Week 7: Form

How is the subject matter being presented?

Formal elements:
Dot,line,shape, light and value, colour, texture, mass, space, volume, tonal range, film format, point of view, frame and edge, depth of field, sharpness of grain, degree of focus.

2. Form

The shape of the boy appears lean and fragile as he lengthens his body in preparation for his landing. The positioning of the silhouetted figure forms a line which draws diagonally into the centre of the image, leading the viewer’s eye to the surface of the water where they discover another person. The subject matter is presented with a limited range of colour – the natural lighting allows mainly subtle shades of blue and yellow grounded by strong blacks which form the outer edge and focal point of the frame. This allows a strong contrast and emphasises the main subject in that the black figure stands out against the light background.

Week 6: Subject Matter

The reading defines subject matter as a description of the following in a photograph:
1. persons
2. objects
3. places
4. events

Barrett also makes a distinction between Subject and subject matter. I.e. the subject matter as a description of elements in the photograph as dinstinct from the subject as an overall theme.

Favourite Photograph
Let me begin by saying that it took me a week to find my 'favourite' photograph, and that this image is one of my favourites:)

Photographer: Micah Albert

1. Subject Matter

The figure of a young boy is captured in mid air as he dives into a lake, before his hands hit the surface of the water. His thin frail body blocks the sun in the background creating a subtle glow which outlines his back and bottom leg. The image is static, emphasising the texture of the surface of the water as it glistens in the sunset.

Week 4: Sources

Many images in our powerpoint were from these books;

1. Chenoune, F 1996 Jean Paul Gaultier, Thames and Hudson Ltd, London
2. Krell, G 1997 Vivienne Westwood, Thames and Hudson Ltd, London

Week 3: Second Reading

The title of the second reading was 'One: Status Power and Display'.We found several quotes from the second reading that reinforced the ideas that we had highlighted from the first reading.

1. Escapeism: this was represented in the form of nostalgia in the secong reading.

For example, from page 3, 'Women in particular were drawn further into fashion's realm to seek fulfilment through its fantasy images, to construct a self based upon desires rather than needs.'and later in the same paragraph, '...a lifestyle promoted through advertising and popular culture as a means to create a truly modern identity, which capitalised upon new freedoms.'and again, 'constantly pursuing new thrills, a further shock to teh stifling monotony of 'real life'.on page 4, 'to escape the alienation of contemporary existance'.

2. Representation of groups within society:

'However, the escalating power of images has meant that previously excluded groups now seek to create 'imagined' status for themselves through teh construction of styles which mark out their own territory.'and on page 4, 'elitism of couture.'on page 7, 'Alongside teh late 1960s hippie street level renunciations of consumerism and excess, was a continuing revolt against 'good' taste as defined by bourgeois conservatism.'

3. Male and female fashion:

Extravagance was increasingly to be used to refute as well as to uphold couture ideals. It is telling that this period was such a reference point in the 1970s; another era when ideas of femininity were being questioned, this time in response to feminist texts and protests...'and on page 6, 'The volume of the outcry at what was basically merely a return to traditional feminie lines was indeed a remarkable tribute to the grip whic the puritan discipline of Austerity and Fair Shares had gained on our island life.'

4. Identity in fashion:

'Postmodernity is characterised by the breakdown of 'grand narratives' and stabel definitions of identity.

Annie Leibovitz

AWESOME photographer. Wow

Week 3 Research : 1960s onwards– Change, Rebellion, Escapeism and Experimentation

period of optimism
emphasized new and modern
drug use ­– ESCAPISM. Marijuana, LSD, ‘happy’ drugs. Escape reality
ANTI WAR MOVEMENT - reaction against WAR and norms
gay/lesbian protests
rights to ‘free speech’
freedom of expression (supported by Beatles)
HIPPIE revolution
Pursuit of happiness
Free love – rejects marriage
Reaction against – traditional roles of authority
Reflected in music
Environmentalism – love for nature

Independent countries e.g. in Africa – period of radical political change as 32 counries gained independence from political colonial rulers

Trends – exciting, radical and subversive (rebellious)

Deviation
Demand for individual freedom
Breaking social constraints
Many presidents/ leaders assassinated

1901 – women could vote

1960s-1980s – 2nd Wave of Feminist Movement
Women faught against inequalities:
`in workplace
`sexuality (i.e. contraceptions, the pill)
` family (i.e. children)
`reproductive rights

1961 – birth control pills available
1963 – ‘Equal pay act’ established
`men and women – equal work = equal pay (but not in all areas)
1964 – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (to eliminate gender discrimination. 50 000 complaints in first year!