What I want to explore:

Within this final project with the theme of union, I aim to explore themes of femininity, identity and power roles. I decided to choose these three themes to focus on mainly as they briefly intertwine with my previous personal study project that focused on youth, identity and aspects of femininity. Fine art photography is something I have researched in depth, learning how artists express their creativity and make statements through their work. Additionally, it also has the power to challenge social norms and spark important conversations within the topic of gender roles, which are important factors for me because I am a female and believe some of the societal expectations are not yet fully discarded. Helmut Newton powerfully inspired me to base my project around this ideology because his work holds a powerful historical value of traditional stereotypes around females in the media, where he firmly portrays his values and feminist beliefs into his work, allowing for the viewer to see the world through his eyes. Newton photographs women in a way that is unique and raw, despite his images looking staged. The message behind all of his work is extremely powerful, which in my opinion you can see immediately after viewing. I interpret Newton’s work as very convincing through the use of sharp contrasts and lots of tension due to the black and white filters, in attempt to show a sense of realism, what it was like for women in the 1960s. I want to reinforce these ideas in my own project, showing the similarities and differences between the time period of the 60s, compared to now. I will be highlighting the power of women in a way that directly links to Newton, by photographing from similar angles with my subjects in similar clothing in order to almost recreate his scenes.

Why it matters to me:

I want to delve into these ideas deeper to exhibit my feminist values as this is a topic I feel passionately towards. Power roles is a topic I aim to delve into throughout my project, through photographing myself and others, depicting females as strong and equally as powerful as males. This is significant to me as gender inequality has been a heavy topic for several decades, where women are viewed as weak and vulnerable. My main objective is to explore the ways in which I can present females as the opposite of these standards, reinforcing the idea of equality. I am exploring these ideas in hope that my work can become representative of all females, empowering women and therefore defeating any false narratives surrounding weakness.

How I wish to develop my project:

I wish to develop my project through conducting different photoshoots weekly, where my subjects are presented in a provocative way, a way that women are not usually viewed as. I will achieve this by photographing my first photoshoot outdoors, similar to some of Newton’s work. My subjects will be wearing sophisticated, smart clothing so the viewer can immediately interpret a like for fashion, yet the main message behind the images will delve deeper. The message I am aiming to communicate is how women can be signed up for important roles too, as well as men. I am doing this because I feel that historically, men were the only people to have specialised roles or jobs as they were viewed as intelligent, and women were only useful at home, jobless, nurturing their children. Therefore, in my first project I will be highlighting the change that has occurred in recent decades, and women achieving an important status for themselves in the hierarchy.

My second photoshoot will be in the photography studio, with my models dressed sleek and elegantly again. However, this time I will be photographing them in a way that links to Yayoi Kusama also, rather than just focusing on Helmut Newton. I will still be able to draw in accurate aspects of Newton’s work due to the clothing, props and model poses. In addition to this, Newton’s inspiration can be depicted through the act of playing into the male gaze, which I wanted to explore and challenge through portraying my subjects as dominant. This shoot will have direct links to Kusama due to the location of the shoot, as she mainly focused on photographing indoors with studio-like lighting, which will allow my images to look successful in a magazine format.

How I want to present my study:

I will be presenting my study in a photobook, specifically a magazine layout. I will use a range of images from my different shoots, edit them appropriately where they show attachments to Newton’s dramatic approaches with heavy contrasts, yet also incorporating Kusama’s approaches using vibrancy and bold colours, which can emphasise the importance of power I am attempting to present. These images will be placed into my magazine in a random arrangement to display a range of elements surrounding my artist inspirations, as well as my own ideas and values. My magazine will differ from most magazines in the media today, as there will not be any precise advertisements or persuasions built into the pages. There will not be any text, in order to keep the viewer focused on the message behind the images, rather than having a wandering eye. This will prevent the message behind my work being misinterpreted. Instead, the front cover will have a catchy title, linking to the empowerment of women, and the images throughout will show my subjects presenting themselves as confident and important women, contributing in todays society.

Where and when I intend to begin my study:

I intend to begin my study by photographing female models in a way that highlights themes of dominance and power, in attempt to discard gender inequality from going any further. I intend to highlight the change between the 1960s and now, showing how women are now viewed as equal to men, and this is something to celebrate. My first shoot will be photographed outdoors to immediately link my project to Helmut Newton, to get an idea on the type of settings I like and want to continue photographing in. If I do not like the outdoor approach, my following shoots will be taken indoors, resembling Kusama’s ideas closely. I will photograph in a studio where the images are clearly staged. Depending on how successful my first outcomes are, my next shoot will be taken in an opposing setting, to show a broad range of ideas.