Gender and Otherness

What we perceive as normal and ordinary is a question of everyday life that has been a popular subject for over the last 70 years or so. The terms 'Otherness' and 'Gaze' are the way we look at things and people, which determine our opinions and how we see them. Otherness is how we see the differences between one group and another showing how one is superior to the other one. The Gaze is   how an individual person or group's appearance is presented and how they look is set into our opinions. Their are many stereotypes surrounding these issues such as the Male Gaze that shows a group of assumptions that seep into our mind because of the media. The Male Gaze includes the cowboy, war hero, romantic and in most cases that fill our cinema, television and books is just a general hero. In all these platforms around 80% of the time the protagonist is a male and presents a gaze to how the character is shown. For females this does not happen as much, but appears in more softer versions such as romance films ect. The female gaze was challenged in the second world war through propaganda posters such as the Rosie the Riveter poster that shows a woman working hard to keep the country going whilst the men where at war. This was then challenged again by the male gaze after the end of the war that convinced women that their essential role in life was to be a mother and a housewife. It was not only cinema and the media that expressed this but fashion and arts such as photography. Clothes shown in the 1950's and 60's present how they were designed to cover up the female body and highlight their practicality rather than usefulness. However on the other hand women were and still are represented as sexual objects to the male gaze, it is represented through porn, cinema ect. The female Gaze presents men this way also, which were not as common in the 60s as it is today. Overall 'Otherness' and 'Gaze' is exploited through media and the commercial world. Photography has been a way of doing this as presenting the interests of the world depending on the opinions of what is normal. The dominance of women over the past 70 years is shown through photography and how the Male Gaze over powered females. It has shaped our opinions over the years  to how we see things and decide how we perceive them.

The image as Documentary

Documentary photography is supposed to present a fact of time and record the truth, which does not lie. However the way we see and decodes things leads to the questioning of photographs, that are meant to be documentary. Roland Barthes, french theorist created an analysis called 'The Photographic Message'. Barthes explained that there is two levels of meaning when looking at images, which are Denoting the image for what we can see in front of us and connoting the image for what we can see is telling us that is also purposely put there. Press photography is generally believable from first glance because it is placed next to information that is presented on the television news and newspapers, that we believe is truthful. Newspapers such as The Guardian and The Times display how press photography can be perceived. The Guardian is the type of newspaper to put across more political and left wing opinions of events that are happening around the world, however there is a danger than when we see an image, it is seen from just one point of view, rather than denoting it and looking deeply into the other meanings. Barthe's argument is further extended to how the meaning of a documentary image is produces. The artist e.g the photographer selects what they do and do not want in the image and has a certain attitude towards the events they want in the image. This straight away creates the first opinion of the documentary photograph. The next step is the text that goes along side the image, which automatically can change the thoughts when read next to something depending on what it is about. Finally the viewers opinion on the image is how successful the story is and if it is going to be believed. Documentary photographers such as Steve McCurry and James Nachtway show how their work can be perceived when next to text. Below is one of Nachtway's images for TIME magazine, showing how the image can be one thing but when it is presented with text it shows a whole other layer to the story.

Overall it seems that for ever how long press photography has been used to record an event or object, the meaning depends on how the photographer captures and feels about what is selected for the image and how the viewer also see's it.

Portrait and Photography

Portraits initially define the subject but also what the photographers intention of what the image means and speaks out to its audience and if it creates a reaction. Portrait's originate from centuries ago and has been a symbolic use of showing identity and power ever since. They were extremely popular during the 16th century and famous painter of this period, Han's Holbein reflects how portraits were an important part of everyday life, which now presents history and development of this subject. The painting "The Ambassadors" painting in 1533 and by Holbein is one of his most famous pieces of work. It contains two men of power, which is known through the colours used and the way they are dressed. The painting has many objects that has created debate over the years because of the religious status of that period. Holbein also included an anamorphosis, a distorted skull on an angle at the bottom of the painting, this will of had a symbolic meaning when it was produced, which again has been much debated. Another famous portrait painting by Gainsborough "Mr and Mrs Andrews" presents a view of power because of the land and body language of the subjects and also the fact Gainsborough has included their land, that shows the couple are very self assured of themselves and their lives. As photography has developed it is clear to see that the painting's I have mentioned have had influence in a number of portrait photographs, keeping some of the themes seen in paintings centuries ago. American photographer Tina Barney reflects this is her work such as her portrait "New York Couple" that also presents wealth and shows the identity of the subjects. Not only has portrait paintings and photography presented wealth, power and identity, but how it shows us history. Photography was and is an amazing invention that has allowed to see how people lived from the late 1800's. Edward Curtis' work is a great example of this because he documented the American West and its native people who also lived there, which was interesting at the time because the people Curtis was photographing were also the ones that fighting and killing them, but is great because he has documented this people that we do not hear of anymore. Sociology also has an impact on portrait photography because of the issues that surround society. Photographers over the decades have captured an objective way of seeing which can can be confrontational in the issues that are going on or have been around the world, that presents the subject of what photographers should and should not photograph. Portrait's also create a passage of time and embraces the sitter in photographs that is clear depending on what clothes are worn, furniture surrounding the subject or when comparing two images together that maybe of the same people, but within that moment of the photograph it is gone, which Roland Barthes explained in his theory of photography a "mini death" because it is gone in seconds. When presenting their portrait work, photographers generally always have a context behind it, which they want its audience to see and deconstruct, that photographys such as William Eggleston and Cindy Sherman present, but depending on our beliefs it may come across differently. Eggleston creates a prejudice in his images because of the narrative that he creates, which makes the audience question the background of the image and what is going on. Sherman however uses everyday situations in her portraits of herself that makes the audience shocked and question todays society.
Portrait photography has filled the world with history and identity that makes us question the world and want to know more about the person in the photograph's that show us different situations and circumstances effect us and our lives.

Workshop - Colour

Today (5.12.14) with Tim we learned how to use the Hasselblad camera's with film backs and how to load the film. After a well informed discussion and demonstration the camera seemed quite easy to use and once loading the film was straight forward we all bought some film in pairs so that we could have 6 exposures each. 'Colour' was the theme we were given for these first 6 shots and strangers has seemed to follow with this from the black and white images. This shoot was successful in that I had taken my 6 exposures of strangers. I found it quite difficult to get used to the camera at first as the Hasselblad is used from a lower angle than other cameras, however I feel that once processed it will be clear to see whether the images have worked and if they are in focus. I kept using the same angle on each shot to keep it simple, focusing on a small depth of field, only of the shoulders upwards and focusing in on closely to the face. As my first shoot with the Hasselblad I feel it went well and the next few shoots will be even more successful and I will look forward to printing in the colour darkroom.

Boy's Don't Cry

Ukranian photography collective GORSAD produces very candid, white wall, relatable images. The series below is called 'Boy's Don't Cry' and includes portraits of young boys and girls who seem to be rebelling against their parents and challenging society. The images straight away give off a sense of controversy because these kids are smoking, under the influence of alcohol, their dress sense's are a little different and the way they are posing gives off an attitude and an opinion about their behaviour. GORSAD states that this series is about the period in everyone's life when you do not care and do not think about the consequences. The narrative of these photographs is clear, which I think makes these portraits successful because when you look at them, the story of these children and teenagers jumps out.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/22534/1/boys-don-t-cry

http://gorsadkiev.tumblr.com