In my Color Photography (Art 318A) class this semester with Professor Sue Jenkins, I experimented a lot with color outside of regular portraits, but for my final project I wanted to get back into portraiture. I asked a friend to model for me during class on a very sunny day right at the start of May, so it was rather warm with plenty of bees. I had a loose idea of what story I wanted to tell with my photos when we started, and I at least knew that I wanted to focus on femininity in some capacity.
I asked my model, Antonia, to wear something pink or purple to fit both the color scheme and the theme of femininity. When it came to posing it was easier since she is also a photographer so there was little instruction needed on when to move or not move. Antonia (@antoniasummaphotography) will be taking over for me as President of the Shutterbugs Photography Club in the fall of 2024 and I couldn't be more proud and excited!
When we started shooting, I noticed that I was consistently shooting from a slightly lower angle. In the photo industry, shooting women from a lower angle is typically frowned upon, and shooting from a higher angle is preferred. I however have always rejected this idea as I think that the opinion of the model/client about how they want to be represented is what matters most. The idea that women have to be made to look small is rooted in patriarchy and I wanted to show that challenge in these images.
As I moved through the shoot I actually went back to photograph in a way that I thought showcased more traditional femininity. I did this by shooting at that higher angle, having Antonia look away from the camera, often down, etc. After, I continued to shoot in the way that I normally do; focusing on empowerment and expression. This meant shooting lower, having direct eye contact with the camera, and not necessarily smiling. While these images portrayed her as more empowered and confident, they didn't sacrifice on femininity, contributing to my overarching statement that being feminine and a feminist are not mutually exclusive things. Both can be true at once despite misconceptions. The flowers and traditionally feminine colors really added to this story as well.
When editing these I played around with color as well as clarity and haze. I wanted a dreamy feel but still with vibrant color. I played off of having the green leaves and grass with her red hair, creating a lot of initial color contrast which I then emphasized. For the ones laying in the grass, since they weren't part of the set and were just a fun idea, I did some color grading to add a specific style to the images. I think the color grading works really well with the content and makes it feel cinematic and adding to the story telling aspect of the images.
This is definitely one of my favorite, if not my favorite, portrait shoot I've done in a long time and hope to do more like these soon now that summer is here and I should theoretically have some free time! If you're looking for a photography class in the future I would highly recommend taking color photography the next time it's offered! It's a great class for beginners and those with more experience!
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