Connecting Essay 5

This image shows a young woman, facing up and blowing out smoke. Whilst this image shows a rebellious side of youth through smoking, it could also connote relaxation with the way that the smoke is flowing and the fact that the girl herself looks at peace. This is why I find this photograph so interesting - it both follows the stereotype of rebellious youth, but at the same time, shows youth in a calm manor. I also enjoy how the tones in this image create a strong contrast and really draw attention to the smoke as it is the lightest tone in this image full of dark tones.

This is one my images from a shoot featuring just this one girl. I wanted to follow just one person as it helped represent her as an individual rather than part of a group. I also feel that this helps to show how each individual is different and how it is difficult to label and stereotype an entire group. However, I enjoy this photograph as it conforms to the stereotype of youth as rebellious as she is blowing smoke towards the camera. I also enjoy how the tones in this photo are mostly light, yet you can still see the smoke as it obscures her face.

The biggest and most obvious similarity between these two photos is that both girls are smoking. Therefore, both of these images have connotations of rebellion. Following on from this, both images feature young women as their subject, and so the act of smoking could reject the stereotype of 'ladylike behaviour' and so these photos not only represent youth, but also have connotations of feminism linked in. The surroundings within these images are also similar - they both appear to be set in bedrooms or at home, and so this implies that these images were taken in a relaxed environment.

The tones within both images are very different and as a result, these look like very different images even though the themes are the same. The first image has very dark tones in order to create a strong contrast and emphasise the smoke in the image, whereas with my image the tones are quite light as the clothes the girl is wearing are quite dark - this draws attention towards her. Another difference between the images is that the girl in the first image is blowing smoke upwards. In my picture, however, the girl is blowing smoke towards the camera.