Photoshoot 10: Gender: Male and Female Stereotype Juxtaposition: Work Record

Work Record -

Date: Saturday 19th March 2016
Camera: Canon EOS 450D 
Editing Software: Photoshop CC 2014
Settings: F/5.6, ISO 400, 1/60

Plans For Shoot: My plan for today's photoshoot is to experiment with photography not in the studio. I want to juxtapose two images directly side by side representing ideas about masculinity and femininity to challenge societies ideologies.

What I Hope to Achieve: My first idea about what I want to achieve today is that I create a small series of juxtaposed photographs that portray the imbalanced stereotypes of socially constructed gender rather than biological sex.

I also hope to use appropriate settings that create the moody atmosphere that I am looking for; this may be more challenging than usual as I will not have the aid of studio lighting and light metres but will instead have to rely on my current skill and knowledge of my camera.

I would like to ensure that the composition in each two part final outcome is similar enough to still look aesthetically pleasing to an audiences eye and for the implicit meanings to be understood.

Another hope of mine is that I will achieve at least four edited final outcomes composed of eight individual photographs. A small series will provide a hopefully insightful look into the reinforcement of gender construction and stereotypes within a prejudiced society.

What I Actually Achieved: I believe that my use of the same background and similar composition within my photographs provided an apt subject series for challenging the similarities and differences between masculinity and femininity. The hand positions in each two part final outcome are very similar and allow an audience to make an immediate assumption that the two images are to be compared and contrasted which was one of my key aims; I believe that the composition was explicit enough that the outcomes do not rely too heavily on pragmatics but do also allow for audience individual interpretation.

Additionally, the settings that I used, as featured above, allowed my subjects to be the central focal point in each photograph due to the extreme difference between the high contrasted subject and background and my employment of colours and shades. However, I could improve this further in editing and I will expand upon this in the progression section.

I was able to compose the images closely enough in the two part photographs as I kept returning to the previous photograph between each subject change to ensure it was as close as possible. I could again have improved this more by using more available tools on my camera.

I was however fully successful in creating four final outcomes. I can conclude that when displaying them to peers they picked up on the juxtaposition/ oxymoron in the final outcomes and thought that each side represented masculinity and femininity.

What I Am Going To Do Next/ Progression: To improve, if I wanted my images to be more striking than they currently are then I could rely on my Photoshop CC 2014 skills. For instance, I could use the 'Hue/ Saturation' tool to up the saturation of the colours which could also be aesthetically enhanced by using the 'Brightness/ Contrast' tool to darken the black background.

To advance even more, I could have changed the camera's focus point settings so that when I looked through my viewfinder I had the dots to outline my composition. Although, for a practice photoshoot I did not think this was a complete necessity.

Additionally, In the final outcomes I was able to notice a slight difference in the darkness of the background which I would amend in editing in the future by adjusting the brightness and contrast if this was my final exam piece. This was part of the difficulty to shoot in a non-studio setting. 

Most likely the next photoshoots that I will completing will be as part of the real exam rather than preparation for it. My idea has fluctuated and developed a lot in a few photoshoots but I believe that it has all been to improve upon my original idea for my final pieces. I look forward to brining in ideas from all photoshoots, even if not explicitly similar, such as compositions, experimenting in studios and different scenery and finally editing techniques.

Least and Favourite Image Evaluation - 

Least Favourite:

Favourite: 

The reason the above pictures are my favourite and least favourite are for a variety of reasons.

My least favourite is so because whilst I did manage to position my hands the same the images are slightly misaligned and the colour of the background, possibly due to the use of flash, is different. The images do not softly merge with one another. If I was improve upon this final outcome then I would experiment on the different layers with adjustments in Photoshop such as 'Brightness/ Contrast' and other such tools including 'Levels'. I would then also implement the use of a tool such as layer blending or a simpler process of using the 'Clone Stamp' or 'Spot Healing' tool to blend out the line.

The second photograph is my favourite as the hands are almost positioned exactly the same with the objects being of similar colours. The use of the symbolic red, I believe, draw viewers eyes in. Whilst the left of the merged image is more zoomed in the background colour on both images is extremely similar and the photographs aligned very well in Photoshop.

Meaning -

Denotation: Contrasts, colour, objects of varying obscurity.

Connotation: Juxtapositions of symbolic items for masculinity and femininity, gender role allocation through everyday items and marketing, challenging gender associations.

Context: I wanted an audience to understand that a side-by-side comparison of objects can show how trivial some perceptions of gender can be, objects are inanimate and cannot be assigned to genders, there are similarities and difference between all genders and these must be understood, respected and celebrated rather than ridiculed especially those who do not conform to wider societies understanding of the norm.

Photoshoot 10: Gender: Male and Female Stereotype Juxtaposition: Contact Sheet

Contact Sheet - 

Photoshoot 10: Gender: Male and Female Stereotype Juxtaposition

Best Images -

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Editing Process -

Photoshoot 9: Gender: Male and Female Brain Dissection: Work Record

Work Record -

Date: Friday 18th March 2016
Camera: Canon EOS 450D 
Editing Software: N/A
Settings: F/11, ISO 200, 1/125

Plans For Shoot: My first plan for today's shoot is to photograph a variety of subjects under the field of portraiture who represent different genders, ethnicities and conformity to gender stereotypes.


What I Hope to Achieve: My first hope for this series of photographs is to ensure I photograph more than one gender so that I can create a contrast between the male and female stereotypes as I have been doing with my other series'.

I would also like to create a series of photographs in which the difference between subject and background is extremely stark so that when I physically manipulate the images the idea is not lost due to the removal the facial area.

I hope that I can achieve at least four photographs which are well exposed and will withstand cutting, gluing and scanning without becoming white-washed at any point. 

I also hope to achieve a series of final outcomes in which an audience would be able to witness my inspiration from the artist Matthieu Bourel; however, I hope, an audience should also understand that his work was simply a starting point for my own development and that there are both similarities and differences in the work.

What I Actually Achieved: I was able to photograph a large part of my friendship group which allowed me document, through portraiture,  a large variation in social sub-groups such as genders, ethnicities and conformity to the masculine and feminine stereotypes.

I also mostly achieved my second hope as the subjects were standing out from the plain background quite well. Although this could have been improved and I will further explain this in the progression section.

Furthermore, I was successful in achieving four best images which were printed on a sturdy paper which improved the quality during the process of cutting, the paper did not fray, and gluing. Again, improvements could have been made during the scanning process and I will elaborate upon this in the progression segment.

I believe, in my opinion and after showing the work to peers who agreed, that my work did show a progression from the original starting point inspirational artist Matthieu Bourel. The similarities between the work include the removal of facial sections and the replacement of them with vibrant multi-media cut-outs. Although some differences include Matthieu Bourel's borrowed use of vintage and retro photographs and the use of various filters such as black and white, sepia and high saturation.

What I Am Going To Do Next/ Progression: To improve, I would employ my Photoshop CC 2014 knowledge and edit the images using levels and curves to establish more of a contrast between the portrait subjects and backdrops.

To advance further, I had limited access to scanners to scan the final physical experiment photoshoot outcomes back in digitally and thus the quality of the images were somewhat diminished as I could only use my home scanner. In the future if I was to re-shoot I would search for a better scanner to use in cohesion with the physical experiments.

If I was to further compare my work to that of Matthieu Bourel then I could possibly work in Photoshop to use selective colourisation, black and white filters and or reduce the saturation to more closely link the final outcomes.

Next, I shall be completing my first non-studio photoshoot where I will juxtapose two images, one associated with femininity and the other with masculinity, by using a similar composition but a different subject image. This will help me to explore both the similarities and differences between males and females and how masculinity and femininity are social constructs created to enforce people to conform to society. 

Least and Favourite Image Evaluation - 

Least Favourite:

Favourite:

The reasoning behind the above pictures being my favourite and least favourite are for a multitude of reasons.

My least favourite is so because the scanning process after completing the physical manipulation threw out the white-balance of the photograph and made the exposure appear to bright. Additionally, the removed section could have been more accurately measured before I used a scalpel to remove it. If I had been more skilled with the knife I could have shaped the segment to reflect the accepted cartoon-style of a brain although this was relatively difficult to do. If I was to complete this final outcome again then I would increase the vibrancy before printing so that after the scanning the computer copy would not be too pale and lacking in saturation and vibrance.

The second photograph is my favourite of the series as it conforms more directly to the inspirational artist Mathhieu Bourel in that it completely removes significant factors of the facial region. This final outcome is a study not only in gender stereotyping but also in how it influences our identity which is explored through the removal of the face in my work. I was also more pleased with this image as it did not become as lacking in vibrancy as the much as the one above it after scanning. For the female brain dissections I was also able to find more fitting and gender stereotype challenging clipping materials within magazines and therefore the subject matter is more powerful than my least favourite image.  

Meaning -

Denotation: Brain, mind, newspapers, media, collage.

Connotation: The mind, specifically on matters such as gender, is largely shaped by those around us for instance the media, the gender marketed products discuss inequality but in doing so also help to reinforce some of its ideals, some audiences are brainwashed by society into blindly accepting its norms and values without thought to how it will cause them to lose their identity and become just another casualty of societal beliefs.

Context: This photoshoot displays the ideas that society through its institutes will attempt to create a uniform conformist culture that disregards differences as outside of the norm and therefore should be ridiculed, I wanted to challenge the media and state that we are not merely addicts as mentioned in the hypodermic syringe model but we can understand out own beliefs through the decoding approach.   

Photoshoot 9: Gender: Male and Female Brain Dissection: Contact Sheet

Contact Sheet - 

Photoshoot 9: Gender: Male and Female Brain Dissection: Physical Experiments

Best Images -

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Creation Process -

I began the process by taking a series of photographs in the studio using a simple white backdrop and my Canon camera, information regarding this is in the work diary.

The next process was printing the images on a substantial photography paper which would look more professional and cut easier when the time came.

Afterwards, I drew either a shield  or half-crescent moon shape using a ruler and pencil to ensure the section was symmetrical.

I then used a stanley knife as a scalpel to precisely cut away the shape  covering the subjects main facial region.

This left me with a blank section replacing the face. I placed a sheet of plain paper behind my photograph but did not stick the corners down yet as I would need to use the contours to hide edges of the clippings.

Searching through a variety of magazines, catalogues and newspapers provided me with enough images related to gender and gender stereotypes to use for the four above outcomes. I cut them out carefully and composed them within the blank section and glued them to their final positons.

The final outcomes can be seen above.

Photoshoot 8a: Gender: Men's Work: Documentary: Work Record

Work Record Studio -

Date: Wednesday 6th April 2016
Camera: Canon EOS 450D 
Editing Software: Photoshop CC 2014
Settings: Indoors: F10, ISO 400, 1/60, Flash
          Outdoors: F10, ISO 200, 1/100

Plans For Shoot: My plans for todays photoshoot is to photograph men's work in the style of Henri-Cartier Bresson, one of the personal opinion exam artists, through documentary. 

What I Hope to Achieve: I hope to achieve a series of photographs that depict the average roles and activities within the field of work for the stereotypical male.

I want the pictures to reflect the work of Bresson, a famous documentary photographer, and to do this I would like for my images to show an insight into the decisive moment and when it is the best moment to capture an image.

Additionally, I also want to create a nostalgic, retro and timeless feel to my work and to do this I plan to edit my photographs into black and white using Photoshop CC 2014.

Furthermore, I want to capture at least four photographs that depict my chosen response to personal opinions in a creative way and that I am happy to display.

I want to experiment with different tools in Photoshop to achieve a dramatic and tonal series that exemplifies my interpretation of the exam and Henri Cartier-Bresson's work who served as my inspiration for this photoshoot.

What I Actually Achieved: I did capture photographs that depicted stereotypically masculine roles such as using machinery, a pillar drill, the DIY around the house and the caretaking of the man cave including a garage and a shed.

I would hope that Bresson's influence can be seen in my work although it is not a direct pastiche. The use of the black and white definitely aids the process of achieving a final outcome that reflects the work of the photographer who inspired this shoot. The decisive moment played a direct position in my work as I studied the subject, my granddad, from afar and wanted to deviate from posed photography and thus was able to capture him in his natural environment.

I did use black and white editing techniques to address the nostalgic feel of Bresson's work and now my own. As Bresson was using first a Kodak Box Brownie and later a Leicia camera his photographs were in black and white which influenced me.

I did capture a few more than four favourite photographs in this photoshoot but I cut it down to four for uniformity.

In Photoshop I used techniques and tools such as 'Black/ White', 'Brightness/ Contrast' and the more advanced 'Levels' to alter my pictures until they were bold and tonal black and white photographs I was pleased with.


What I Am Going To Do Next/ Progression: Next I am progressing on to a very different style of photography were I will be including not only photographers but also artists as my inspiration.

To improve in the future, if I was to complete a similar photoshoot, then I would shoot various subjects in various locations to expand the relatability of the photographs as photography is largely about relating to someone's individual personal opinions and belief systems.

Least and Favourite Image Evaluation - 

Least Favourite:

Favourite:

The reason the above photographs are my favourite and least favourite image is for a variety of different reasons.

My least favourite is so because the composition is not as well planned especially due to the fact that I was focusing on the decisive moment and the photographs are candid and not posed. Due to the bright outside weather the exposure was somewhat too bright which I should have adjusted more in Photoshop. Additionally, in some photography lens glare can add to the final outcome although in this image I believe detracts from the tone of the image. Also, the image was much brighter than the others in the series, specifically more so than my favourite, due to the lack of tone adjustment through 'Brightness/ Contrast' in the editing process.

The second photograph is my favourite as it is of high tonal quality with good use of 'Brightness/ Contrast' and depicts the decisive moment well. The cluttered stereotypically masculine work space is accentuated by the bright sun on the worktop contrasting to the dark pillar drill head. I also believe that, as I know the subject, I was able to photograph them in a setting that accurately depicts their personality and character in a way that it is almost as if I was not there with a camera. Therefore, this image most accurately depicts the inspiration from Henri Cartier-Bresson and his photography techniques.

Meaning -

Denotation: DIY, physical work, use of machinery, pass-times.

Connotation: Males are stereotypically the manual labourers DIY workers within a nuclear family configuration and these gender biased ideas are passed down through the institution of the family, the inequality that transcend times through the employment of nostalgic black and white filters.  

Context: This photoshoot depicts my ideas about how gender stereotypes have evolved but not far enough to deviate from the vintage atmosphere of these photographs, the belief systems of older generations is not working in cohesion with where the majority of society would like equality to be working towards.  

Photoshoot 8a: Gender: Men's Work: Documentary: Contact Sheet

Contact Sheet - 

Photoshoot 8a: Gender: Men's Work: Documentary

Best Images - 

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Editing Process - 

Photoshoot 8: Gender: Men's Work: Work Record

Work Record Studio -

Date: 8th April 2016
Camera: Canon EOS 450D 
Editing Software: Photoshop CC 2014
Settings: F/8, ISO 200, 1/125

Plans For Shoot: My plan for todays shoot is to photograph a series of objects that represent the field of men's work in my gender equality series derived from the personal opinions exam section. 

What I Hope to Achieve: I hope to achieve a series of photographs that depict male work in its stereotyped state. This will be through the use of a variety of objects; my initial idea is to have wood that connotes a shed with DIY tools leaning against it, such as a shovel, but this may be too impractical to bring into college. 


I am also hoping that a change of backdrop colour does not end the easily distinguishable connection to my inspirational photographer Phebe Schmidt. I have decided that I will shoot using a white backdrop as the blue and pink backgrounds provided a few difficulties in editing. 

I would like that the composition in the photographs are well planned and constructed in a way that intrigues an audience and allows them to draw upon connotations of the work and the implicit meanings. 

My final hope for today's shoot is that I will achieve at least four final outcomes that fit my hopes and expectations when it comes to aesthetics, colour, composition and other such aspects. 

What I Actually Achieved: In todays shoot I believe I was mostly successful in creating a small series of photographs depicting a variety of stereotypes surrounding men;s work. For example, I used items such as a tie, calculator and a hole-puncher to depict the business world association with males whilst also employing the use of items including pliers, work goggles and a tape measure to portray the idea of males being those involved in DIY and manual labouring roles within a society revolving around gender equality. 

In this particular shoot I was pleased with the white backdrop as it did not causes issues in editing like the pink backdrop did. The pink colour was tonally darker and brighter in patches and could not be amended in Photoshop CC 2014 using dodge and burn. I did not adjust the white backdrop this time, except for removing one muddy mark, as it was already bright enough and not patchy. I was pleased with this and thus think it may be the backdrop that I use in my final exam. 

Furthermore, the composition, whilst not directly adhering to ideas such as the compositional grid method, remains aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. The somewhat cluttered but deliberate layout is placed in a way that the audiences eye is almost taken on a journey through the paths created by the various objects. 

Finally, I was able to form a small series of photographs that documented stereotypes and labels about the male gender and the work associated with them. 

What I Am Going To Do Next/ Progression:I will again be employing the white backdrop in my next shoot as I was so pleased with its appearance even without editing. Although, I will be developing my idea through the use of portraiture and physical manipulation next. 

As the next shoot is not a table-top object shoot it is hard to suggest how I will experiment with composition. However, I will try to compose the portraits so that they are at eye-level and and are central within the frame of the photograph. 

Least and Favourite Image Evaluation - 

Least Favourite:

Favourite:

The reasoning behind the above pictures being my favourite and least favourite are for a few reasons. 

My least favourite is so because a shadow from the soft box lighting is encroaching on the main section of the photograph. Additionally, the least favourite image does not have such a variety of items as in my favourite. The top image was too closely composed and thus appears chaotic. 

The second photograph is my favourite as it is more careful in considering the composition, it studies both the stereotypical business and manual labouring extremes of male role stereotypes within society. Furthermore, the colour combinations, as enhanced by the blue tie, adheres to the stereotypical gender colours. In my favourite final image I was also able to edit out the muddy mark better than in the top image as the top image because the shadows behind the bolts made it difficult to use the clone stamp tool. 

Meaning -

Denotation: DIY, business, work.

Connotation: Males are stereotypically the manual labourers or breadwinners who work in male dominated environments, more professions available to men than women.

Context: This photoshoot was done to influence peoples ideas that considering jobs either masculine or feminine is outdated due to advancements of technology, changing perceptions and different expectations of genders. Men should not be concerned about expressing themselves differently to the male role stereotypes due to fear of being ridiculed just the same as women and other gender should not. Inequality within the workplace is extremely common and needs to be addressed.