Connecting Essay: Physical Experiments: Gender: Dryden Goodwin

Connecting Essay -

Physical Experiment/ Gender -

Dryden Goodwin Photography:

My Photography:

Firstly, of the images displayed above the top is the work of the photographer Dryden Goodwin and the second is an outcome of my own.

A few technical similarities between the above final outcomes include the process of cutting into the portraits. For instance, both have been created using similar techniques such as the printing of chosen portraits and then carving into the darker regions which is easier due to the ink build-up . Furthermore, both belong within the sub-category of portraiture photography and physical manipulation. Goodwin is a photographer who creates intriguing portraits which are carved into using a sharp instrument. I replicated the scratching technique in my own work using both scissors and a scalpel which therefore provided similar line contour shapes accentuating certain features on the portraits.

Although, there are also many differences in the final outcomes that are shown above. Possibly the most significant difference being the use of colours and filters. For example, Goodwin uses a monochromatic pallet created most likely through editing using a black and white filter. I, however, did not edit my image into a black and white portrait. The employment of the black and white highly contrasted image used by Goodwin is helpful for his technique as the dark ink is easier to carve into. Furthermore, the composition in the photographs are completely different; Goodwin uses an almost profile image not maintaining eye-contact with the camera/ audience and the photographs are not taken in a studio setting. I did not comply exactly to the set-up used by Goodwin and instead used a studio setting and a typical portraiture eye-contact. Also the idea behind my work as focusing on gender was that the carving technique almost represented a tribal scarification pattern which is worn by male warriors and thus again studies different societies ideas about gender and masculinity.

If I was to improve the pastiche of my final outcome then I would edit my work in Photoshop to experiment with skills such as filters, black and white, to create a similar nostalgic and moody atmosphere  like Goodwin's. I would also try and photograph outside in a non studio set-up to create an almost documentary style.

To conclude, there are both similarities and differences between Dryden Goodwin's work and mine as I was inspired by Goodwin after first encountering his work in my photography unit one coursework component. I wanted to experiment with the carving technique again and thus there are similarities although I only used his technique rather than exactly replicating his style. I adapted the technique to work in cohesion with the exam section personal opinions in which I am focusing on gender.