Critical reflection

For my final project I wanted to explore the idea of the politics of self. My idea was to employ masks to act as a form of metaphor for the ‘front’ that we put up, like a mask, to both disguise and project our identity to others. My original idea was to provide my subjects

Assignment 6 – Final Project

Behind this laughing mask of mine 2020 – 2021 ‘Every profound spirit needs a mask’ Nietzsche, Beyond Good an Evil, 1888. In the politics of self we put up a front to others, and this is worn as a type of mask that projects as well as it guards. For identity we wear many masks

The Cruel Radiance

The Cruel Radiance, 2012, Susie Linfield, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-0-226-48251-4. This is a very interesting book and I found it to be a good read. Linfield writes in defence of photography against what she describes as a popular and institutional attack on the medium by critics and even other photographers. She

Shizuka Yokomizo – Stranger

Shizuka Yokomizo’ project, Stranger, 1998 -2000, consisted of Yokomizo sending anonymous letters to her subjects asking them to stand in front of their from windows at an appointed time, and she would then spend a couple of minutes photographing them through their window from the street. Shizuka Yokomizo, Stranger, 1998 -2000. Dear Stranger, I am

‘Facing Up To Myself’ by Jo Spence (1978)

Jo Spence, Photo Therapy: Infantilization, 1984. The above link (accessed, 26/10/2020) is a pdf copy of an article published in Spare Rib magazine, March 1978 by Jo Spence, Facing Up To Myself (1978). Available from https://journalarchives.jisc.ac.uk/home (accessed 26/10/2020). Notes: As a photographer, Jo Spence, realised, That a single image could not convey someone’s essence. (Spare

My Other Half – a critical self-review.

My Other Half – A critical self-review by Shaun Mullins. The objective of this project was to create 6-10 environmental portraits and I chose to produce photographs of my wife in different locations in our home, dressed for and performing the typical activities that I often see her doing.  I wanted to convey the idea

Summary for Part 3, “Look at Me!” – The Representation of Self.

In section 3, “Look at Me!”, I studied the subject of ‘self’ and how it has and is used and interpreted in the portrait. I learned that the idea of the ‘selfie’ goes back beyond photography. Originally the early selfies where exclusively for the rich and powerful to express wealth and more importantly, power, examples

My Tutor’s assessment – Assignment 2

In my video conference with my Tutor we discussed the style of work that I am using which is a controlled and planned method, my Tutor thought that this style worked for this project’s narrative. He could see the influence of artist such as Cindy Sherman and Jeff Wall who both create contrived pictures in

Exercise 3.2 – Four Image-Repertoires

Exploring Roland Barthes theory regarding four image-repertoires, (Barthes, 2000, p.13) I have asked my friend (Graham) to pose for me with the intention of presenting himself as, ‘who he thinks he is’, and how he wants to be perceived. Graham asked that I photograph him cleaning his shotgun, as he sees himself as an outdoors

Exercise 2.6 – Candid Portrait

Working with my friend Graham, I set-up a basic studio with a barstool and a white background, I directed his poses using my camera fixed to a tripod. After 5 minutes I gave the control of the photographic direction to Graham, who firstly wanted me to take the camera off the tripod and then photograph