Date: Friday 18th March 2016
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Editing Software: Photoshop CC 2014
Settings: F/11, ISO 200, 1/125
Plans For Shoot: My idea for today's photoshoot is to photograph a collection of objects that accurately depict my hosen myth associated with the male gender.
What I Hope to Achieve: I hope to achieve a series of creative and intriguing photographs which I will have attempted to compose in a variety of ways for instance through layout, colour and objects to draw upon viewer connotation and pragmatics.
I also would like to create a photographs that are significantly influenced by the stylised gender interpretations made by the photographer Phebe Schmidt. I will also draw on specific colour ideas from Ashley Armitage and Juno Calypso although I will work using a blue colour rather than a pastel pink often employed by the two previously mentioned photographers. For instance, I will again employ the pastel blue colour background with more saturated coloured objects to create both a subdued and oxymoronically saturated final outcome.
Furthermore, I also hope that I will be able to avoid using such skills as 'Dodge' and 'Burn' in editing to avoid the print issues that I have experienced with other photoshoots. A step I will take to avoid this is to employ the blue backdrop for the male gender too rather than just for women to depict a challenge of stereotypical colour ideals.
My final hope for today is to finish a series of photographs which are both humorous and pragmatically interesting like Schmidt's work.
What I Actually Achieved: This particular shoot is my sixth photoshoot and I have been looking forward to adjusting the coloured backdrop which is now a definite as I have come to the conclusion that I dislike the dark pink hue due to how it appears patchy on screen and in print.
First of all, I tried a variety of slightly different compositions until I was satisfied with the overall appearance of my final four images. Some images appeared more clumsy than others whilst others were more controlled. This is because the clumsy outcomes fit well within the stereotypical gender myth that males cannot multitask and thus complete all jobs clumsily and messily whilst the controlled outcomes are more aesthetically pleasing in the photographs and unfortunately I could not sacrifice the aesthetics for pragmatics.
Also, I continued to use the previous studio set-up just with the blue backdrop as I completed a few photoshoots in one long period. I tried out using the blue backdrop with the male gendered photoshoot which was much easier to adjust in the editing process and will eventually appear better in print. This change in colour provided me with a Schmidt style response due to high saturation and bold colours rather than a drab pink.
Additionally, I was also able to use my previous editing techniques in Photoshop to edit my photographs which I did by using the 'Vibrance' tool and the 'Brightness/ Contrast' tool. This allowed me to adjust make the images more saturated without drastically altering the pale blue hue which as a result reflects the works of my inspiration artists Armitage and Schmidt who would not compromise their use of colour in editing.
When sharing these photographs with an audience they understood the ideas that men are also often stereotyped as unable to multitask and more job concerned than with their families.
What I Am Going To Do Next/ Progression: The next step for me in my photoshoot process is the next topic involving the genders and the work that is prescribed to them by the gender stereotypical society. To advance, I will attempt a larger set-up which may provide a more dramatic final outcome. I will, however, either keep to the bold baby blue backdrop for both genders or switch to a less stereotyped colour and focus only on the colours of the objects and the pragmatics rather than contradictions.
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 in trying to fit the whole image in the zoomed-in framing leading to the props becoming clustered together. Also the placements of the writing, on the post-it notes, is more difficult to read due to the angles of placement.
The second photograph is my favourite of this particular series as the composition is more balanced. The objects are not clustered and thus do not confuse the viewer. Also the colours are very slightly brighter and vibrant in a way that reflects Phebe Schmidt's work and Sarah Maple's work through the backdrop colours.
Meaning -
Denotation: Work, chaos, business.
Connotation: Stereotypical idea that men cannot multitask, one role at least will always be neglected if multitasking is required, the juggling act of work life with home life, analytical and work orientated mind compared to the nurturing and family orientated mind of 'women'.
Context: I want the audience to understand that stereotypes and the portrayal of them can have both positive and negative effects upon people, stereotypes cannot be applied to a whole social group because they are based upon only a few from that sub-culture.
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