THE ART OF CINDY SHERMAN
Cindy Sherman was born in New Jersey, USA, in 1954. For many years she has experimented and tempered with identity, personality, and the visual and cultural ways of art through gender and photography. She is an important member of the 'Pictures Generation' - who became popular in the 1970s for appropriating images from film, advertising, and television.
Sherman has always had an interest in this notion of different identities. She said, “I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.”
After moving to New York, she soon made 'Untitled Film Stills' (1977-1980). In this project, she put on clothes and captured herself in various settings across the city with carefully curated props and produce scenes referencing common tropes in mid-20-century B movies. These characters are representations of female characters such as the "jaded seductress", "unhappy housewife", "jilted lover", and "vulnerable naïve". Sherman's work in 'Untitled Film how Stills' are true to their title - through cinematic arrangements, they recall movie film stills to promote film. These images from the 70s quickly became notorious for discussing themes regarding feminism, postmodernism, and representation.
Sherman often works in series, improving on the last. Some of these include, 'centerfolds' (1981) and 'society portraits' (2008). 'Untitled 216' from her history portraits (1981), demonstrates her fantastic ability to use theatrical effects to act out various roles and her lack of attempt to hide her efforts. Her wigs are often falling off and her makeup is badly blended, prosthetics are peeling off. She embodies the artificiality of these fabrications, a symbol for the artificiality of identities and characters people create for themselves.
While she often portrays glamourous and lavish characters, Sherman has always been more interested with the ugly which I think is very interesting. In the 1980s - 90s, photos from series such as 'the disasters' (1986-98) and the sex pictures (1992) questioned viewers with the unusual and grotesque aspects of humanity in taboo and striking imagery. Sherman said, “I’m disgusted with how people get themselves to look beautiful; I’m much more fascinated with the other side...”. These visceral photographs were presented on the news during the AIDS crisis at the time; adding piquancy to her study of bodies that were dying or diseased and beaten. Sherman continuously suppresses the visual stereotypes humanity uses to label the world around us, bringing focus to a more complex reality to understand.
In the photograph above, I can see a portrait of Cindy Sherman, or a sophisticated middle-aged woman. She is posed in front of a grey background wearing lavish jewelry and a deep purple, blouse. She seems to be sitting on a wooden chair and her makeup is poorly done, not blended and not all matching. Her wig is awry and frizzy, very uncivilized. The air of this photograph is almost like a still life. She is a character who is frozen and displayed, This style of photography is also reminiscent of the kind of portraiture families might take for their mantlepiece or holiday cards, or for picture day at school. It is very artificial and staged, rather than organic and candid. In this photo, elements of colour are very important in the sense that the background matches but there is also a sense of of disorganising colours to create a less aesthetically - pleasing character. In terms of space, there is not much depth. Simply, a background and then in the foreground, Cindy Sherman. This photo is very sharp and clear and nothin is intentionally blurry or out of focus. It seems as if she has one spotlight angled at her, it also possible she has one coming from her right, and one from her left. This photo is in fact, very similar to real life because of how much it resembles a very common style of portraiture but also because of how often we as humans alter and change ourselves to fit within the confines of society's expectations and standards; online or in real life.
The part that strikes me as most captivating would be how the surprise of her outfit and personality contradict the blunt and boring background. I find it very intriguing how the grey allows all the eccentric elements stand out. If I could ask Sherman any question, it would be, what inspires your characters? Are they a reflection of yourself and what makes up you or others, or both, and why is this significant to you? I would also like to ask, do you think that each person has many different personalities and 'faces', if so, is this a good thing, or not? I would like to know her thought process behind her photography. Through research, I could try to find interviews with Sherman to get a hint to the answer of these questions. This information would greatly assist me in understanding my own 'characters' and personalities, and how to capture them through theatrics.
I think it's difficult to title this photograph individually because of how I believe this photo is up to your own interpretation. The theme of this photo in my mind, is how you create different identities for yourself depending on who your with because of how drastically different Sherman looks in each of her photos. I can imagine being the person being photographed and that it would feel like you're being exposed almost, with the harsh light pointing at you and a camera capturing every aspect of your face. This really demonstrates the whole notion of presenting yourself for those around you. If I had to guess why Cindy Sherman created this photo, I would assume that it's to make us self reflect and think about our own identity and what makes up ourselves. Her work reminds me of a mixture of Adrienne Salinger's work with Martin Parr's.
One thing that I think is beautiful about this photograph is the lighting - the spotlight effectively illuminates the whole space, highlighting all the imperfections and impurities of the face. There is not much that I would say is unsuccessful about this photograph. I was going to say that I found the background to be a bit too bland, but I think that's part of the whole effect. If there's something to remember about this image, it would be the makeup and clothes and wig and how they've been applied and utilised to produce a striking sight at first. I want to incorporate this into my own work along with Sherman's eccentric aesthetic. In addition, I want to explore the idea of changing identity through the concept of visual aesthetic relating to her a person, this is a central theme in Cindy Sherman's work and something I want to explore in my own.
CONTACT SHEET - UNEDITED PHOTOS
My intentions for this photoshoot were to capture images in the style of Cindy Sherman while creating my own 'characters' that represented my own identity and also common labels for women in society. I took these images to convey multiple personalities that can be interpreted and conceived however the viewer feels. To take these photos I went to a thrift store and bought a few cheap clothing items and jewelry items as well as a wig. I also used my own clothes and my mother's clothes. I did my makeup dramatically and sometimes poorly, altering my face in stereotypical and theatrical ways. I used makeup of different shades to slightly change where the lightest points on my face were so the light would change my face shape. I didn't want my makeup to be atrocious, just mediocre bordering on messy. My clothing representing different clothing preferences and fashion styles. I stood in my kitchen against the white cabinets. The background was not very important as it won't be seen in the final image but I wanted it to be white so that the light would reflect well off of it. For the lighting, I used a large soft-box spotlight pointed directly at me with the lights in the kitchen off. I propped my phone up with a tripod and used a small Bluetooth clicker to take photos while posing. One successful element of this photoshoot I believe is the composition, I feel that I successfully positioned myself within the confines of the frame so that I wasn't being cut off but there also wasn't too much space on either side of me. I also created poses that utilised the space well by leaning towards and away from the camera and turning to the side
EDITS - EXPERIMENTING WITH BACKGROUND, LIGHTING AND CONTRAST
sometimes too. I also really like how I dressed up to portray different identities, I won't say what I had in mind for each personality because I think it's more fun to leave that to interpretation. One thing that I believe would significantly improve these photos is using a better camera. I just used my phone camera so the images are not of the best quality. I could fix this by using my grandfather's professional camera which is a Canon camera I believe. This would allow for a better definition of impurities and detail. If I were to take these images again, I would like to experiment with more clothing and makeup and maybe even look at different works by Cindy Sherman.
I edited the photos in this way because I wanted to showcase similar techniques to Cindy Sherman. I am aware that Sherman used a real background whereas mine is from the internet, but I thought that this whole notion of a messy appearance to portray characters in a non-conventional, imperfect way, could also be shown through the quality. Someone who might theoretically look like this, might also put less effort into editing, or hiring some to edit their photos. I like how this whole arrangement of disarray provokes an eccentric and curious composition. Another thing that I like about these photos is the lighting. I'm really glad that I decided to use a spotlight because it really presents all the details and shiny spots and a nice focal point. one thing that I do not like about this photoshoot is that they get boring quite quickly. While the aesthetic of them are intriguing at first, in retrospect there really isn't much to look at. I'd like to say less is more, but the style of Cindy Sherman isn't really minimalistic. If I were to do this photoshoot again, I would definitely prefer to use more garments and items and not be afraid to go overboard with my character. I also would like to look at various other pieces by Cindy Sherman. I noticed that other pieces in this style by Sherman have a cheesy background with something like clouds or trees or a fake library. Something like this could elevate the atmosphere of the image immensely. In addition, I'm open to taking more photos inspired by other series of Sherman's as she has countless other captivating photos to observe.
To edit these photos, I firstly downloaded an image of a solid colour off of the internet which corresponded to the colour scheme of my costume. I then added a vignette around the perimeter of it to create a spotlight effect and also to draw attention to myself - the subject of the photo. I then used the select tool to draw around myself and copy and paste it onto the coloured background. I then moved myself to fit the right size and cropped any excess space around me off the background to condense the frame. After that, I used the eraser tool on a small soft-edged setting with a low opacity to blend the edges of myself because the lines looked quite jagged and unrealistic. I wasn't too precious with this because when it's not completely perfect, it relates to how I look, with poorly done makeup and clothing.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS - EXPERIMENTING WITH COMPOSITION AND LAYERING
For this redraft, what I did was very simplistic, I used the rectangular marquee tool to copy on image. I then moved onto my other chosen image and used the crop tool to double the width of it's canvas and then paste the other image onto and fit to size. I did this because I wanted to try to show opposites. The two images that I picked to put were very important for this. I tried to embody that personality and imagine who they would find nothing in common with. To be honest, these people are already very different so it was not too difficult to pair them up. I also took into account, composition and colour. To produce a more engaging photo, I tried to also pick opposing poses and picture orientations - landscape or portrait, and colour - orange and blue which are opposites on the colour wheel. I like how this turned out because you can see two very contrasting images next each other. This relates to my identity project because of how each character is presented with their contrasting personality which highlights their own uniqueness. As a whole, I do not like these images because I think that they lack an element that makes them compelling to look at. In my opinion, these images would be much more successful if I were to image blend them or maybe experiment with value and tone more so that the images are less flat. Going forward, my plan is to continue with Cindy Sherman because I admire her photography and themes in her work, but I will be looking at a different series by her.
REDRAFT - Exploring Cindy Sherman's film stills
INSPIRATION
To the right, you can see more images by Cindy Sherman from a series titled (ironically) 'Untitled Film Stills'. In these pictures, she represented common tropes and stereotypes of women in film and tv, representing various characters in various settings. I particularly liked the photos she took outside in lovely Manhattan and I think they are beautiful in their composition and simple monochromatic atmosphere. They remind me very much of paparazzi photos which I think is very intriguing. I also am inspired by the changing persona of Cindy Sherman and how she tries to capture different identities and personalities within in 'film still'. This is something I will aim to explore in greater detail in my own work, implementing both the idea of changing identity and femininity.
REDRAFT - CONTACT SHEET (FILMS STILL)
My intentions for this photoshoot were to recreate and embody Cindy Sherman's 'Untitled Film Stills', in particular, her street ones. To do this, my father's girlfriend was kind enough to model for me. We walked around various locations like Berkley Street, Somerset House, and other roads while she walked as if I weren't there, allowing for a more candid atmosphere. I used a Canon camera and tried to experiment with levels by crouching down, I also circled her to capture all angles. One aspect of this photoshoot I believe was successful was how the architecture adds to the composition and arrangement of the whole photo. Statues and pillars and bricks create a very natural yet geometric and modern image. I think it's quite captivating to see buildings and structures so posed and constructed with someone so organic and not posed standing there. It really makes her feel out of place in a way that connects to this element of identity and exposing yourself and your personality. One thing that I think could be improved is the lighting, I think it's safe to say that the majority of these images are under exposed. I'm not so worried about this though because when I am editing, I will just brighten the image. It looks much better to brighten under exposed images than to darken over exposed images. Also, a lot of the photos I have crossed out above were test photos from testing out the camera's setting and seeing what works and what doesn't. If I were to take these images again, I would like to explore more settings, different types of buildings, and possibly indoors as well - like Sherman's other images from this series. I would also like to experiment with using various makeup and clothing of the time the original photos were set/taken, around the 1960s-1980s.
EDITS - EXPERIMENTING WITH BLACK AND WHITE IMAGERY
To edit these photos, I used Photoshop to make them black and white and then increased the brightness, after this, I increased the contrast slightly - I tried lowering the curve but then the contrast became too harsh and dramatic so I didn't alter the curve. A lot of the photos were quite blurry upon further inspection so I duplicated the whole image and put a high pass filter on one layer and overlaid the two together. This sharpens the image. Lastly, I added a small amount of noise. I have edited these photos very simply because I wanted to keep them more minimalistic and I was also very fond of this idea of paparazzi-style photos, and maybe even magazine covers. I find that Sherman is extremely clever in using these candid and natural techniques to convey identities. I added noise because I wanted them to look older, more from about the time these photos were taken. I find these images successful because the black and white aspect of them really allows everything else to stand out. I also think that the editing makes all the lights shine very well, like the sequins and lights in the car dealership. Small things like these I believe make the whole image more aesthetically pleasing and compelling to look at. One thing that I would improve about these photos is that they are still a little grainy and blurry. This could be improved by shooting in lighter daylight and setting the shutter speed shorter to reduce motion blurs.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS - EXPERIMENTING WITH DOUBLE EXPOSURE
For these developments, I experimented with double exposure by taking one image, using the rectangular marquee tool to copy it and then pasting it onto another image and selecting an abnormal double exposure setting, The lighting varies in these photos so I used different settings for each but I found that overlay, lighten, and screen worked best because they were the clearest and most neutral. I decided to double expose these images because I wanted to express this notion of multiple personalities. They relate to my identity project because even though the subject is theoretically the same person, they are represented through different 'faces' which therefore is symbolic of the many various identities we create for ourselves. I think these are successful because even though there is a lot going on, I think the image is still cohesive because it is black and white. There is a lot to discover and decipher when looking at the composition and arrangement of the photo. If I could change one thing about this photo, I would think ahead more about which two photos I pair together. For example, in one photo, you can barely see the second photo, it's very faint. This could be improved if I aim to pair up images that are similar in brightness and contrast but also, where her face is in relation to the rest of the image so that the faces don't clash.
HIGHLIGHTING SUCCESS
This image is successful firstly, because of the light - I feel that this image is a really nice balance meaning it is not underexposed or overexposed. All the highest points on her face are highlighted as well as accents on the buildings and shapes behind her. The shadows create a contrast that defines and structures the shape of everything softly. Secondly, the space looks almost as if another version of herself is inside her, or in front of her. The image does not look flat, instead, it feels 3 dimensional and layered. If I could touch it, I feel like I would be able to trace all the grooves of the geometric shapes, which brings me to my last point - shape. I think that the fluidity and organic nature of her posing contradicts the sharp and harsh edges of the background creating a juxtaposing yet compelling effect.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
For these further developments, what I did was print out my images and collage them together, I mainly just cut out the faces but I also tried experimenting with cutting out the windows in one image which I liked because it made the image more surreal. I did this because I loved how the double exposure created the effect of multiple people - hence multiple 'characters' - and I wanted to do more of this in a different way. I thought that double exposing them again would make the images look muddled and untidy. I also think collage works better because it creates greater space, you can see how the images layered on top demonstrates an unusual yet striking depth involving a foreground and a background. These images I believe correlate well to the running theme throughout this project which is women in society as well as creating different versions of yourself and how these two things relate to each other. Showing different facial expressions and poses and settings, all while on the same person on the same picture together creates a very compelling piece. One thing that I do not like about these images is that they have an ochre hue, this is probably just from the lights in my house but next time, this could be easily prevented by taking pictures of the collage in natural daylight or making them black and white again in editing.
REDRAFT - REVISITING 1ST PHOTOSHOOT
For this photoshoot, my intentions were to revisit the first Cindy Sherman photoshoot I took and redo it with a real backdrop and more emphasis on one of the "characters" I made so that I could improve the outcomes. I decided to focus on just the one girl with the blonde wig as I thought she exerted the most emotion and personality. I like how she relates to themes in Cindy Sherman's work and I was particualarly inspired by one image of hers demonstrating a Barbie-like character. One successful element of this photoshoot I believe is the composition. In my opinion, my face has been frames nicely in the photos with appropriate amounts of space on either side of me and above my head so that I'm centered. One element that I would change about this photoshoot is the aperture; I would increase it next time so that the background is more blurred and thus a more focused outcome is created. I believe I have all the images I need.
EDITS - DEVELOPING LIGHTING, CONTRAST AND SATURATION
Firstly, I cropped any unnessecary space.
I then increased the contrast to make the image more saturated.
Next, I increased the brightness and contrast a little.
Lastly, I lowered the curve slightly and added a subtle vignette.
For these edits, I have taken my raw photos and slightly changed them to look more effective. I aimed to make them more saturated, bright, and vivid so that you can see all the messy makeup and details that make the image Cindy Sherman inspired. This fits in with my project because I am studying Sherman's ways of conveying ideas of femininity in society and how she creates characters. One aspect that I like about these edits is that they exude youthfulness and feminity present in Sherman's work. This can be seen in the vivid colours that have been emphasised by increasing the saturation. One thing that I do not like about these edits is that they feel too dark. To improve this., I would increase the brightness more next time. Next, I would like to make black and white developments to explore tone.
HIGHLIGHTING SUCCESS
This is my most successful edit in my opinion. Firstly, the composition works well here because the even amounts of space on either side of my head allow the amount to feel more proportioniate and balanced. Another thing that I like about this image is the colours. I like how details like my wig, lips, cheeks, and eyelids are accentuated by the increased saturation, making the photo more dynamic and have more depth. I think this also correlates to Sherman's brilliant use of colour in her portraits as well. Another thing that I believe makes this image successful is the contrast and tone. Lowering the curve and increasing the contrast emphasises the shadows which allows the photo to feel more 3-dimensional and textured. I think I have visually represented the exaggerated femininity that Cindy Sherman explores in her work, from the orangey foundation to the thickly applied lipstick, I have completely altered my identity and do not recongnise myself!
DEVELOPMENTS - EXPERIMENTING WITH BLACK AND WHITE IMAGERY
I then lowered the curve.
First, I made the image black and white by clicking the black and white button.
Last, I increased the brightness a little and the contrast a little more.
I have made black and white developments in order to expand on using tone and value in photography. I wanted to experiment with this and explore outcomes. I thought that doing black and white developments would also be an interesting way of mixing Cindy Sherman's different photography styles. One thing that I like about these developments is that the heavy contrast and black and white filter allows the texture to be emphasised. For example, I think that being able to see the materials of my jacket and wig makes the images more dynamic and compelling. I like that the image being black and white allows you to focus more on the details. One thing that I do not like about these developments is that the background is light. If I were to do edit these photos again, I would use the burn tool to draw on the backdrop and make it darker. This would enhance the image by giving it more of a focal point. Next, I would like to experiment with double exposure or mirroring.
HIGHLIGHTING SUCCESS
I think this image is one of my most successful developments. Firstly, the higher contrast creates a nice tone and makes the image feel as if it has more depth and is more stuructured. I like the way this accentuates the shadows and highlights. For example, I think that the image is made more compelling when you can notice things like the shine on the tip of the nose and lips, cheekbones, and waterlines - especially in portraiture. My favourite part about this image is the synthetic hair glistening which, in my opinion, creates a really nice texture that makes the photo more intriguing to look at because it has more detail.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Firstly, I duplicated the width of the image's canvas using the crop tool.
Next, I used the rectangular marquee tool to draw over most of my image, leaving a little space so that when I mirror the images, they look like their blended together. I then copied this portion.
After that, I pasted what I had previously copied and I clicked '⌘t' to "transform" what I it. I rotated it horizontally and moved it to the left (or right) of my original image.
Lastly, I used the eraser tool on a low opacity and size to draw down the seam of the two images to make them appear as if they are mirrored or merging together.
For my further developments, I wanted to experiment with mirroring. I did this because I was curious as to what it would look like if I made more drastic changes to the images but also, I wanted to use mirroring to link back to this idea of multiple characters, identities, and labels. The original images have strong contrast and powerful highlights so when you mirror the image, it creates an impactful focal point in the centre of the image, which I find makes the images more impactful. I like this about the photos. One thing that I do not like about some of these images is that when I mirrored them, the skin appears to be merged which is kind of unappealing and while that is technically the point, I find it unnerving to look at personally. I don't there is anything that I would particularly like to change about these images, but I would like to experiment with making a series instead.
HIGHLIGHTING SUCCESS
I believe that this image is the most successful out of my further developments because I like how the light is centred in the image. I draw attention to all the details of the face and makes the image more interesting. I also like how it appears as if the two faces are looking at each other. This links back to some of the themes in my second Cindy Sherman photoshoot developments.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS - SERIES
To make these series is I picked an image and doubled its frame using the crop tool. I then selected another image by drawing over all of it with the rectangular marquee tool. I copied and pasted it onto the image that I doubled the frame of. I fit it to size and sometimes I moved it up to match more with the other image. In one series I flipped an image horizontally for symmetry. I then repeated this process with one more image to make a series of 3 and cropped excess space.
I have made these series to further develop my previous images. Instead of doing the mirroring, I wanted to try making series with my edits. I did them with my coloured images because I had already tested my black and white images. I don't really like how these images turned out because some of the images vary in lighting and composition. Also with many of the images, I'm looking in the same direction so it's hard to get symmetry in the series. Also, many images are of different sizes so again, there's is not much symmetry in this series which I believe would make them effective.