“The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 is the leading international competition, open to all, which celebrates and promotes the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world.

Showcasing talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals, the competition features a diverse range of images and tells the often fascinating stories behind the creation of the works, from formal commissioned portraits to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.

The selected images, many of which will be on display for the first time, explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to the photographic portrait whilst capturing a range of characters, moods and locations. The exhibition of fifty-seven works features all of the prestigious prize winners including the winner of the £15,000 first prize.”

Visiting the exhibition demonstrated a human ability to capture a image that says so much about its subjects. The concept of the exhibitions intrigued me as unlike most, I was unaware of any of the artists history looking at each image said a great depth about both the photographers and the subjects. Personally, looking at the imagery said a great deal about the culture we observe and how they are recognisable by colour and expression. I loved the variety throughout the room and the curating of the images was impeccable.

The photography I witnessed I found to be really inspirational and adaptable. By observing others around you and how they see the world gives you fresh takes on how you can replicate an entire sub culture through one or two images. Sian Davey featured two incredible photographs taken of her daughter and her friends and what they do when they ‘go out’; the artist observed as her subjects smoked and drunk at a local park, but captured there movements impartially as a viewer, not  a mother.

The small exhibit was held on Lexington street in Soho in a discrete location that was difficult to initially locate, however this worked in favour for its privacy. The white space was divided by a wall that framed  approximately 25 photographs taken by David Bailey during the 1980’s in Notting Hill/ Primrose Hill area; the photography highlights the immense change the area has endured to become one of London’s wealthy postcodes. During the period, Notting Hill was an undesired home for most for its dangerous connotations and deteriorating derelict buildings, however many artists and designers fell in love with the surroundings and embraced its character.

The photography is striking and breathtaking; the composition created almost art like images that have movement and flow amongst each other. Bailey is famous for his use of black and white imagery and ability to characterise his subjects; although this collection is landscape, it still stays committed to these values. His attention to detail is proven evident in his ability to catch symmetry and repetition in his work in a influential way, the effect of this seems political and purposeful.

For my final spread, I used magazine collage to create scenarios through photography of  male gender discrimination, something less spoken about then female stereotyping.

The collection of work looks at gender stereotyping through the means of collaging, something I have not explored within my other to concepts, and has given me inspiration of how to carry my work forward. The piece takes the male form and contrasts it by connotation and colour and texture; by doing so he has managed to produce some really beautiful and interesting work.

Create a piece that highlights what woman value in a man through photography :

strength- carrying weights / pain

crying- eyes and there emotions

pride-

fighting- bruising

buttons

blue is for boys

tie

ears- not listening

Uses colours:

blue for boys

pink for girls

and contrasting the two

A century of fighting for equality has given woman the right to vote, to speak, to live, to work and be educated. Now, more than ever, the focus on female equality in western civilisation has given females the ability to break free from the stereotypes that surround our gender and to bring to light the ability to be normal in society. The defining standards of beauty have been broken down, and a much more diverse angle of beauty has been represented to encourage woman to be themselves, something we are all around of in current society.

For a man, they were never deprived of there rights and will not have to fight for them, however due to the enormous change that feminism has taken our lives, it is clear that males did not follow. Oppression has taken woman on a route where constant justification has taken its tole, however it has lead to discussions of political values and stereotyping that have allowed woman to become natural to there form and much greater understanding of how to be themselves. Males have missed these crucial stages in how to deal with personal issues and are constantly reminded of the lack of conversation of emotions they will endeavour.

Due to the lack of discussion men appear to go through, issues dealing with what makes a real man are inevitably unchangeable. I want to explore the issues they go through through a series of photography.

emotions and action:

• fighting
• crying
• pride/ respect
• strength
• observation

“Being a model is tough, and regular check-ups are essential.

To ensure that eyebrows are perfectly bushy and lips are pout ready, GARAGE Magazine presents you with Dr Ffrench’s Book of Body Science – the perfect keep at home guide to all things beautiful. Night nurse Katie LYALL dresses our specimens whilst Issamaya FFRENCH keeps beautification under control.

The operation was overseen by Professor Brendan FREEMAN and originally published in GARAGE Nº8.”

After looking into Isamya Ffrench’s work, I came across her editorial for Garage Magazine that takes inspiration from the working life of a model and the efforts they endure to keep up with what we define as beautiful. In a similar way that models are objectified in playing a role to fill out the expectations of another, women throughout cinema history are portrayed to be a perfect woman and this is what defines them through societies closed sight. Following strict guide lines of how a woman should be perceived seems to be a steady motive to film makers through the mid 1900’s, however, Sherman has taken this issue and allowed a further analysis of the underlying emotions that circled the ‘real’ women of the time, and how cinematography portrayed an unrealistic, unnatural womanly role that lead to such an oppression of the female gender.

The joint motive of these two concepts, the unrealistic woman role of modelling and females through cinematography both tackle similar issues, and have been grasped in a creative and fluent way by both Sherman and Ffrench. Although they both deal with different time frames, they both tackle a similar issue through photography that is really important within the feminist movement and something that i would really like to work with. I want to take he concept of how Ffrench has displayed her work, but deal with the issues that Sherman has raised about women through photography.

Isamaya Ffrench is a makeup artist who similarly to Sherman uses herself, makeup, fashion and photography to visually explore issues to create art. I have been a fan of Ffrench’s work for years and regularly pay attention to projects she works on as I believe she is creative, innovative and forward thinking. She is an artist who explores through a medium of self reinvention and photography and takes inspiration from Sherman’s style and often references it though her work.

I believe by looking at her work, I will have the ability to create an idea inspired by the use of makeup and dress becoming who we are.

When thinking about how I can expand on the issue of the female role within cinema, taking my inspiration from Sherman’s approach to art I want to look more at her use of self creation to gather inspiration into how I can work with this and apply a modern approach.

Feminist avant-garde

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills 1977-1982

Sherman’s, Lucy, from her collection untitled film stills stood out to me at the Photographers Gallery Feminist Avant-garde exhibition. Cindy Sherman’s approach to representation within visual art interests me as she is able to take issues she recognises and place herself as the subject, almost to understand them entirely.

The collection of work derives from the fictional personas of females within the film industry during the 1900-1960’s. Although the photographs were not created with the intent to directly replicate scenes from the movies, she used hair and makeup combined with vintage clothing to create her own depiction of the cinematic representation of females throughout cinema.

She suggests that a woman’s primary role throughout film history has been to be a sex icon, a housewife, supportive of there husbands but also content with there life, the dependancy of the woman is key in this collection. She uses these natural female roles and her understanding of the great depression woman went through due to oppression and creates a real understanding of woman as slaves to there role.

Her self becoming sombre and captive to her own emotions, you can see great sadness in the imagery that is no longer hidden under fake expression. Woman not given the chance for education, and raised to become slaves to men, to cook, clean and smile regardless if this was there true feeling. She really transforms female stereotypes and how they are represented through film and gives an entirely modern perspective on the woman true emotion. The photography produced is not only beautiful, but has such a truly great depth to it, something I want to explore within my own work.