1. Photography
Research
BTEC MEDIA
UNIT 9: Photography Techniques
Gertrude Kasebier
&
Cindy Sherman
Monday, 29 November 2010

2. Gertrude Kasebier
• Born 1852 in Iowa, USA
• Attended art school aged 37
• Very interested in mother child relationship
• In 1896 became assistant to professional
photographer
Monday, 29 November 2010

3. Portrait of
Evelyn Nesbit
1903
Monday, 29 November 2010

4. Alfred Stieglitz
Wrote that Kasebier was “beyond
dispute, the leading artistic
portrait photographer of the
day.” 1899
Monday, 29 November 2010

5. Chief, 1901
Kasebier was fascinated by the
culture of the native American
people she saw in Buffalo Bill’s Wild
West show. She was very
sympathetic to their struggle and this
is clear in the beautiful portraits she
made of them.
Monday, 29 November 2010

6. Portrait of Auguste Rodin,
1905
• Kasebier traveled to Paris to
photograph the reclusive artist
• The portrait emphasises the
artist’s distinctive profile
• The soft focus effect was typical
of her style
• Photographers at this time
often tried to make their
images look like drawings or
paintings
Monday, 29 November 2010

7. Yoked and Muzzled, 1915
Some people think this photograph is a reference to the
artist’s unhappy marriage.
Monday, 29 November 2010

8. Cindy Sherman
• Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in New Jersey,
USA.
• Her reputation as an artist is for photographing
herself, often in heavy disguise
• She comments on contemporary issues,
particularly the role of women in society
Monday, 29 November 2010

9. Untitled Film Still #14, 1978
Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills series explore the
roles played by women in 1950s B movies. Often
they are victims of crime or sex objects.
Monday, 29 November 2010

10. Untitled #132, 1984
Sherman’s photographs can
be quite shocking. She uses
heavy make-up and
prosthetic body parts to
radically alter her
appearance. In this image,
she has used dramatic
lighting and bold colours to
add an almost horror film
quality to the photograph.
Monday, 29 November 2010

11. Process & Technique
Gum Bichromate Technique
• 19th century process
• multi-layered
• creates painterly effects
• printed on heavyweight
paper
• negative same size as print
• subtle effects
Colour Photography
• 20th century process
• three colour process (RGB)
• creates vivid, glowing effects
• printed on lightweight paper
• negative can be enlarged
• dramatic effects
Monday, 29 November 2010

12. Comparison
• Both portraits of women
• Women are the central subject
• Both to some extent disguised
• Kasebier’s portrait is a profile
silhouette.
• Sherman’s image is a self-
portrait face on but cropped
• Kasebier - flowers suggest
delicacy, grace and innocence
• Sherman - the red robe
suggests danger and sexuality
• Both artists exploit light
effects to give their images
added drama
Gertrude Käsebier,
"Silhouette"c. 1915,
Gum Bichromate
Print
Cindy Sherman,
“Untitled #98”1982,
Colour Photograph
Monday, 29 November 2010