Tagged: portrait

final major project: initial primary research

U S I N G  A R T  A S  A C T I V I S M : C H E E R  U P  L U V

To start off my investigation, research and idea generation for my FMP I wanted to experience first-hand what creatives are doing to provoke thought and change with their work, focusing on the feminist debates I researched for my statement of intent. Cheer Up Luv is a photojournalism project I’ve followed for a while, by Brighton graduate Eliza Hatch. Hatch interviews women all over the country on their experiences of sexual harassment and pairs their story with 35mm-shot portrait, to create a collection of profiles of victims of public harassment. The collected stories are posted on @cheerupluv on Instagram as well as on the project’s website, cheerupluv.com.

I love the goal of this project to raise awareness and create a community of support and solidarity for victims. Cheer Up Luv is a great example of using art as activism. I am particularly interested in the use of photography, film and journalism to spread messages and provoke change through a creative output.

I feel people are more likely to pay attention and engage with a form of activism if it is inclusive and easily accessible, and presented in a visually pleasing/intriguing way. Using the internet and social media to spread the word and gain support and awareness is an increasingly successful and effective way that projects can gain popularity.

Cheer Up Luv on Instagram @cheerupluv

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portraits of girls: diversity in beauty


I wanted to shoot images of females with varying appearances, whether that be simply facially, in body shape, race/ethnicity or style. I chose several subjects that all had very different and unique appearances and shot a series of portraits. I let the models direct themselves and have fun with the shoot as I wanted these photos to show diversity in appearance, style and personality, rather than be a strictly directed and staged fashion shoot. I also kept make-up very minimal and did not use post-production enhancements except to correct lighting/colour as I shot in natural light to give a softer, more feminine feel to the images.

Inspired by the phrase ‘oranges are not the only fruit’ I made this my own by basing my photos around the phrase ‘roses are not the only flower’, which has references to femininity as well as roses referencing an ‘English rose’ appearance that is typically attractive in the Western world. For this reason I included other ethnicities, complexions and facial features to show the diversity in appearance and how female beauty is not limited to one type of look.