Garber (1976). They created the subculture as they were critical of the CCCS work for ignoring the role of females in subcultures.
I will go to different friend's bedrooms, using a similar aesthetic to Collins, and will capture each shoot so the bedroom reflects and poses as a symbol of each individual. The first friend i captured was Tanya. I wanted to capture Tanya in her bedroom in a natural and candid way. However i also wanted to capture things in Tanya's bedroom which reflect her personality and the things which make up her everyday routine. For example i took pictures of Tanya doing her makeup for school, using her laptop, brushing her teeth, tiding her room and brushing her hair. I tried to use gel paper in front of a lamp to give the images a similar aesthetic to Collin's work however, I couldn't get this to work and just used flash instead. I also tried to capture the images with a 'female gaze' lens. I did not want the photos to be provocative like the gritty reality shoot, i wanted them to symbolise everyday female life seen through a female lens.
WWW- I captured the first person for my bedroom culture series. I tried to photograph the shoot with a female gaze eye.
EBI- I had tried to experiment with different coloured lighting more so i could create an aesthetic similar to Petra Collins.
I will go to different friend's bedrooms, using a similar aesthetic to Collins, and will capture each shoot so the bedroom reflects and poses as a symbol of each individual. The first friend i captured was Tanya. I wanted to capture Tanya in her bedroom in a natural and candid way. However i also wanted to capture things in Tanya's bedroom which reflect her personality and the things which make up her everyday routine. For example i took pictures of Tanya doing her makeup for school, using her laptop, brushing her teeth, tiding her room and brushing her hair. I tried to use gel paper in front of a lamp to give the images a similar aesthetic to Collin's work however, I couldn't get this to work and just used flash instead. I also tried to capture the images with a 'female gaze' lens. I did not want the photos to be provocative like the gritty reality shoot, i wanted them to symbolise everyday female life seen through a female lens.
WWW- I captured the first person for my bedroom culture series. I tried to photograph the shoot with a female gaze eye.
EBI- I had tried to experiment with different coloured lighting more so i could create an aesthetic similar to Petra Collins.
ELSIE
Selects:
For the second bedroom i captured my friend Elsie in her usual everyday after school routine. Once again i found it really difficult to create Collin's dream-like aesthetic, especially as it was still light outside and thus fairy lights and candles did not show up well on the camera and thus i had to use flash in nearly all of the photos. I am not happy with the way this shoot came out as the lighting was not good at all however, i captured Elsie doing her everyday routines which reflects the bedroom culture. The teenage bedroom culture to me is all about capturing girls how they truly are, no posing and all candids. I captured Elsie doing her daily social media check, which is a natural routine for nearly every teenager in our generation, then taking her makeup off and cleansing her face and taking her skin pills. Having to do a facial routine is natural for most teenage girls but is also highly tiring. The feeling and pressure of having to look perfect because of social media is time consuming and damaging for teenage girls.
I want these bedroom culture photos to almost tell different individual stories which are reflected in girls rooms. A room holds secrets, interests, routines, state of minds and generally symbolise different personalities. However i also want to capture this under the female gaze eye as i think it is so important that how female- identifying individuals see the world is expressed and presented in the media much, much more.
I was upset because the aesthetic was not coming out the way i wanted but without it the images show the reality of a teenage girls everyday routine and do not give it a dreamy feel. For my next bedroom shoot i will photograph way later in the evening so it is dark outside and i can create an aesthetic which is similar to Collin's.
WWW- I photographed another shoot for my bedroom culture series but photographed an after school routine instead of an before one.
EBI- I need to get coloured lamps and lights so i can create a way better aesthetic. I go to another bedroom and photograph a different girls routine. Possible do a reshoot with Elsie but using different coloured lamps and capture her doing more everyday routines.
I want these bedroom culture photos to almost tell different individual stories which are reflected in girls rooms. A room holds secrets, interests, routines, state of minds and generally symbolise different personalities. However i also want to capture this under the female gaze eye as i think it is so important that how female- identifying individuals see the world is expressed and presented in the media much, much more.
I was upset because the aesthetic was not coming out the way i wanted but without it the images show the reality of a teenage girls everyday routine and do not give it a dreamy feel. For my next bedroom shoot i will photograph way later in the evening so it is dark outside and i can create an aesthetic which is similar to Collin's.
WWW- I photographed another shoot for my bedroom culture series but photographed an after school routine instead of an before one.
EBI- I need to get coloured lamps and lights so i can create a way better aesthetic. I go to another bedroom and photograph a different girls routine. Possible do a reshoot with Elsie but using different coloured lamps and capture her doing more everyday routines.
TEHYA
Camera Photos
For the third bedroom i captured Tehya but also with Luke as friendship is a theme Collins frequently explores in her work. As i was not happy with the aesthetic in the first two bedrooms, i choose Tehya's bedroom as she has multicoloured lights. This first collection of photos was taken with my camera but the second collection was taken with my phone as the shutter speed on my camera kept slowing down as the room was too dark. The lighting that worked best was whites and light purples or yellows as the darker colour made the images too overexposed. However i am much happier with the outcome of this third bedroom shoot as the aesthetic creates the idea of secrecy, intimacy and state of mind. This is exactly the aesthetic i wanted to create as i feel it reflects the bedroom culture as a whole. Additionally the images are much more striking without flash which creates an almost too 'clean-cut' aesthetic. A technique i tried in this shoot however was adding a more provocative angle to the existing female gaze eye. Even though the female gaze is about capturing women in a less provocative and objectifying way and placing emphasis on how females see females rather then the way males want to see females, i feel as if you can use a slightly provocative approach as all women are different and just because the photos are shot through the lens of a female it does not mean the model has to be completely covered up, no make up, alone and innocent. This is why i choose three different personalities to captures and this is reflected in their bedroom and then in their shoot.
I think i will leave the bedroom culture series now as i am finding it hard to produce the images which reflect the themes i have and want to project. Furthermore i feel as if my gritty reality photos are much stronger as i am better at photographing in a shoot like way rather then a natural, candid way. However i will try to incorporate all genres; gritty reality, provocative and the female gaze into one shoot.
WWW- I finally created a bedroom shoot with a strong aesthetic which is similar to Collins. I used different angles and different lighting and mixed the genre of provocative with the female gaze.
EBI- I had edited my photos so they were less overexposed and spent more time focusing on just Tehya rather then Tehya and Luke's friendship.
I think i will leave the bedroom culture series now as i am finding it hard to produce the images which reflect the themes i have and want to project. Furthermore i feel as if my gritty reality photos are much stronger as i am better at photographing in a shoot like way rather then a natural, candid way. However i will try to incorporate all genres; gritty reality, provocative and the female gaze into one shoot.
WWW- I finally created a bedroom shoot with a strong aesthetic which is similar to Collins. I used different angles and different lighting and mixed the genre of provocative with the female gaze.
EBI- I had edited my photos so they were less overexposed and spent more time focusing on just Tehya rather then Tehya and Luke's friendship.
iPhone Photos
FLORENCE
I wanted to attempt one more bedroom culture shoot but again photographing later in the evening so the lights inside the bedroom would create the perfect aesthetic. For the fourth bedroom i photographed my friend Flo. Once again the shutter speed would go slow if the image was too dark and thus some images are slightly blurry however, for some of the images (such as the one with Flo and her cat) i liked this effect as it created a natural, uncontrolled feeling. Flo's fairy lights created a warmth in the images and i especially liked how the lights reflected in her window and mirrors and thus focused on this in the shoot. Once again i focused on and captured routines and hobbies which the girl does everyday in her room. Flo was similar to the other girls where her laptop, phone and music were an essential part of her bedroom routine. The posters and pictures reflect her state of mind and she said, "The posters make me happy as I want to surround my room with art and they're colourful which is almost an escapism for me- especially my New York poster as my dream is go to New York." Flo's piano is also a big part of her everyday routine as she takes piano lessons and thus I captured some photos of her playing piano and of her piano sheets.
Even though I only photographed girl's bedrooms and focused on the female gaze, I did not force any concepts or ideas into the shoots. The bedrooms simply projected themselves into the lens. I did not create a false atmosphere. I really admire Chloe Sheppard's quote, "Gender is just a concept; it's not real. So how can something that's not real define what you're creating?" Sheppard is another female gaze photographer who believes in the importance of female photography and why gender should never determine ones art.
Even though I only photographed girl's bedrooms and focused on the female gaze, I did not force any concepts or ideas into the shoots. The bedrooms simply projected themselves into the lens. I did not create a false atmosphere. I really admire Chloe Sheppard's quote, "Gender is just a concept; it's not real. So how can something that's not real define what you're creating?" Sheppard is another female gaze photographer who believes in the importance of female photography and why gender should never determine ones art.
Selects:
Development 4
Link Artist- Susan Meisealas 'In Pursuit of beauty'
In this series, Susan Meiselas explores the beautification practices of Rio de Janeiro’s women. For many Brazilian women, beautification is a means of self-realization. Its transformative power can become an opportunity for social mobility, a form of escape. I really admire the series as it shows the subtle politics of the pursuit of beauty. The images explore the male gaze and the power of self-sexualization. I love the colours in the shoot and also the intimacy. Furthermore i love how the images show the tension between beauty as a form of empowerment and the expectation of beauty as a form of control.
I touched on this in my bedroom culture series but i now want to try a new approach to exploring the juxtaposition between the male gaze and the female gaze. I am going to take three separate photographs of an individual; one of the individual in their natural state, the second of how the individual likes to see themselves (this can be with or without make up, with or without being dressed up) and the third how they feel they have to look for the rest of the world, how they feel society has made them look.
I touched on this in my bedroom culture series but i now want to try a new approach to exploring the juxtaposition between the male gaze and the female gaze. I am going to take three separate photographs of an individual; one of the individual in their natural state, the second of how the individual likes to see themselves (this can be with or without make up, with or without being dressed up) and the third how they feel they have to look for the rest of the world, how they feel society has made them look.
Half Term Exhibition: Collaborative Portraiture
Collaborative Portraiture brings together work by Carolyn Drake, Bieke Depoorter and Susan Meiselas to present different creative strategies to portray female subjects. In each series that was shown in the print room, the sitters were invited to present themselves on their own terms, to perform, play and control their representation in front of the lens. At a time when female representation has become increasingly politicised, this exhibition takes three bodies of work, one historical and two contemporary, where portraiture becomes a process, through long-term commitment to a subject and reassessment of the image through time. I chose to focus on the works of Bieke Depoorter and Susan Meiselas as i felt their work most related to mine. Bieke Depoorter met her muse 'Agata' in the context of an experimental residency project. Photographer and muse quickly struck up a photographic partnership and this ongoing project has taken shape over a series of journeys, to Greece and Lebanon. As the project has unfolded, the filmic nature of the work has become more clear and is referenced in the linear narratives of working prints sitting alongside four framed works. Through her travels with Agata Depoorter seeks to get to the heart of who her charismatic subject- a woman used to performing for men, for the photographer and her camera- actually is.
Susan Mesisel's work fascinated me as between 1972 and 1975 Meiselas spent her summer photographing and interviewing women who performed striptease for small town carnivals in New England, Pennsylvania an South Carolina. The documentary records three worlds, out front of and inside the tent and behind the scenes.
Susan Mesisel's work fascinated me as between 1972 and 1975 Meiselas spent her summer photographing and interviewing women who performed striptease for small town carnivals in New England, Pennsylvania an South Carolina. The documentary records three worlds, out front of and inside the tent and behind the scenes.
Development:
After half term I want to carry on experimenting with the female gaze but I want to make my shoots more personal. To do this I am going to look at more intimate details of the lives of girls but still incorporating the fashion photography aspect. Taking inspiration of Collin's 'Coming of age' series I am going to break down the pressures on teenage girls and photograph aspects of girls lives that have hidden, deeper meanings such as the routine of getting ready for school or a party.
Link Artists:
Petra Collins
Ari Versluis
Susan Mesisel
Link Artists:
Petra Collins
Ari Versluis
Susan Mesisel
Half Term Shoot
Following ideas from Petra Collins and Chloe Sheppard, I created an idea for a new strand which looks at the different projections girls create for themselves. I decided to take three separate photos of different girls, the first showing the girl in her natural state i.e wearing basic clothes and no make up or accessories (as if she just got out of bed). The second would be a photo showing the girl how she feels comfortable within herself. This could mean wearing make up and being dressed up, wearing some make up such as foundation to conceal redness on the face (such as I do) or simply no make up. The third photo would show how the girl feels she has to look for society e.g for school, a party or simply just going out the house. The concept of this strand is also based off ideas from Meisealas 'In Pursuit of beauty' project, I like the idea of exploring how tiring beauty and the need for perfection is- especially in the social media generation where the image of you online is only based off the 'perfect' moments that you want to be shared. I am fascinated to see how different girls see their comfortable state compared to their natural and pressured state.
TALLULAH
For Tallulah her comfortable state is wearing make up as she feels more comfortable within herself (even when at home) and thus her comfortable state is not that different to her pressured state. I used flash as it was dark outside however this gave the images a slightly fuzzy look and they are not crisp enough. I had the idea to take the photos on each girls bed as there is a then a pattern and the aesthetic is natural and relaxed.
OLIVIA
Olivia's comfortable state was more different to her pressured state as she feels more comfortable without makeup however, she still wears a little as like Tallulah it gives her more confidence. Once again i took the photos on the end of the bed as it creates a natural, relaxed and intimate aesthetic which resembles the aesthetic of Collins and Sheppard.
Childhood dreams vs reality:
For my next development i am going to look at the childhood dream of dressing up and wanting to be a princess or be older such as wearing dresses and tiaras. I am then going to compare this to the reality of dressing up as a young adult and the tiring process that comes with a night out. I will also do interviews with each girl i photograph to find out what they find tiring about the dressing up process.
Questions: 1) Do you feel pressure to look a certain way for going out to parties?
2) Do you enjoy getting ready for parties or do you find it tiring?
3) How much time roughly do you spend getting ready for a party?
4) How has your perspective of dressing up changed since you were younger?
5) Do you miss the fantasies of childhood dressing up?
Since we were all younger (my friends, i and millions of young girls) the idea of having to be pretty has been drilled into our minds because it was payed as a compliment since we can remember, "oh she's so pretty" "isn't she going to be a stunner." I feel this has definitely subconsciously put pressure on me to become a certain kind of 'pretty' that everyone expected from me or what society expects from me.
Questions: 1) Do you feel pressure to look a certain way for going out to parties?
2) Do you enjoy getting ready for parties or do you find it tiring?
3) How much time roughly do you spend getting ready for a party?
4) How has your perspective of dressing up changed since you were younger?
5) Do you miss the fantasies of childhood dressing up?
Since we were all younger (my friends, i and millions of young girls) the idea of having to be pretty has been drilled into our minds because it was payed as a compliment since we can remember, "oh she's so pretty" "isn't she going to be a stunner." I feel this has definitely subconsciously put pressure on me to become a certain kind of 'pretty' that everyone expected from me or what society expects from me.
Amber
Questions:
1) Yes, because basically every girl dresses up so you feel pressure to fit in and look good amongst the other girls. I feel more pressure to look good for the girls instead of the boys, especially as i have a boyfriend i feel like dressing up is just for me to feel comfortable among the other girls.
2) I love getting ready for parties, for me getting ready is part of the fun of the party. I usually get ready together with friends too which makes it more enjoyable and it almost becomes part of the party.
3) If i'm on my own it can take about an hour but if i am with my friends it can sometimes take two hours.
4)When you were younger you wore anything that was the newest or sparkiest, but now i feel like i wear stuff i don't even feel comfortable in but i have to force myself to wear because it fits in with the party vibe.
5)Yea because you were more yourself, you wore what you wanted, not what people except you to wear. If you liked it you wore it. There was no expectations as a child.
1) Yes, because basically every girl dresses up so you feel pressure to fit in and look good amongst the other girls. I feel more pressure to look good for the girls instead of the boys, especially as i have a boyfriend i feel like dressing up is just for me to feel comfortable among the other girls.
2) I love getting ready for parties, for me getting ready is part of the fun of the party. I usually get ready together with friends too which makes it more enjoyable and it almost becomes part of the party.
3) If i'm on my own it can take about an hour but if i am with my friends it can sometimes take two hours.
4)When you were younger you wore anything that was the newest or sparkiest, but now i feel like i wear stuff i don't even feel comfortable in but i have to force myself to wear because it fits in with the party vibe.
5)Yea because you were more yourself, you wore what you wanted, not what people except you to wear. If you liked it you wore it. There was no expectations as a child.
Elsie
Questions:
1) Yea definitely i feel like girls have so much more pressure to dress up in a certain way than guys and i definitely feel that for going out to parties. Its weird because part of me enjoys dressing up and feeling good about myself but its also stressful to have to look 'good.'
2) It depends on my mood on that day to be honest and how i'm feeling about myself because if i'm forcing myself to put makeup on and dress up when really i just want to wear trackies and get into bed then its not fun.
3)From actually showering to going out probably two hours.
4) Well when i was younger i loved dressing up in fairy and princess costumes and the fun was pretending to be someone else, as a kid you wouldn't stress what you looked like. You had the costume on and that was fun. Now of course its not games you're playing with your friends, its actually you presenting yourself in a way you choose. And how you choose to look is heavily judged upon.
5) It would be weird if i dressed up now but yea i definitely remember those times in a good way, even on halloween if i dress up its always fun to pretend to be someone else for a night.
1) Yea definitely i feel like girls have so much more pressure to dress up in a certain way than guys and i definitely feel that for going out to parties. Its weird because part of me enjoys dressing up and feeling good about myself but its also stressful to have to look 'good.'
2) It depends on my mood on that day to be honest and how i'm feeling about myself because if i'm forcing myself to put makeup on and dress up when really i just want to wear trackies and get into bed then its not fun.
3)From actually showering to going out probably two hours.
4) Well when i was younger i loved dressing up in fairy and princess costumes and the fun was pretending to be someone else, as a kid you wouldn't stress what you looked like. You had the costume on and that was fun. Now of course its not games you're playing with your friends, its actually you presenting yourself in a way you choose. And how you choose to look is heavily judged upon.
5) It would be weird if i dressed up now but yea i definitely remember those times in a good way, even on halloween if i dress up its always fun to pretend to be someone else for a night.
Lookbook
Link Artist- Ari Versluis- Exactitudes
Ari Versluis is a dutch photographer who created 'exactitudes' as a study of social uniforms. The series influenced Demma Gvasalia's AW17 collection which sent a group of stereotypes down the runway as a study of clothes as signifiers of constructed identities. Exactitudes began in 1994 and is made up of 154 series. the last series taken by Versluis was in 2014. Each series comprises of 12 square portraits, laid out on an A4 grid, depicting members of the same social group. They stand in identical poses, further highlighting their conformity to a specific dress code. "What you really see is that fashion is cyclical; it goes around and then comes back in a different form. You can almost wait for those moments to arrive – there’s a certain pace that you notice when you’ve followed it for a very long time, and I love that rhythm"- Versluis for Dazed in 2017. Versluis says the series was all about realness and photographing the beauty in realness. I love the uniqueness of the series and how he inspired a designer who then brought street fashion to the runway. I am going to use Versluis work as inspiration and go back to taking photoshoot style images with a plain white background but sticking to the theme of exposing the different uniforms girls have within themselves and within society. I will create a similar grid that Versluis uses but of the same person in each gird in and i will photograph different outfits that reflect their different states e.g. an outfit they would wear to school compared to an outfit they would wear with friends.
Exactitudes response
Tallulah
For my first exactitudes response, I photographed Tallulah in twelve different outfits from her wardrobe which I picked out. I wanted to create twelve looks to represent her style as a whole but also symbolising twelve different states of mind e.g. party, stay at home, school. We used a plain white wall on the top of her staircase and I used my iPhone as it was easier to capture the whole outfit at an easier angle without using a tripod. Unfortunately the inbuilt flash on my iPhone had to be used as there was not enough natural light coming in and the effect gives a slightly haze response (unlike the inbuilt flash on a camera) however, the flash brought out the colours in the outfits more effectively. I used a slightly different grid system to Versulis however, I was focusing more on the outfits and less on the conformity of the social uniform. Each outfit represents Tallulah and I wanted to show how an outfit can create a totally different persona of a person. Fashion is more then just clothes for many, it is a way to express yourself and it also shows the world how you want to be seen. I found it interesting seeing how Tallulah's wardrobe expresses her different state of minds and how one day her outfit can show a totally different side to her personality to the next day.
WWW- I created a first response to Versulis' 'exactitudes.' Further developed my strands of both fashion photography and the female gaze.
EBI- I go to another friends house to explore the variety of people's styles or, to explore the conformity of people's clothes and how there could be a social uniform between teenage girls (especially teenage girls living in the same area.)
WWW- I created a first response to Versulis' 'exactitudes.' Further developed my strands of both fashion photography and the female gaze.
EBI- I go to another friends house to explore the variety of people's styles or, to explore the conformity of people's clothes and how there could be a social uniform between teenage girls (especially teenage girls living in the same area.)
Saffy
The second wardrobe I photographed was Saffy's who is the same age as Tallulah and lives in the same area. I wanted to see if there was a pattern within their styles. I feel that the environment you live in predominantly effects your social uniform and the pressure to conform to this notion. Saffy's style was very similar to Tallulah's but more vintage with a lot of pieces coming from thrift stores whereas Tallulah's clothes were mostly from online shops such as Pretty little thing or Bohoo.
WWW- I looked at photographer Ari Versluis and created my own response which links into both my themes of fashion photography and the female gaze.
EBI- I had taken pictures of boy's wardrobe or take pictures of a girl of a different age from a different area.
WWW- I looked at photographer Ari Versluis and created my own response which links into both my themes of fashion photography and the female gaze.
EBI- I had taken pictures of boy's wardrobe or take pictures of a girl of a different age from a different area.
Darkroom Development
Returning back to 'Gritty Reality'
I wanted to go back to my gritty reality response and take it into the darkroom as this genre of photography is undoubtedly my strongest and I feel producing photos in the darkroom creates a unique aesthetic which cannot be created on Photoshop. Additionally, the darkroom gives photos a predominately darker look which a digital camera can not produce and thus the darkroom gave my photos the extra edge they needed to fit into the gritty reality genre. I chose to develop four of my selects from my second development and used different sized photographic paper as this allowed different aspects of the images to be focused on such as details in Luna's clothes. It took me a about three developments of each image to get the lighting and focus right with the enlarger however, this allowed me to produce stronger final images as I knew how long to leave the enlarger lens off for. I am going to take more photos of Luna and Tsuki in a gritty reality style way and produce more images in the darkroom, even possibly experimenting with burning the acetates so the final images will be distorted.
Second Response:
As the darkroom prints were predominately effective, I wanted more prints to develop and thus went back to Luna's house and created a second response to the gritty reality shoot. Luna had a studio light which created a warm, hazy tone and a dreamy aesthetic in my images. I am now going to take the best images from the shoot into the darkroom and possibly distort the images by burning the acetates.
Selects:
Darkroom
The darkroom response with my second series of photos is much more successful as while I was doing the shoot I made sure to capture images which would be easier to produce in the darkroom. For example, I did not have this in mind while creating my first shoot and thus a lot of the images are crowed with objects or taken from further away whereas, during this shoot I tried to focus a lot more on the model's bodies instead of the clothes they were wearing. This works out more effective in the darkroom as the images that come out are bolder and clearer. This is evident in the close up print of Luna and the print where she is hugging herself. Additionally, I used the grid under the enlarger to make sure the acetates and the photographic paper were properly aligned and thus the images came out straighter.
WWW- I created a much more powerful darkroom response using the second gritty reality series I shot.
EBI- I start to distort the prints in the darkroom to give them more of a unique look.
WWW- I created a much more powerful darkroom response using the second gritty reality series I shot.
EBI- I start to distort the prints in the darkroom to give them more of a unique look.
Darkroom Development- Second Response:
I went back into the darkroom as my original prints were all too light. Additionally, I wanted to experiment with dripping the developer down the print using a paintbrush instead of placing the whole image in the chemical. The second development was much more effective as I did practice strips to see what the most successful time to expose the print was. I found around two and a half between three seconds was the most successful however, some images did come out a bit darker then I wanted. The three images where I dripped the developer down are especially powerful and create a dark, dream-like tone. I want to further develop this technique in the darkroom and see how I can use the acetates to distort the final print.
WWW- I created a much more successful development in the darkroom by using practice strips to make sure I exposed for the correct amount of time. Furthermore, I created three predominately powerful images using a technique to distort.
EBI- I further develop distorting the prints and possibly burn the acetates before I take them into the darkroom.
WWW- I created a much more successful development in the darkroom by using practice strips to make sure I exposed for the correct amount of time. Furthermore, I created three predominately powerful images using a technique to distort.
EBI- I further develop distorting the prints and possibly burn the acetates before I take them into the darkroom.
Darkroom Development- Third response:
Enlarger Response:
Using the enlarger, the acetates from the shoot and different coloured gels, I experimented with light and shadows within my gritty reality response. The main theme being explored was mystery. I placed each acetate onto the enlarger, frequently placing multiple acetates on the enlarger at the same time, I then placed different coloured gels on top of the acetates. This proved effective, however projecting the image onto the white screen made the acetate image look slightly blurry and thus I tried a new technique. Instead of taking a photo of the projected image, I simply photographed the gel on top of the acetate. These images were my favourite as they're bold and thus stand out above the rest, this was because they were taken closer up and thus the focus is more crisp.
WWW- I experimented with my photos outside the darkroom and focused on the theme of mystery by distorting light and creating shadows.
EBI- Over the Christmas holidays I will create another shoot using different models so I can create a final piece inspired by photographers; Daniele Buetti, Ben Watts and Clunie Reid. I want to stick to the physical art rather than digital and thus want to experiment with creating collages with photos I distort in the darkroom.
WWW- I experimented with my photos outside the darkroom and focused on the theme of mystery by distorting light and creating shadows.
EBI- Over the Christmas holidays I will create another shoot using different models so I can create a final piece inspired by photographers; Daniele Buetti, Ben Watts and Clunie Reid. I want to stick to the physical art rather than digital and thus want to experiment with creating collages with photos I distort in the darkroom.
Development:
To work towards my final piece I am going to continue taking gritty reality style shoots to distort and develop in the darkroom. I then want to start creating collages and projecting images.
Link Artist; Ben Watts
Cluine Reid
Daniel Buetti
Link Artist; Ben Watts
Cluine Reid
Daniel Buetti
Christmas Holiday Shoot:
Selects:
I wanted to do another gritty reality shoot but with different models so for my exam I could create collages similar to the artist Ben Watts. This time I did not have the studio light and thus the colour in the photos looks a little washed out and not as professional as the other shoot. However, this reflects the raw, laid back approach of gritty reality instead of a created atmosphere.
After Mock development:
For my mock I created a collage with images I developed in the darkroom which I then mounted onto card. The inspiration came from artist Ben Watts and I was really happy with how my collage turned out and thus wanted to keep developing this physical side of work. I then looked at work from the movement 'girl gaze' which is all about reinforcing female confidence and power through photographs which are taken through the eye of the female gaze. I wanted to combine a shoot that reflected both Corrine Day and Petra Collins, looking at fashion in a gritty reality style way but also exploring the female gaze such as in my 'bedroom culture' project. I used coloured lights in my room to create a warm, dreamy aesthetic and created different looks through a change in hair and outfits. To develop the shoot and my response to Ben Watts, I am going to create another collage but with half the photos being developed in the darkroom and half being just printed and in colour. Additionally, I want to carry on experimenting with using the acetates and the projector similar to how I did with the gritty reality photos. I think this effect is particularly unique as it creates a fantasy/surreal aesthetic, almost as if the models are dolls in a box, which links to the overall theme of my project- the objectification of women in the media. I will be ultimately using a shoot which explores the themes of female empowerment and the eyes of the female gaze and reversing it into a collection of images that create a barbie doll-like image.
Selects:
Artist And Me
The book called 'How Girls See The World' created by Amanda De Cadenet and the ever-growing movement called 'girl gaze' is where I got most my inspiration from for my whole project exploring the female gaze so far. 'Girl Gaze', which has 176 thousand followers on Instagram, is a media/news company that is aiming to, "close the gender gap one job at a time." They created a book for women, by women, and about women, it is an empowering and effortlessly unique collection of images taken by a new generation of female photographers and Instagrammers. It was published in 2017 and I got a copy for Christmas 2017. I have always wanted to create my own response to the 'girl gaze' movement and thus I found a way I could interpret my fashion photography project into an exploration of the female gaze. The image on the left is one of the images in the collection from the book 'How Girl's See The World' and I used it as inspiration for the after mock shoot I created however, whereas the 'girl gaze' image is taken in a studio environment, I wanted to keep the background as the teenage bedroom as it reflects the intimacy that Corrine Day and Kate Moss had in their shoots which I found particularly effective and unique.
Acetate Development:
As I found projecting the gritty reality development images onto a white screen using different coloured gels especially effective I wanted to experiment further but with using a different photoshoot. This time instead of just placing the whole gel on top of the acetate I crumpled up different coloured gels and paper and placed them on top of only some parts of the acetate. I found this created a more mysterious and distinctive look. Furthermore, I played around with angels so the photos were not just taken from a straight perspective, this added to the distinctive look of the images as they felt almost supernatural and enhanced the nature of the mysteriousness as the identity of the model is unclear. To further develop these images I am going to experiment with the colours on Photoshop to try and create more dynamic photos.
Selects:
Edits:
Exhibition- Photographers Gallery:
I went to the photographers gallery in Oxford Street as they had two different exhibitions by photographers work I admired additionally, the photographs gave me ideas for my own final piece development. The first exhibition was by the 'Wolfson Gallery' and was called, 'All I Know Is What's On The Internet.' The exhibition was interesting to me, as I found whilst photographing the different girl's bedrooms that social media played a big part in each girl's life and checking social media was part of all their daily routines. In this sense, my images showed how there was no escaping social media and this exhibition explored the mass power and extent of control social media has on society. There was a machine that was constantly scrolling through the 'explore page' on Instagram, I photographed this as it showed the extent of content social media constantly supplies, it is an endless spiral.
All I Know Is What's On The Internet:
All I Know Is What's On The Internet:
The second exhibition was by German photographer Arno Schidlowski and was called, 'Inner Skies.' Taking inspiration from literary and artistic romantic traditions that harness nature to convey an internal state of mind, Schidlowski's long-term photographic explorations use landscapes as a way of expressing mood and emotion. His distinctive, crystalline images, capturing mountains and woodland settings across Europe, transform universal scenery into places of private reflection. It was this focus on places of privacy that interested me as my images capture places of intimacy and the his series gave me ideas for possibly using nature in my future developments and exploring the more intimate relationship between humans and nature.
Inner Skies:
Inner Skies:
Female Gaze Outside Development:
In building up to create my final piece, and being inspired by 'inner skies' photographer Arno Schidlowski, I decided to do a follow up female gaze/gritty reality shoot but with using a different model and using the outside as a background as well as the bedroom. For this shoot, I was mainly inspired by taking the 'heroin chic' style aesthetic and blending it with nature. I mainly focused on taking close up shots as they are more successful when projected using the acetate and coloured gels. For my final piece I am going to develop the shoots I have taken over the curatorship task by projecting them onto a white screen using their acetates, I am then going to experiment with the colours on Photoshop as the outcome produces very interesting images.
Selects:
Acetate Response:
To be able to invert the acetate images on Photoshop so different colours come out, I have to use different coloured gels placed on top of the acetates. I used acetates from two different shoots; the final shoot with Maya and the gritty reality shoot with Luna. I felt as if these shoots were similar as they did not have a dream-like/fantasy feel about them, they felt darker like the heroin chic photos. I printed