ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY - UNIT 38
PROJECT PROPOSAL
SECTION ONE: TITLE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
For this project, I am going to be focusing on youth culture, I am going to show what goes on within the youth nation hood, I am going to show the good and the bad and what teens get up to. For this project I wish to achieve on making a big series of images,all photographed on a film camera, I want the images to have a grain, dated look and when I develop them I want it to put all my images together to make a big collage for myself and friends to look back on. I want to learn to focus more on film development within this unit, as well as using a desposable camera, I would like to focus on photographing with a film camera and learn more on developing images further.
SECTION TWO: REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE PROJECT
The reason I have chose this project is because I don't think peoples personal lives is majorly shown when they are doing their work, peoples personal lives are obviously kept personal for a reason, so I think I want to show a little insight of what goes on with some youthful people around. I am hoping that this project will connect with my other units as my other units are mostly connected to mental health. So i think that to have an insight to what actually goes on. As this is my work its going to show what my personal interests are and what goes on with people I am with, this project is going to include youthful content. This unit might not focus on my future plans as much but its going to show what my current situation and current plans are for now. During this unit I want to improve my knowledge on development and composing together and setting scenes for taking an image.
SECTION THREE: TECHNICAL, AESTHETIC & STYLISTIC CONSIDERATIONS
For this unit I would like a majority of my images to all be candid, where I don't have to worry about styling my images, I want them to just flow and I don't want these images to come across as too staged. My technical skills during this unit are going to be advanced, as I said that I would like to focus on development and processing images. As I said I also wanted to create a dated themed look throughout this whole project so I'm going to try my best to do this.
SECTION FOUR: SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTH: My strengths for this unit are that I have quiet a lot that I will be able to photograph, as I am a youth myself its going to be easier for me to capture more moments for this unit
WEAKNESS: There isn't going to be many weaknesses for this unit, maybe just a few with developing images as it does take up a lot of time using the dark room to process work but I am going to commit to getting this unit developed the most I can because this project is most probably going to connect my other projects together more.
OPPORTUNITIES: I have a lot of opportunities to connect this unit, I am going to have to find time to photograph all different things that I do, but if I carry a camera around with me at all times I will be able to capture a lot of imagery.
THREATS: Because this project is going to be focused on what teens do, I am not 100% sure on whether some viewers would find some of the imagery offensive. I am going to try to keep it age appropriate but there may be some images that show signs of drug use and nights out and parties. I am going to try to show the negative and the positive of all of these things.
STARTING OFF:
All of these images are all of my own, I captured all of these images on a fujifilm developer camera, I captured them all during a party that I went to and developed them shortly after, i will attach a picture of the camera that I used for these images, I think I want to use all different kinds of film cameras for this unit to see what kind of editorial images I will receive from them. I really like how all of theses ones have turned out, as they all have the dated, grain themed look I was looking for them to get.
This is the camera I used for these images
This was just a cheap and cheerful camera I picked up to get some quick images to develop, I only had to pay for the camera and then pay for the images to be processed in the shop.
RESEARCH
I want to make it look as if everything is candid during this unit, it will make it look more appealing because nothing will be staged, just real.
I am going to be using a 35mm single use camera (disposable) for this unit, and I am excited to see how these images will turn out, once I have them developed I am going to scan them in so they're live on my site.
I would like to buy a disposable camera so I would be able to capture some images with the grain look that I want to try and achieve. I want to be able to capture all different moments of me living my youth, I think this would be a good way for me to capture my work but also capture the memories that I am going to be making
RYAN MCGINLEY
Ryan McGinley is a photographer who focused on youth culture, he captured all of his images whilst he was a student at an art school in Manhattan. He captured his images and used them all with in his work. In 2003, McGinley had his own New York major solo show at just the age of 26 which is very young for photographer to have their own show.
MY OWN IMAGES
S A N D Y K I M
Sandy Kim is a young photographer, born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She likes to focus his images on youth culture, and uses film cameras and develops her images her self. Her work is defined as "intimacy". She works with images that are classed as NSFW "Not safe for work". Usually all images of models, friends or family. She bases all of her work without fear of judgement. Its said because she uses her camera in situations people usually wouldn't, shows how she sees the world in a different way and shows how she still sees it all as digitilazied. She sends a message across with her images that people shouldn't care about whats shared out there across the world because its still things that happen in their lives. "The shameless and intimate photography by Sandy Kim"
IMAGES IN THE STYLE OF
S A N D Y K I M
S A N D Y K I M
BRANDON WILKINS
Brandon Wilkins began taking photographs at the age of fourteen, and he’s been living life through the lens since. He merges skateboarding with photography, mixing muses with mates, travelling around Europe doing what he loves. His images are made up of an archive of gritty, candid shots. Wilkins shots are compelling. Smoking, skating and dirty dishes show what it’s like to leave home for the first time without your parents and with your mates.
in an interview with Brandon Wilkins this was stated:
CD: Do camera phones and editing apps challenge the art of photography, in your view?
BW: Hmm, no. Anyone can take a good photo, but it’s not just the photo [that makes it] – it’s the experience and story behind it. If there’s no story behind it, it’s just a couple of pixels.
JOSH NICE
Josh Nice, a London boy, met the Perdu skate crew when they were down in London, they shared interests in photography and skate boarding. Even though the Perdu skate crew where a french group, they still managed to break the language barriar between them. Josh Nice documented the time he shared with the group by making a series of zines and photobooks. He started off by recording himself and his friends when ever they would go out skating in London, when the Perdu skating group came down to skate they met when they were all out one day and he stated "We met when skating one day, and we have all been traveling around europe ever since"
in an interview with Josh Nice this was stated:
EG: Did you start taking skate photos first and then went from there?
JN: Yeah I started filming skateboarding and shooting skate photos from an early age. I’ve always skated, I always used to watch hd skate edits on YouTube and I’d use my dad’s video camera to film my friends. I then got my first DSLR and I used to film edits on that and shoot silly photos. Then when I grew up I started travelling and going to different places and meeting new people and it went on from there. Skateboarding got me into photography, if I never skated I would’ve never been a photographer.
SOPHIE DAY
Sophie Day is a young photographer from New York City. In her work she has focused on photographing young cultured teenagers and she is trying to show a document of how boys try to be men. She develops all different images to show what its like for different boys to grow up around the things they do. She states in her statements "what does it mean to be a man?" Sophie Days talks about what its like growing up from a youth culture to be an adult, but in terms of being a male. "Boys spend their childhood and teen years learning how to perform their assigned gender". From this my personal opinion is that she is trying to say that all males are given an image that they all have to assign them selves to to fit in. The image being a man and this is what is expected by all different males to succeed in doing. This is a really strong message that she is trying to accomplish by doing. She shows images of all different males growing up and doing things they do as a teenager. She states that this is what makes "masculinity a performance" Boys are taught that to be a 'man' they can one up another man, and put down other women. They learn to insult other men by feminising them. She says that if a man is to paint his nails, play with make up, pierce his ear, (these are all deemed feminine acts and is therefore not fit to fit in as a male). A sad comment made that a majority of men that do this often get made fun of, attacked and shamed by their peers, family, teachers and much more, but this is how they learn the right way to behave."
This all pays a big toll on youth culture because its showing what male teenagers have to prove to show they are capable of holding the "male role". Boys are brought up to compete, they learn to fight. They are taught they are bigger than women, they are made to feel like they are constantly playing the bigger role, the alpha male, the most powerful. All these life lessons come from society. This is all socialised through the internet, schools, family, figures, ect. These toxic traits of being a male are all passed down. Not all boys feel this. this is just toxic traits that are passed down to people who believe in the roles of acting like a male. Sophie Days comments that "Through my study I see patterns, I see destruction. Boys fight each other, put down women, hurting others and consequently hurting themselves. I see boys in pain. I see these defined limits on self-expression, ways to deal with human emotion, and interaction with others. I have gained a personal and deeply emotionally-involved understanding of their performance."
This is just a very strong subject to pass over because this is a big thing that happens all around the world and some males ae stuck to feel free to being their selves. Its a hard subject for a lot of people but Sophie Days has looked into more of the reality of this and has expressed it a lot into more detail than other people have done before. In my personal opinion I do agree with what Days has stated. Myself being a male, I was brought up having to follow rules of what its like to be a male. There is a lot of things that have been said to me in my life time growing up that proves there is a standard that has to be met until you are a real man, but the reality is, no one really know what a real man is because there is so many different expressions of a "man" out there.
I am going to elaborate further on Sophie Days work, I want to process my own images in this kind of style and spread the same message across, its something that I do feel strong about, and it plays a big part on nationhood and youth culture because its what us, "men" have to grow up to be to fit in.
T O X I C M A S C U L I N I T Y
Looking further into Sophie Days work, it has inspired me to try my own movement of images like her own, I could connect a lot with the words she was writing about how it is important for males to represent themselves as men, and how we do all follow this path of what is expected. I am still keeping the youth culture linked to it but I want my images to all be linked. So I am going to carry on photographing my youth culture for this project but going to aline it with looking futher into toxic behaviours that are represented to people my age / older and younger. The lessons of being a man are going to be lessons that people are going to teach males the whole way though their life. I think it is an important subject that should be brought up because I think this all connects to mental health in males. There are a lot of statistics out there about mens mental health issues, and the modern masculinity traits is 100% a cause of depression in males. A lot of males have depression because of the way they are made to feel and a lot of males feel like they are unable to talk about their problems because they're breaking the rules of being a "male".
Doing some research on male toxic traits coming acoross some research that states: "Masculinity is a delicate subject. From alpha male stereotypes to macho tropes, the expectations of“manhood’’ have bred a state of toxic masculinity that’s exactly that: toxic. In Europe, the single biggest killer of men under 45 is suicide. In 2016, there were 5668 reported cases in the UK alone, and of these an overwhelming 75% were men. Silence is drummed into boys from childhood, and our patriarchal society dictates that men should suppress their feelings, not be “too emotional”, too weak — too feminine. But attitudes are changing, albeit slowly. As mental health issues are increasingly entering mainstream conversation — be it Kanye West vocalising his struggles with bipolar or British photographer Rosie Matheson’s intimate portraits of modern masculinity — it seems the world is beginning to accept that boys really do cry."
ROSIE MATHESON
The image represented of manhood has changed over the past fifty years, having a sculptured body and a massive materal success in a "mans career" has all changed, although there is still a majority of people out there that still process this imae of what a a man is. It is all changing everytime a new decade comes around. Photographer Rosie Matherson has spent the past three years documenting young males to try and undestand what modern masculinity looks like. Rosies series of work named "Boys" is made up of thoughtful portraits of young men from all around in different locations. Matherson states that all of her images are effortless because she didnt have to worry about styling all of the different boys she was shooting. She states: “I felt way more relaxed photographing boys. It suited my preference for quick shooting and I liked that they never requested styling or make-up, which made each shoot super casual. It also took the pressure off initially as I was still finding my way,” .
The next step Rosie wants to take is to turn her images into a documentary. A documentary that will give a voice to the characters she has photographed. She wants to shoot it all on film so she has it all captured ready to publish, she wants to do this to deepen our understanding of the message she is trying to get across through the images but feels it will do a bigger job by making it into something people are able to watch.
What makes a man? To answer this question, London-based directorial duo Kaj Jefferies and Rosie Matheson shot this raw and unfiltered Super8 portrait to provide insight into British youth and their experiences of gender identity in the modern world. Revealing what lies behind the facade, their film challenges our socially prescribed preconceptions of traditional maleness.
"The film reveals an incredibly raw and truthful image which is reflected in the very nature of [our decision to shoot] straight onto film," the directors explain. "There are imperfections, there is only one take, and there is no hiding. It creates an honest and very personal portrait of the subject. The film is a tribute and testament to the young men who have revealed themselves to us so faithfully."
p e r s o n a l r e f l e c t i o n
I thought it would be interesting to find out other people’s views on the toxic masculinity subject, I asked two of my female friends to define their opinions on what they think a man is, this is their response:
First:
“A man is someone who generally goes out and provides for the family through work, whereas a woman typically does housework and brings up their children. I also think being a ‘man’ is being able to express what’s going on in his life, whether it be good or bad.
Second:
“From the beginning of time men have stereotypically been strong, powerful, alpha, in control. In a way, yes, I do agree with this as that is how they are born. However, to me a true man is someone who isn't ashamed of his emotions, isn't ashamed to cry, isn't ashamed of being in love, isn't ashamed of being true to themselves. Two thirds of the worlds suicide rate are male. In my eyes this is because men bottle up and hide away if they are facing hard / difficult times. I believe this is from how society has forced men to believe they have to be strong. They cant cry otherwise they will be seen as a wimp / crybaby ect. To wrap up a man to be isn't afraid to be themselves.
I thought it would be interesting to find out what other peoples views and expressions are on what a 'Man' is, I thought it would be interesting to see it from a woman's perspective as Rosie Matherson only asked males what their views are. I watched the youtube video "What does it mean to be a man?" and I took some notes on how it is presented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofIX8RVFMvU&t=123s
One person in the video stated "Does a man who knows how to braid his daughters hair make him less masculine than a man who knows how to braid his sons hair" I think this statement is very strong, it indicates that a man doing exact same thing to his son and his daughter is signifying its different. Some people would agree that its not masculine to do his daughters hair as to doing his sons hair.
DARRYL TERRELL
Darryl Terrell, born in 1991 in Detroit, MI is a photographer, curator, writer and music maker, currently based in his home town, Detroit. He is a MFA graduate from the Art institute of Chicago where he studied Photography. He focuses on photographing black people because he wants to start conversations about "blackness" His work explores the displacement of black and different raced people, feminine identities, strength, sexualities, genders, personal stories, black family structures, Ect. Whilst keeping in mind the accessibility of art.
Terrell was inspired by the #MasculinitySoFragile tag that went global all around social medias. The photographer created his own interruption of his own visual of "masculinity". He wanted to go against the views of masculinity so he decided to do digital work by working with different men and adding feminine touches to his own images. He added flowers to the male portraits because flowers are obviously seen as a link to women. Terrell states “During this social media conversation it was stated that real men don’t like flowers, or in that case anything deemed soft, feminine, or weak,” he also states that it is okay to have this feminine connection as“It’s my Visual way of saying to men, but to Black men specifically that it’s ok to be fragile, it’s ok to feel weak at time, it’s ok.”
"I'd like to think that my practice encourages conversation, conversations that are so often looked over. I make work that puts blackness in the forefront making way for us to feel seen and included in not only the thought process but also in the contemporary conversation, and not as an afterthought. I explore the different identities that are apart of the shared lived black experience across the diaspora."
"In my practice, I work across personal narratives, gender, and sexual identities and performance, the idea of American blackness, ideas of safe space, black leisure, and fictional storytelling. I use my obsessions with music, poetry, social media, pop culture and black people as a humorous influence on me and my practice giving me a perspective that isn't completely mine but of a collective black mind. My practice consists of lens-based media (i.e photography and video), performance, text-based media, Djing, social engagement, writing, and storytelling"
A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T
FIRST SHOOTING IDEA
For this unit I want to connect my work with some of my chosen photographers, I would like to do a shoot in the style of Darryll Terrell, I want to focus on using the male structure and giving it the feminine touch. I don't want to make it a focus of only being black males (although I think that idea is very smart) I want to focus it on all different male structures, because I feel toxic masculinity is thing that happens to all different males around the world. If I get the chance I would like to photograph all different cultures of males.
I like the idea of having the male structure with a feminine object to try and take his masculinity away from him for the image. I want all the backgrounds of my images to be black, and all of them to have a dark theme to them, as I think dark images make it look more serious.
I would either like to use real or fake flowers or glitter on the man/boy because flowers and glitter are a very feminine thing. Maybe put lipstick on one of them so it doesn't have the same effect of doing a full face of make up.
F U N N Y H O W F L O W E R S D O T H A T
These images are just a few pictures for inspiration for shooting for this unit. I really like the idea of how flowers can change the images of a man drastically. As soon as one flower hits the image it radiates the feminine look. I think doing a shoot like this will be very powerful if I find all different boys to do the images with. I really want to experiment and see how far I can go with doing this. I am excited to see how far I go with doing these shoots.
RESEARCH POWERPOINT
