Photography Technique Theory and Gender

PAUL LOWE (2016) PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS

Colour/tone:

Colour versus black and white:

-          ‘black and white creates a more analytical and abstract feel, emphasising forms and giving a sense of timelessness’ (p. 21) – this is what I have subconsciously favoured when collecting and researching photographs/photographers that inspire me, being predominantly drawn to black and white imagery in how details and forms seem highlighted and that classic, vintage and timeless feel.

-          ‘colour tends to be more visceral and clearly adds an extra level of pure description. Choosing the appropriate colour or exposure range to match the feel of the final image’s colour and tone can have a significant emotional or psychological effect’ (p. 21) – after practising photography more and researching a deeper understanding into photographic techniques, I intend to utilise the use of colour in my photographs to further illustrate the message I wish to portray. I plan to set the white balance on the camera setting to a cooler, blue hue, to evoke stereotypically masculine, clinical and professional connotations.

Shadow:

-          ‘strong shadows cast across a scene can create dramatic effects’ and can be utilised and used as part of your composition (p. 21)

-          ‘lamp can be used to light only the subject, throwing the rest of the room into darkness’ (p. 21)

Composition/balance:

-          Using the rule of thirds rule in your composition will normally make the photograph look ‘balanced’, which is ‘an important aspect of composition’, ‘balance can also mean working with the visual weight of elements in your composition; [..] a small dark object positioned in the corner of the frame will balance against a large light area in the rest of it, or vice versa’ (p. 23).

Lighting:

-          ‘The quality of light in a photograph is one of the most important elements you can use creatively to get across your message’ (p. 32).

-          ‘Light can be described in several ways – hard or soft, directional or diffused, high or low contrast, cold or warm – and each aspect of the quality of light affects the photograph’ (p. 32) – I will utilise these different qualities in my work, using cold, hard, high contrast light to evoke hegemonic masculinity, and warmer, softer light to evoke more stereotypically feminine and romantic emotions.

-          ‘move around the subject to get the best light and look for shafts of light cutting across scenes, creating strong contrast between areas of light and shade. This technique, known as chiaroscuro, can give great depth, making an image almost three-dimensional’ (p. 32). –  I will not rely too heavily on static tripods for this work, and will move fluidly around my subject with a free camera, critically thinking about my own placement in relation to the subject (and therefore the cameras'). This will allow me to not rely on zoom, immersing myself in the photographic production. 

-          ‘The smaller the light source and the further away from the subject it is, the harder the light that it produces will be. Conversely, the larger the light source and the closer it is to the subject, the softer and more diffuse the light will be’ (p. 33)  - positioning of the light and subject – I experimented with and manipulated the distance between the subject and the light source, altering the effect of the light and therefore the mood of the light when practising taking my final shots. A closer, larger light was used for the feminine tone of my photography, and a smaller, distant light source was used to evoke the masculine tone. I needed to adjust these in relation to the shadow cast behind the subject by the light on the white screen.

Bodies:

-          ‘Although the face on its own can provide a psychological study, the addition of the body brings a new set of associations to help the viewer determine who the person is and why they are worthy of attention. The sculptural form of the body – its pose, posture, and bearing – represents a rich realm of visual opportunities’ (p. 136)

Faces:

-          ‘We sense that we can read into the physiognomy of a subject the essence of his or her being’ (p. 110)

-          An essential skill is a feel for how a subtle change in angle or pose can make or break the final photograph.’ (p. 111)

-          ‘light plays a huge part in determining the feel of the portrait and can be used to enhance or exaggerate the sitter’s features’ (p. 111)

Lowe, P. (2016) Photography masterclass: creative techniques of 100 great photographers. London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 21-136.

Image:
Amazon (2019) Available at: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81B4gqPMMGL.jpg 

DAVID PRAKEL (2012) COMPOSITION

Tone:

-          ‘increased contrast in an image simplifies shape and emphasizes strong textures. Lower contrast will soften tone, reduce the appearance of texture and can change the mood of an image’ (p. 70)

-          ‘low contrast images evoke tranquillity, […] high contrast images are attention-grabbers’ (p. 71)

Viewpoint:

-          ‘The same scene can look very different in images taken from a high versus low view point’ (p. 22)

-          ‘A low viewpoint can include and emphasize the foreground, leading the gaze into the image from the bottom. High viewpoints can detach the viewer from the action as the gaze is forced to look downwards into the image’ (p. 22)

I will utilise the above techniques to aid the portrayal of my message. I will use higher contrast in the male representation of my subject, and a low, soft tone contrast in the female representation of my subject.

Prakel, D. (2012) Basics photography: composition. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA, pp. 22-71. 

Image: 

Amazon (2019) Available at: 

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41wKs9lMIUL._SX346_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg. 

HENRY CARROLL (2015) READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO TAKE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS OF PEOPLE

Gaze:

-          ‘Photographing people results in a tense power play of gazes between subject, photographer and viewer’ (p. 43)

-          ‘Never underestimate the power of your subject’s gaze. If you ask them to look into your camera they, in turn, look right back at the viewer. This returned gaze sets up a confrontation between the subject and viewer’ (p. 43)

-          ‘By asking your subject to look away from the camera you break the direct connection with the viewer. This shifts the viewer’s attention away from the subject and on to what they might be thinking’ (p. 50)

-          ‘To be a great portrait photographer – especially if you like posed portraits – you have to be a master of manipulation. You need to know how to interact with your subject to get exactly what you want’ (p. 61)

 Using this theory and the influence of work by August Sander (see separate post), I will critically and artistically use the power of the gaze of my subject to emphasise my image messages. 

Light:

-          ‘Light is never neutral. It always comes loaded with psychological implications.’ (p. 107). - As previously mentioned, I aim to use cool and warm tonal coloured light set through white balance, together with the use of shadow, to help create meaningful and thought-provoking connotations. 

Carroll, H (2015) Read this if you want to take great photographs of people. London: Lawrence King Publishing, pp. 43-107. 

Image:

Amazon (2019) Available at: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41opFrBajQL._SX355_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

DAVID BATE (2009) PHOTOGRAPHY

“In 1965, the French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, examined the role of photography among the middle classes as a leisure activity, which despite the scorn thrown upon it showed a distinct ambition, no less than the activities of a professional. Roland Barthes, one of the most sustained influential writers on photography today, had already published two theoretical essays on photography in 1961 and 1964 in the French journal Communications: ‘The Photographic Message’, on news photography, and ‘Rhetoric of the image’, on advertising. The intellectual and cultural excitement of new thinking about society and culture in Paris (labelled as Structuralism) also broke out onto the streets with the student revolt of May 1968. In the USA, civil rights movements raised the issue of race, while the Women’s movement internationally challenged the existing subservient social position allotted to women.

The outbreak of theory, including the theory of photography, coincided with these new movements, in their sense of critical purpose. […] By the end of the 1980s, photography finally began to be absorbed into art institutions in the way that it is currently seen – as a dominant modern art form. Photography now forms a vital component of the institutional value of art”.

The above passage illustrates the formation of the connection between feminist activism and photography, a long-standing affiliation. It is through the strong messages seen in photographic art forms that we are able to challenge current social positions, in this case focusing on the marginalisation of women, all the more current in today’s climate where a multitude of issues surrounding equal pay, sexual assault and overall gender equality are evermore apparent and crucial to address.

I am deeply interested in using photography’s ‘institutional value of art’ to initiate a discussion into gender imbalance through my photograph narrative, hoping to evoke a reconsideration of the viewer’s own perspective on gender representation in media, and to contribute to the continuation of gender equality progression in wider society.

Bate, D. (2009) Photography : the key concepts. English Edition, Oxford: Berg.