For my exam I am going to make links to Nancy Honey and Tamara Lichtenstein, and tying in the exam topic observe seek and challenge. I am going to take my images in they style of the male gaze which can also be turned into the idea for empowering women on making themselves comfortable when they feel vulnerable, which links to the observe and challenge part of the exam board theme, as I am observing in the way women are seen in media and in general though men and then challenging that by letting females feel empowered by the way they are seen and making people comfortable around a camera as it isn’t objectifying them as it is capturing beauty.
I am going to experiment with lighting to try create shadows I am going to do this by using lights and lamps which I have at home, I am going to do multiple shoots in different locations to construct the idea of adventure and seeking new places.
For this final project, I would like to present my study in a photo book form. As a result of this, I intend to produce many photoshoots so that I will have a large variety of images that I can pick from. This means that, I would roughly need a minimum of 30 final images to create my book. I have plans to begin my study for this project as soon as possible to allow me the most amount of time to compete it.
With these photographs I have layered other mages on top to get a double exposed look in inspiration from Tamara Lichtenstein I have done this by using photoshop and creating layers and then turning down the opacity to make the top later opaque.
“The idea of a photographic ‘gaze’ relates to a specific way of looking, and being looked at through the camera, and implies a certain psychological relationship of power and control. The camera lens is another demonstration of a powerful gaze, referred to as the photographic gaze, simulating the gaze of the naked eye. Indeed, the former could even be more powerful than the gaze of the naked eye due to photographic permanence. Janina Struk defines a photograph as: “a two-dimensional object, a fraction of a second framed and frozen in time” (4). Susan Sontag in On Photography notes that “photographs are a neat slice of time, not a flow” (17). It is the stillness of a photograph that gives it power and makes it more effective than television broadcasting or film.
Types of gazes
the spectator’s gaze: the gaze of the viewer at an image of a person (or animal, or object) in the text;
the intra-diegetic gaze: a gaze of one depicted person at another (or at an animal or an object) within the world of the text (typically depicted in filmic and televisual media by a subjective ‘point-of-view shot’);
the direct [or extra-diegetic] address to the viewer: the gaze of a person (or quasi-human being) depicted in the text looking ‘out of the frame’ as if at the viewer, with associated gestures and postures (in some genres, direct address is studiously avoided);
the look of the camera– the way that the camera itself appears to look at the people (or animals or objects) depicted; less metaphorically, the gaze of the film-maker or photographer.
How it links to my artist references
The gaze links to both my artist references regarding the male gaze, In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer.
Although both my artists are female they capture photos of women and girls in a way which would be desirable to a male audience, they capture true beauty of the females and show them in an explicit way, which typically men want to see as they look desirable in many of the images and the models have these strong feminine features, which make them stand out.
For my third photo shoot this is going to be inspired by Nancy Honey and my mood board, i am going to focus on lighting and photographing images in the male gaze, taking photos of collar bones, neck and side profile, the photos are going to be taken in the bath, my sister being the model wearing a bikini, i am going to light up the room using lamps i have placing them in places which will emphasis shadows .
For my second photoshoot I am going to go to florists and take photos of flowers in links to Tara Lichtenstein as the photos will be used to layer on photos to create a double exposed photo, the photos of the flowers will be close up focusing on the details of the flowers, they will be taken in daylight using natural lighting.
For my first shoot i am going to go down to St. Ounes beach and photograph my friend in a flowy dress in response to Tamara Lichtenstein, i am going to get the model to pose freely near the edge of the water the view of the sea in the background, i am going to make the photos darker by letting less light into the camera this is because i am going to try layer photos together similar to Lichtenstein this will allow this shoots photos to stand out more prominently. I am going to take the photos in the late afternoon as it isn’t too bright yet there is still enough light to create clear images.
All these images are unedited as my second photoshoot is going to be based on flowers which i am going to use to layer them on top of these images to make them more intriguing and similar to Lichtenstein’s images.
Tamara Lichtenstein is American photographer originally from Bolivia, who now lives in Texas born in October 1989, Lichtenstein only uses 3 cameras two of which are film cameras which she predominantly uses, a Nikon N80 and Contax T2 and Contax T3, her reasonings behind using film is that she feels the ability to replicate the delicate quality, and just sheer beauty of an image that’s produced in film with the click of a shutter, outweighs any sort of instant gratification. Photography has been natural and easy for her. It’s only the ups and downs of her financial situation that is sometimes problematic. She fell in love with the idea that once you capture something on film, it’s with you forever.
At the center of Tamara’s artistic research we can surely find the female universe and its facets: leafing through her shots we meet faces and bodies without filters, wrapped in their natural beauty.
The grain and style of analog photography combined with the perfect use of light and the effects of double exposure, a recurring technique in Tamara’s shots, give the photographs a cinematographic style.
I have chose Tamara Lichtenstein because i find her work captivating and intriguing how her images look so effortless but yet so well planned out, her use of film is inspiring and how she experiments with film by the use of double exposure. The way she constructs femininity in her work is beautiful she shows it in a natural way which suggests positivity. What’s inspires you creatively and personally? I always feel really antsy to shoot whenever I’m really sad, or really happy. I get a rush of emotions and along with that comes ideas. Also, shooting with someone that has lots of ideas for us to collaborate with is super inspiring too.
Tamara Lichtenstein is inspired by Philippe Halsman. Philippe Halsman was born in Riga and began to take photographs in Paris in the 1930s. He opened a portrait studio in Montparnasse in 1934, where he photographed André Gide, Marc Chagall, André Malraux, Le Corbusier and other writers and artists, using an innovative twin-lens reflex camera that he had designed himself.
He arrived in the United States in 1940, just after the fall of France, having obtained an emergency visa through the intervention of Albert Einstein.
In the course of his prolific career in America, Halsman produced reportage and covers for most major American magazines, including a staggering 101 covers for Life magazine. His assignments brought him face-to-face with many of the century’s leading personalities. Lichtenstein believes that In her opinion, his work is what started photography and photographers different ideas have bloomed from his work. Whether they know it or not.
Image Analysis
This image is both naturalistic and abstract due to the reflection and ruffling of the sea from the sunlight which suggests is a natural photo and isn’t staged and then it’s abstract due to the overlapping of the female on the water and how her head is opaque giving the photo a unique look. This photo follows the grid method due to the main object being the girl being placed in the center of the grid, also her shoulders and the reflection of the light all being in the middle column, the audience is drawn into the girls face although she isn’t pulling a post but how her face is so fascinating to look at due to the water reflection is seeping through onto her it gives off a sense that she is reconnecting with nature and the elements. I personally find this image captivating due to the techniques Lichtenstein has used by reusing film twice to get a double exposure photograph as is a unique way ph photography which isn’t seen as often.
Born in America in 1948, Nancy Honey moved to England where she became a mother and raised her children this is when she started her photography journey in a male dominated industry. Honey focuses on topics such as motherhood, sexuality, power, and ageing. But though they’re framed by her biography, her projects look outwards, depicting and recording everyone from schoolgirls to businesswomen, infants to the elderly, models and bus passengers. As such they create a consistent body of work that’s asked a single question from many different angles – what does it mean to be a woman, now, in this particular time and place?
The question that Nancy Honey asks and questions her work on has intrigued me as a female as I think it’s is a question that many females have questioned and thought upon.
Her work questions and challenges the exam boards topic of observe, seek, and challenge as in one of her projects she spend hears observing her own child crating a project on her growing up and how she changes and grows up, the project also challenges female stereotypes as her child had very short hair and some masculine features, in many of the photographs of when shew was younger she wore gender neutral colours which audiences don’t usually see as when children are young there parent’s tend to dress them in stereotypically gender rolled clothes like pink purple and dresses which isn’t shown in the project a lot when she was younger which emphasises that she hasn’t been conformed into gender stereotypes when she was younger even though she did feminine acts when she was little like applying lipstick.
Nancy Honeys project ‘Daisy’ took 40 years to make, it was shot on film and most of the photos are taken at life events like birthdays and ‘first bra’ the photos also symbolise big feminine moments which happens to all females the project also shows the bond a mother and daughter have and how close and comfortable they are with one and other.
Nancy Honey’s Biography On The Project ‘Daisy’
This is a large collection of pictures I made with my daughter, Daisy over many years. I became fascinated with photographing her as I emerged as a photographic artist. She and I did it together and it was something I greatly enjoyed.
It started when she was a year old and I was just beginning to then use my little black and white camera to document events, more or less as a diary. I was finally beginning to learn about the technical side of photography, which I’d always loved, but had been intimidated by the science. I had always been an artist, but mostly used painting and drawing, having initially studied Fine Art in the USA. After having children I was desperate to complete my education and finished with a degree in Visual Communication at Bath Academy of Art in Wiltshire. I learned about photography there as well as typography and printmaking. I continued to make pictures of Daisy over many years and included her in every project I could. My son, Jesse, declared that making pictures together was boring early on and therefore I made far less which included him. The project, which was never a formal one, just kept evolving. She was very good natured and patient and rarely refused.
For my fist shoot it is going to focus on gender and the male gaze, how males view and see females. I am going to try capture the emotions that this brings upon females, i will take photos of body parts like collarbones, shoulders, spine and side profiles.
The topic for our exam is Observe Seek and Challenge, due to this being a broad subject I have picked out some subject points that I could look at to be part of my project.
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” SIMILAR: look for, be on the lookout for, search for, try to find, look about for.
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” SIMILAR: dare, provocation, summons
a call to prove or justify something:“a challenge to the legality of the banning order” SIMILAR: 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” SIMILAR: dare, summon, invite,bid, throw down the gauntlet, to defy someone to do something
Observe: Observation is the foundation of photography. It’s about being mindful of your surroundings, noticing the interplay of light and shadow, shapes, colors, and textures. By keenly observing the world around you, you’ll start to see photographic opportunities everywhere, even in the seemingly mundane.
Seek: Seeking in photography involves actively looking for unique perspectives, interesting subjects, or moments that stand out. This might mean exploring new locations, experimenting with different techniques, or engaging with diverse communities. Seeking allows photographers to expand their visual repertoire and discover fresh ways of storytelling.
Challenge: Challenging oneself is crucial for growth as a photographer. This could mean pushing the limits of your technical skills, experimenting with unconventional compositions, or tackling complex themes and concepts. Embracing challenges fosters innovation and encourages photographers to evolve their style and vision.
By combining observation, seeking, and challenging oneself, photographers can cultivate a more profound connection with their craft and produce images that resonate on a deeper level with viewers.
