Ashley Armitage:
Denotation: Teenagers on a slide
Connotation: Youth subcultures, the disappearing childhood within society due to changing values
Context: "School's Out 4EVR"
Denotation: Girl in a bathroom
Connotation: Females are sexually promiscuous, females are often only seen as objects of desire for heterosexual male sexuality
Context: "No Boys Allowed"
Denotation: Swimming
Connotation: The restraints of female clothing, difficulties associated with femininity
Context: "Pool Party"
Denotation: Females at a sleepover
Connotation: Females, non-heterosexuality, stereotypes that females at sleepovers socialise in underwear
Context: "The Girl's Room"
I picked the photographer Ashley Armitage as her use of colours were extremely aesthetically pleasing and she also depicted issues such as femininity within multiple different series'. Armitage studies the female form, inequalities of the genders and issues such as changing perceptions of gender throughout the years. These images have influenced me in the subject of my photography as I intend to focus on gender under the title of personal opinions. In summary, Armitage is an interesting photographer who voices issues such as femininity and thus has been featured on the website 'Girls by Girls'. The implementation of an engaging subject, colour scheme and explicitly connotative series titles all join to create an inspirational series of works. To evaluate, Armitage is helpful to my exam as she has inspired me to pursue the path following gender and to experiment with set colours for a series.
Juno Calypso:
Denotation: The female form
Connotation: Female sexuality, the female body, the male gaze, stereotypical feminine colours
Context: One woman honeymoon to couples suites worldwide
Denotation: Nightwear, sleep
Connotation: Sleeping alone, women do not always dress to impress males, stereotypical feminine colours
Context: One woman honeymoon to couples suites worldwide
Denotation: Woman in a bath
Connotation: The mask and wig suggest anonymity and disguise, the mask also suggests sexual kinks, the clothing suggest sexual behaviour, the colours suggest intimacy
Context: One woman honeymoon to couples suites worldwide
Denotation: Woman in a bath
Connotation: A female in a couples room alone to suggest that she does not require a male counterpart, the position suggest female sexuality
Context: One woman honeymoon to couples suites worldwide
I picked the photographer Juno Calypso as she pursues the ideas of gender in a more controversial way which I thought would illicit a wider response if I was to implement it within my own work.
Calypso has influenced me to complete a photoshoot that may be more controversial and therefore would warrant a greater response from a viewer which may then allow them to consider the implicit meanings. In summary, Calypso studies ideas such as female sexuality and the stereotypical colour theme contrasts the other darker connotations. To evaluate, Calypso is a useful photographer to research in cohesion with my exam focusing on personal opinions as she expresses ideas that are more controversial than the typical ideas of femininity.
Phebe Schmidt:
Denotation: The female form, a waitress
Connotation: The male gaze, females are seen in two ways: sexual objects or as mother which can be implied by the mil-like substance strategically placed in front of the breasts of the subject, the necklace appears to say princess which conforms to the gender stereotypes of females as feminine feeble passive objects, the red colour lipstick is connotative of female sexuality
Context: The images is depicting a woman in a serving role which suggests the submissive position of women and their roe as being subservient to men; this also links to the idea that "women belong in the kitchen"
Denotation: Objects associated with female life
Connotation: The objects that define a woman revolve around her image being feminine (for instance: having breasts, having long blonde hair, wearing high heels), it could also being implying that for someone to be a female they have to enhance their 'beauty' by becoming more fake
Context: This photograph was created for 'Sleek Magazine'
Denotation: Objects associated with plastic surgery and beauty treatments
Connotation: To be perfect people must enhance their 'beauty' with plastic surgery
Context: In modern society the number of people getting plastic surgery has dramatically increased
Denotation: A doll hand
Connotation: Femininity and beauty revolves around being 'plastic'.
Context: Socialisation processes state that females stereotypically play with dolls and then aspire to become like them when the get older. People are always told to improve their beauty and become more 'plastic' for example through plastic surgery
I picked the photographer Phebe Schmidt who is my main inspiration for my photoshoots for her simplistic background colours, implicit connotations and various subjects from portraits to objects.
Schmidt has influenced me mostly in experimenting with different colour backdrops although I have rebelled against stereotypical gender conformity by employing pink for the male series and blue for the female series. In summary, Schmidt studies ideas of gender in the real world through a definite theme employing colour backdrops and either portraits or objects. To evaluate, Schmidt is extremely useful to me in my exam process as she challenges ideas of gender in a iconic way that is reminiscent of magazine photoshoot.
Hannah Altman:
Denotation: Female form, the difficulties of being a female.
Connotation: The pain of being a woman, sexuality, sexual assault, body confidence issues
Context: This series is called 'How To' and in my personal opinion implies the difficulties and pains associated with being a woman whether that is due to periods, pregnancy or fear of sexual assault etc
Denotation: Periods
Connotation: The difficulties associated with having a uterus, the beauty of the human body, the beauty that can be found in the process of periods such as the possibility of life, the branded underwear also draws on connotation of
Context: Periods transcend time and are universal and something that half of the worlds population experience thus allowing a large target audience to draw on their own experiences
Denotation: Female form, female lifestyle
Connotation: Females are obsessed with appearance, society pressures women to conforming to a certain appearance such as a specific weight etc
Context: In modern society body image has gradually been becoming an issue that affects younger and younger people and one of the main victims are teenage girls who feel pressured by media etc
Denotation: Female form
Connotation: The black and white filter creates a sad effect whilst the blue fingerprint physical experiments connote ideas of ownership and how a female's identity is ever chafing throughout her life such as from a child to a woman, from virgin to non-virgin etc and this can leave evident marks on people, although it could also depict domestic abuse or self-harm as the fingerprints almost appear like bruises on the skin
Context: These ideas are further supported by the series title 'What You Left'
I picked Hannah Altman for her intriguing ideas of incorporating a variety of physical experiment techniques to create a final outcome with a multitude of implicit meanings. Altman has mostly influenced me towards the idea of including physical experiments post-photoshoots in the future. For example, I may cut into, paint over, scratch into and or collage images. In summary, Altman studies ideas surrounding gender such as societal beauty expectations, sexual representations, inequalities and mental health issues arising out of the female life. To evaluate, Altman is important to me and my exam process as she experiments with a variety of different techniques that provides a large variety of outcomes that beautifully, through colours, manipulation of ideas and even the main subject image depict gender within modern society.
Marianna Rothen:
Denotation: A woman relaxing
Connotation: The black and white filter eradicates the ideas of race and focuses instead directly on beauty which is implied through the use of the mirror; the mirror is almost reminiscent of the fairytale "Mirror, mirror on the wall" and ideas of beauty specifically amongst women
Context: This is part of the series 'Snow and Rose and Other Tales' and more specifically within the sub-series of 'Domesticated Women'.
Denotation: A woman laying in a field
Connotation: Females are the daughters of nature, in christian religion women are all born from Eve and therefore have an innate connection with nature, it could however also depict femininity due to the flowers surrounding the woman
Context: This is part of the series 'Women of Canterbury'
Denotation: A bride
Connotation: The hue of the image is not highly saturated and thus creates a sombre feeling alongside the deadpan facial expression; these ideas juxtapose the saying about a woman's wedding day being the "happiest day of her life"; this could depict the woes of a wedding and the binding of a marriage to which a women essentially becomes a slave to her husband whom she has to cook for, clean for etc
Context: This is part of the 'Domesticated Women' series
Denotation: A woman cooking
Connotation: The sexist and stereotypical position of women within society as a cook, a cleaner, a mother and or a sexual object
Context: This is within the series 'Gentle Creatures'
I selected Marianna Rothen as she combined the use of nostalgia, through the black/ white and sepia filters, with the ideas of now, mostly, outdated gender stereotypes. The above pictures feature a variety of labels given to women; vain, fragile, the bride and the homemaker and sexual object for male desire. Rothen has influenced me in experimenting with filters and colours in the editing process. To summarise, Rothen questions ideas about female representation within society through the use of transcending ideas of time. Both the editing process, framing and subject of the photographs represent a vintage style. To evaluate, Rothen's photographs will help me in the exam process as her work has encouraged me to experiment with both the filters but even more drastically with the final framing of the images.
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