Cindy Sherman is an American photographer and artist who plays on the female stereotypes. Her Untitled Film Stills includes over seventy black and white images which were made between 1977 and 1980. This series embodies the disguise, mystery, voyeurism and vulnerability in which women hold. Her work could be viewed as feeding into the ‘Male Gaze’ due to a handful of her images being staged in a heterosexual perspective which could be viewed as sexualising women. Cindy Sherman embodied many different roles while creating her photo series, she styled many of the models clothes, hair and makeup wile also being her own model.
Cindy Sherman has always experimented with different identities. Just after she moved to New York, she produced her Untitled Film Still series (1977–80) , in which she used disguises and photographed herself in many different location settings with a conscious understanding of what props she wanted to use to create scenes which resembled those from mid-20th-century movies. These images rely on female characters such as the jaded seductress, the unhappy housewife, the jilted lover, and the vulnerable naïf. Cindy Sherman used cinematic understanding to structure these photographs. The untitled series immediately became topics of conversations about feminism, postmodernism, and representation, and they remain some of her best-known work.
Many pictures of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills show situations that can come across as uncomfortable, promiscuous since it show a depicted woman in a vulnerable position. Cindy Sherman confronts people with the negative implications of the way the media depicts women especially in movies through the way she positions herself in her images which leaves an open door for men to objectify the female body. The male gaze is often present in her but she subtly changes the perspectives, expressions, and circumstances.
Observe: Notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant.
Seek: Attempt to find (something)
Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).
Challenge: A call to someone to participate in a competitive situation
dispute the truth
I created a mind map of my initial ideas with words that I think associate with the main themes which has helped me created a better understanding of what my final outcomes could be.
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.
attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something):“the new regime sought his extradition” · “her parents had never sought to interfere with her freedom” SIMILAR: 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” 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
dispute the truth or validity of:“it is possible to challenge the report’s assumptions” SIMILAR: question, take exception to, confront, dispute, take issue with
Observe Seek and Challenge within photography
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.
I don’t think that this photoshoot was overly successful – my plan wasn’t really detailed enough and the camera settings have not been fully used to their advantage. I think that the best images are actually the ones of the plants as they reflect the work of the artist better. I would like to reattempt this shoot even if it is only for experimentation purposes.
I would want to explore adventure through the photographs as it response well to all : challenge, seek, observe. to me all these aspects are mostly seen when seeking for travel and exploration. To me specifically I see traveling having an impact on my future, therefore choosing to focus on a subject I know I will be passionate about photographing I hope will result in great outcomes.
I am planning to start by collecting archival images from my last summer, where I went for a trip with my 2 friends where we camped in another country with no plan, I will look for photographs taken in the past where I was exploring other cities, towns, countries etc. I then plan on a series of photoshoots where I will have a huge difference in my outcomes. Although I will have different outcomes, the theme of the photoshoots would be the same, most of the work will be outdoors and challenging me to get out and seek for adventure.
I will begin my study by diving into photo albums that include pictures of travel, I then want to plan a photoshoot revolving around rural landscapes and some urban. As I am limited to Jersey, I plan to explore jerseys some hidden some obvious points, and hopefully discover things that I can capture through the lens.
When it comes to photoshoots I will collect pictures of objects that carry sentimental value from the previous trips and hold memories. A lot of the photographs however I think will revolve around rural landscapes, where I can tap in into romanticism. However I also wish to photograph people, where I want to capture moments of people living, not posing, I want to capture the beauty and nature within people, to catch them is a natural settings. This means photographing subjects in motion, in the moment scenarios, instead of pre planned studio photoshoots. Meaning most of the pictures will be taken outside the images will be more documentary and observational, however I might have to stage a couple to get the desired look.
I will make sure to be very experimental with the images I create. Experimenting with different angels, ways of taking photographs, I want to especially explore underwater photography, or strive for an underwater photography effect. Other ways I will achieve interesting photographs could be through zooming in onto subject photographs not only from one distance.
Some of the images might be taken by different mediums of photography, this being shot on film, digital camera, or polaroid’s, I love film photography so I will try to use it the most when possible, but when it might not be possible I can always achieve a similar effect through image altering in photoshop or Lightroom. Depending on the format and how well the images compliment each other the sequence of them might change. I think adding in a more older look to the photographs will also enhance the meaning of them being documentary, taken in the past, reminiscing on the adventures etc.
When it comes to presenting my outcomes I am still unsure how I would present them exactly, however I know that I don’t want to make a photobook, instead I will look for other ways to display my outcomes.
Overall, the outcome I want to achieve will be to have a series of images that are of adventurous nature, images that are discovery and look fun. I want them to how travel and exploration through travel. I want to show that even in a restricted island it is still possible to find beauty and be adventurous regarding it’s size.
I have made another mood board which presents my focus in a narrowed down way. This revolving around the ideas of adventure, travel, discovery and freedom.
The outcomes vary from each other in the mood board as I don’t have a specific way of capturing my images just yet, but I know there are some elements I wish to in cooperate, these being portraits in natural scenes, landscapes of more rural landscapes as well as I want to explore challenging but effective photographic techniques, such as underwater, reflections, etc. Where it is also the camera that is adventurous.
I think exploring these themes relate to the title of the exam well , as I will constantly be observing life around me through documentary photography. The photographs themselves will have a meaning of seeking for adventure, exploring and finding. And the photographing process will be challenging to capture specific moments.
The title for this project is Observe, Seek and Challenge, I have attached bellow the exam paper. In this booklet there are useful tips on how to gain ideas for these themes.
Bellow I have created a mind-map of ideas from the main headings. these included similar words, but also relating words and subject ideas I can focus on.
Observe- The main ides that strike me when hearing observe is everything that surrounds us on a day-to-day life, things that are ordinary, because many people might see them but not observe them. For example when choosing the same route to school everyday after weeks there can still be subjects that become unnoticed. Therefore to me observing means paying attention to one thing thinking about it, analysing it, enjoying it, and having a response to it. Therefore to observe it is much more than just seeing. By observing we discover and fin new things, we become more creative and curious. When it comes to photography the camera lens acts as a lens to observe the worlds through, therefore photographs that respond to this the best are ones where life is being represented, for example moments that are captured by the camera, but also photographs of subjects that represent that the photographer looked for, meaning they discovered them, just like special moments/ special events. To this documentary photography responds to very well as to be able to capture moments through documentary photography, photographers have to constantly observe everything around them in order to focus their camera on a specific moment and subject.
Seek- The first words that come to my mind is to be wanting, to seek for something, this leads me into the category of goals or wishes, to be seeking a specific kind of future, if it is with family, a person, career. To seek is to want something this might be a specific feeling or person or item, place. This is why when it comes to photographic responses to this category, what comes to mind are portrait responses that show people striking to achieve something, to reach a goal. This as well as photographs that show emotions, because I feel that out of all 3 to seek is a very emotional world that could be shown through portrait photographs. There is also another interpretation of that word where more photographic responses showed up once searched for this word, which are of hide and seek, this links well with the idea of observing, and finding, as when kinds play hide and seek, they seek for people, to find them. This can be also interpreted with outcomes that are playful and adventurous, responding to the idea of hide & Seek.
Challenge- To challenge means to go against something, this could be a view or an opinion, it also means to do a task with difficulty, therefore this can be interpreted many ways as photographic responses could go in different directions, some showing challenging tasks that people or animals go through, sometimes willingly or sometimes not. A great example of this is the image Migrant Mother showing the struggles of a single mother in poverty with 3 kids, then some can be seen of animals in a wild doing best to survive. However what cant be discouraged is challenging tasks people willing like to put themselves through games, board games or video games, or stress at work, learning or other personal challenges. I thing the biggest one is one that majority of people can relate to, mental health, nearly every person struggles mentally with a task or just with personal issues. Therefore many photographs can show this, these need to capture human emotion. I think the ones that do that best are once again documentary photographs of protests, where raw human fatigue and distress can be seen, not in one but in a group of people. The other side of “challenge” as a topic could be taken literally onto the technical aspect of the photograph, a photograph which was hard to capture, this because of the subject being photographed being challenging or by the specific way of photographing that is challenging to the photographer, an example of this are Olympic and sport photography, where it’s challenging to capture the perfect moment as the person is in constant motion, therefore ensuring the right setting on a camera is essential, to know how to do that might also be challenging for the photographer. Depending on light, speed, etc.
Mood-Board
Bellow I have collected few of photographs that I believe respond well to the mind map above as well as the description of each word in the title.
After creating the mood-board I could see a certain theme that the photographs all lead to, this to me were of adventurous nature, documenting life, catching key moments and being very discovery and full of life behind them. This means that majority were documentary photographs. From this I will be able to narrow down my focus for the exam.
“Now the lack of diversity in photography and the position of women in our society is once again being considered; over the last 40 years, Nancy Honey has already walked the walk as a retrospective look over her 40-year career shows”
Nancy Honey
MOODBOARD:
Honey’s work is relevant to the exam theme Observe, Seek, and Challenge by ‘observing‘ the feminine stereotypes of woman in society. Honey portrays woman in her photography through the lens of her own experiences, therefore portraying it through the female gaze, trying to send a powerful message to society through empowering woman. She portrays the images of woman, through a female community and lens, trying to establish woman empowerment through her photography. In her project Woman to Woman Honey was ‘seeking‘ answers to her sexuality and desires. Therefore fitting with the exam requirements trying to explore the nature of her sexuality. She presented these images I a trip-tic showcasing portraits and abstract images, including parts of a woman’s body, woman applying makeup, and sexualising woman’s curves and intimate areas.
WHO IS NANCY HONEY?
Nancy Honey is a UK-based American documentary and portrait photographer. In her works she focuses on the lives of women, autobiographical, collaborative and documentary. She has been photographing for more than 40 years and has studied fine art, graphic design and photography in the United States and the United Kingdom. In her 40 years of photographing her images draw on her own experiences such as; motherhood, sexuality, power, and aging. In her photography work she records school girls, elderly, and model to explore the idea, what is it to be a woman, now and in this particular place? She was born in America in 1948, yet she began her career as a young mother in Britain, outside society’s usual centres of power, and inside a male dominated industry. Her project Woman to Woman Honey was driven by curiosity about her own sexuality, which may tie in with the representations of femininity in society and connecting with Judith Butlers Gender performativity theory. Butlers theory states that “gender proves to be performance— that is, constituting the identity it is purported to be.” Honey has also published five phonebooks, staring her most successful projects, for example; Woman to Woman, Entering the Masquerade, and 100 leading ladies.
Honey’s image from the collection ‘Apple of my Eye’ is starred in the 2000’s cover edition of TIME magazine. The front cover of the magazine has cover lines such as ‘why are girls growing up faster’ and ‘puberty’ which suggests this particular magazine is targeted for the adolescent girl, which may need support during these changes. Honey’s work significantly works with the cover lines provided as it shows it is ultimately going to be read by a large mass audience of girls which could be struggling and seek escapism within the form of time magazine. Furthermore Honeys work is ultimately targeted to the female population, or individuals who are struggling with their sexuality which reinforces this idea that many of her existing audience would read the magazine.
100 Leading Lines, Nancy Honey
IMAGE ANALYSIS:
Woman to Woman, 1990
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE:
Looking at this image I can identify Honey’s sense of presenting femininity through stereotypes of sexuality, and how girls are stereotypically known to wear makeup. This idea of using a young girl connects with many of the young audience and creates the sense of a girl community. However, Honey also created the sense of nostalgia through the warm tones in the images, through the golden hour and the orange tone top, which also gives a sense of safe, girlhood society.
VISUAL/TECHNICAL – The information we see:
The lighting in the image is taken during the ‘golden hour’. The golden hour ‘is the period of time just after sunrise or just before sunset when the light is infused with red and gold tones’. The uses of the golden hour lighting brings a sense of warmth and nostalgic tone to the image. The shadow gives a sharp definition to the image highlighting the girls eyes, which is further reinforced with the action of her applying the mascara which leads our eyes through the image. The camera is positioned at eye level to the girl, which suggests this is a documentary genre of photography as the audiences eyes are drawn straight to the girl, giving the sense we are directly watching her and participating. By taking a picture of the girl doing her makeup, gives the sense the photograph is directed to the feminine audience which identify or older generations which would feel as sense of nostalgia. This community gives the sense Honey is trying to portray the idea of a young teenage girl ‘girlhood’.
CONCEPTUAL/CONTEXTUAL – The reasoning behind the image/Surrounding circumstance/information and knowledge
Honey was inspired to explore the project Woman to Woman as she was driven by curiosity to her own sexuality, and the ways it might – and might not be – tie in with the representation of femininity in present society, dominated by men. Honey worked in colour as she believed it displayed raw sexuality, she photographed women of all ages and all different ethnic backgrounds and body type to create a sense of inclusivity. Woman to Woman was published by Hexagon Editions in 1990, and toured the UK and Ireland as a solo show for two years.
Born 1972, Rinko Kawauchi is a Japanese photographer with a unique aesthetic and style as she captures intimate moments, using colours, textures, movement, light, and shapes to differentiate her photographs from others. Inspired by the Shinto religion as well as the works of Irving Penn, Kawauchi’s photographs capture ordinary moments with a profound almost hallucinatory perspective. Her work, particularly her book “Illuminance,” showcases her unique perspective and ability to capture the beauty in the ordinary and evoke a sense of wonder through her photographs.
“I want to capture the small miracles in everyday life that we often overlook.”
– Rinko Kawauchi
This quote reflects Kawauchi’s desire to highlight the beauty and significance of ordinary moments. Through her lens, she brings attention to the subtle details that often go unnoticed, allowing viewers to appreciate the magic in the mundane. People rarely appear in her images, which range in subject from city streets, flowers, and oceans, to a deer lying dead on the side of a road, she focuses her eye on scenes of a more mundane nature. She seems to take pictures from the perspective of a girl who spent too much time gazing out of the window at school, studying bugs on leaves or watching dandelions disperse in the wind.
Similarly, Kawauchi’s fascination with light and shadow is evident in her work. Her photographs often play with natural light and its effects on the subjects, creating a sense of ethereal and dreamlike atmosphere. By manipulating light, she emphasises the emotional and symbolic aspects of her subjects.
The title of Kawauchi’s book, “Illuminance,” suggests her intention to illuminate the hidden aspects of life. Her photographs capture fleeting moments of clarity and revelation, offering glimpses into the deeper meanings behind everyday experiences. Through her images, Kawauchi invites viewers to contemplate the feeling nature of life and the beauty that lies within it.
Here is a video where she explains her love for the “small mysteries of life”:
