I’ll be taking pictures of a couple of my friends.
WHAT
I want to create images of my friends laying together on a blanket. I’ll be taking some inspiration from Justine Kurland and her ‘Girl Pictures’ project.
WHERE
I’ve chosen to use an old natural trust site located between Pontac and Le Hocq beach. It’s a grassy area which overlooks the beach.
WHY
I want to show different aspects of femininity, as I have researched different gazes. I want to explore these and show contrasting ideas of what it means to be feminine. This photoshoot will reflect more lighter feminine aspects, portraying typical traits of femininity.
HOW
I’m going to use a camera to capture photographs of them; exploring nature, plaiting hair, relaxing, being intimate, etc. I’ve asked them to where all white (preferably a skirt or dress too) in order to create themes of innocence and purity, a typical stereotype in the male gaze.
I took around a total of 600 images during this photoshoot, successfully being able to capture what I planned and creating good outcomes to use for my photobook.
IMAGE SELECTION:
Here shows some evidence of my selection process. I typically like to use the colour ratings opposed to the stars. This is the rating code I use with the colours:
I want to create images of my subject performing ideals which are inherently feminine, like doing makeup.
WHERE
I will be using my own house, using my bedroom and bathroom for image making.
WHY
I want to show different aspects of femininity, as I have researched different gazes. I want to explore these and show contrasting ideas of what it means to be feminine. This photoshoot will reflect more dark and divine feminine aspects.
HOW
I’m going to use a camera to create photographs of her doing makeup, lighting candles, posing in different lightings, etc. I will have her wear all black and specifically a skirt or dress, as well as do her makeup so that she expresses an image of femme fatal.
I think this photoshoot produced some good quality images. My aim of this photoshoot was to reflect a sense of identity through the environmental portraits of my friend in his room. I wanted to show elements of being a teenager, and show what life is like through the lens of a teenage boy. However, I have slightly changed my project idea to focus on aspects of femininity and life as a teenage girl in different forms of expression. So these outcomes show some element of my experimentation, but I will not be using them in my final photobook outcome as they no longer fit my intended theme.
This is a mood board I have compiled of some of Nan Goldin’s works. Born in Washington in 1953, Nan Goldin is an American photographer and activist. Now living and working in New York City, she explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis and the opioid epidemic through her works. Her first exhibition, in 1973, highlighted the gay and transgender communities. This work was inspired by her love for drag queens. While she was 18, she lived in downtown Boston with a group of queens and created her work ‘Ivy wearing a fall, Boston‘. Goldin said that her “desire was to show them as a third gender, as another sexual option, a gender option. And to show them with a lot of respect and love, to kind of glorify them because I really admire people who can re-create themselves and manifest their fantasies publicly. I think it’s brave“. This links to the ‘challenge’ element of the observe, seek, challenge theme, as Goldin is capturing these individuals from an admirable and respected perspective. She is challenging stereotypical views of sexualities.
Upon attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Goldin was advised to return and create additional photographs of the drag queens. She expressed that she felt her work wasn’t the same as it was while living with the queens. I believe this shows how it is much easier to create successful, influential images of a community when you are part of it yourself or involved otherwise. By living with these queens, Goldin was able to gain perspective by being integrated into the community. This shows how by having access to the people you’re photographing, and being able to form a connection with your subjects, you can create impactful and meaningful images. The outcomes of this are more realistic and allow a sense of comfort to be established during the image making process, as they are familiar with the photographer.
My own project consists of me taking photographs of my friends. This is a part of my own community, and I have known most of them for a very long time. This connection with the subjects allows me to create images which are more realistic of the teenage girl experience as well as allowing them to feel comfortable in performing for the eccentric photographs I plan on creating.
Above is a moodboard I have put together consisting of some of Tom Wood’s works. Tom Wood is an Irish photographer born in County Mayo 1951. His work consists of street photography, as well as portraits and landscapes based in the UK. He photographs a number of things; “on the streets, in pubs and clubs, markets, workplaces, parks and football grounds” of “strangers, mixed with neighbours, family and friends.” His most influential work is his photographs produced of Liverpool and Merseyside.
A quote from Tom Wood’s website of Tyler Whisnand states, “But Mr. Wood is not making photographs for a gallery. He is creating a diary of what he sees without being an intrusion.” This quote demonstrates the documentary style of his work and shows how Wood is producing this photographs for his own benefit. By capturing this pictures, he creates documentation for himself of where he has been and individuals he has encountered. It is evident through his outcomes that he always manages to make his subjects appear relaxed and at ease. He builds an element of trust with his subjects, like the trust of a family member, to create these natural-looking and inspiring images.
Wood captures passing moments in time, communicating an element of realism within his work. He documents moments which might not have been meant to be seen, capturing life and people in their natural elements. He photographs a vast amount of people and places, thus feeding into the nature of street photography which captures the ordinariness of everyday life.
I believe Wood’s work fits into the topic of observe, seek, challenge as he is constantly observing everything through his lens and capturing small fleeting moments, similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’. By observing and photographing strangers and acquaintances in the streets of the UK, he captures the multiple realities of the streets from a unique, creative viewpoint. He seeks to create a community with the people he takes photographs of. He makes the people feel comfortable and develops a special relationship between the subject and the photographer, shown through the development of his nickname “photie man”.
This is a photograph captured by Tom Wood called ‘Grimace Girl’. It is a nicely composed image focussing on the subject of the girl facing the camera. It is obvious that the photograph has been taken through a window, as you can see the reflection through the glass. By taking the photo through the window, the reflection created allows the viewer to get a sense of location and background to the image. Though without the reflection you’d still be able to see inside the restaurant, the reflection adds to the location where you can see cars in the background.
The photograph is vibrant and colourful, making the image appear fun and joyful. What I like most about the image is that it has both elements of candid and staged methods. As you can tell, the girl is aware she is being photographed as she is looking directly into the camera. However there are still elements of realism and other factors which are not controlled, like other people in the background who are also enjoying their meals. I hope to capture images like this within my own photo making process as I believe it can create a fun aspect to the photographs and add a sense of realism, communicating documentation of real life.
The theme given for the final project is “Observe Seek Challenge”. This is a very broad theme which can be interpreted in many different ways. By breaking it down into three individual words, I have been able to construct an idea of how I want to capture this theme in my project. By focussing on verbs “observe” and “seek” I can interpret the prompt as ways of exploration and perception. This links to elements of the human gaze, identifying the role that gender plays in our perception of the world around us. ‘The male gaze’ is a term which has developed from acts of feminism, depicting how men view women. It suggests a heteronormative view which reduces women down to that of sexual objects which exist for a man’s pleasure. However, there is arguably an ameliorative counterpart constructed of women’s view of other women. The ‘female gaze’ is a term developed which aims to oppose the negative stereotypes developed by men. It aims to view every woman as a whole, to emphasise her, to appreciate her sense of identity as an individual. It creates a sense of respect, allowing emotion and intimacy to be appreciated instead of ridiculed.
My initial idea was to capture photographs depicting the teenage experience, showing life go by day-to-day. I wanted to communicate the sense of growing up and show elements of identity which are formed through exploration of yourself, seeking comfort. However, I have slightly shifted my focus to that of teenage girls. I believe I can be more successful with this as it makes the project more personal to me. By taking inspiration from previous projects (i.e., Identity, Femininity vs. Masculinity) I want to make portraits of my girl friends and portray our lives and a sense of girlhood. Through the ideas of perception and the different types of ‘gaze’, I aim to create images which portray both sides of the male and female gaze. I want to capture photographs which are slightly eccentric, emphasising and exploring the sexual nature of the ‘male gaze’. I can do this through ideas of ‘femme fatal’ which is a woman who is attractive and seductive. This can include capturing images using props like lipstick, wine glasses, cigarettes, etc. However, I also want to show aspects of hyperfemininty and innocence, which is another view of women created by men. For this I can use themes of floral and nature, dressing my friends in flowy dresses or skirts which are white to reflect the ideas of ‘innocence’.
In addition, I will capture images which are more realistic of teenage girls. These are achievable images which I can take comfortably in normal gatherings between friends. This can be just normal hangouts, or even getting dressed up and doing makeup for example. This will portray ideas of girlhood and the teenage girl experience. For my outcomes of this project, I will select few final prints to frame and mount. I also want to create a photobook as my final outcome, allowing me to create documentation and story element of girlhood. A photobook creates a story and it communicates an intended message, my book will show young girls who are developing into womanhood. It will also show how these girls still have their childlike tendencies.
a person who watches or notices something: ”to a casual observer, he was at peace.
a person who follows events closely and comments publicly on them.”some observers expect interest rates to rise”
a person posted in an official capacity to an area to monitor political or military events.”elections scrutinized by international observers”
SYNONYMS: spectator, onlooker, watcher, voyeur, looker-on, fly on the wall, viewer, witness, eyewitness, bystander, sightseer, commentator, onlooker, reporter, blogger, monitor.
SEEK
VERB
attempt to find (something):“they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds” Synonyms: look for, be on the lookout for, search for, try to find, look about for.
attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something):“the new regime sought his extradition” · “her parents had never sought to interfere with her freedom” Synonyms: pursue, go after, go for, try, attempt, endeavour, strive
ask for (something) from someone:“he sought help from the police” SIMILAR: ask for, request solicit, call on, invite, entre, beg for
(SEEK SOMEONE/SOMETHING OUT) search for and find someone or something: “it’s his job to seek out new customers” SIMILAR: discover, detect find (out), unearth, uncover, disinte
CHALLENGE
NOUN
a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength: “he accepted the challenge” Synonyms: dare, provocation, summons
a call to prove or justify something: “a challenge to the legality of the banning order” Synonyms: opposition, defiance, ultimatum, confrontation with.
VERB
invite (someone) to engage in a contest: “he challenged one of my men to a duel” · “organizations challenged the government in by-elections” Synonyms: dare, summon, invite, bid, throw down the gauntlet, to defy someone to do something
dispute the truth or validity of: “it is possible to challenge the report’s assumptions” Synonyms: question, take exception to, confront, dispute, take issue with
MINDMAP
MOODBOARD
INITIAL IDEAS
OBSERVE: I want to create photographs as a form of observation; observing individuals like my friends and documenting them in a way that captures teenage life. I also want to explore capturing photographs of my family and nostalgic environments to communicate a sense of myself, drawing upon the previous nostalgia project.
SEEK: I will explore the ‘seek’ aspect of the project theme through the concept of teenage life. Drawing upon past projects of identity and femininity vs. masculinity, I want to show exploration of finding yourself during your teenage years and finding a sense of belonging within friendships. I will explore aspects of exploration and disguise through documenting teenage girls challenging elements of the male gaze.
CHALLENGE: Through my project I could aim to challenge gender stereotypes; particularly those directed upon girls and femininity. Challenging these stereotypes by creating sets of images showing typical views of femininity on teenage girls contrasting against atypical behaviours which oppose these ideas of femininity.
