Brief:
The subculture I have chosen for this brief is DRAG QUEENS
I have met few drag queens couple months ago and I find them very fascinating. I think they are great to photograph and will suit this brief ideally.
A drag queen is a person, traditionally male, who dresses in drag and often acts with exaggerated femininity and in female gender roles. Often they will exaggerate certain characteristics such as make-up and eyelashes for comic, dramatic or satirical effect. While drag is very much associated with gay men and gay culture, there are drag artists of all genders and sexualities. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly in dedication, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens can vary by class and culture.
There are many reasons people do drag including self-expression, performing and entertaining. Drag can be a creative outlet, a means of self-exploration, and a way to make cultural statements. Typical drag queen activities include lip-synching performances, live singing, dancing, participating in events such as gay pride parades, drag pageants, or at venues such as cabarets and discotheques. Some drag artists also engage in mix-and-mingle or hosting work in night clubs, and at private parties and events.
I have spend some time with the drag queens and I’ve learned a lot about the process of transformation that they go through and all the tricks that help them to look like women. Some of them do such a good job that it is hard to guess that they are actually men…
The process of getting into drag or into character can take hours. A drag queen may aim for a certain style, celebrity impression, or message with their look. Hair, make-up, and costumes are the most important essentials for drag queens.
As a form of art, much work and creativity is put into transforming into a drag queen. Applying makeup is essential in order to achieve a more feminine look. Foundation helps to create a clean canvas by covering all wrinkles, flaws, and blemishes. Once the clean canvas is created, eye shadow will be added to eyes for an dramatic look. Drag queens use a lot of eyelashes to give the eyes a more intense look. Layering different colors of eye shadows, bronzers, and blush is used in creating the finished face of a drag queen. Since most drag queens are men, contouring is very important in creating high cheekbones and a slimmer face, as well as creating a smaller structured nose. Many drag queens often wear wigs or hairpieces. A costume is also needed. Depending on the event and the look that each drag queen is going for, the costumes can consist of, for example, a sparkling sequin dress, a leopard body suit, or a fur coat. Drag queens tend to go for a more exaggerated look with a lot more makeup than a typical feminine woman would wear.
I have also watched many documentaries and reality shows about drag queens:
Reality show “Rupaul’s drag race”:
Drag queens in photography
Drag queens in the 80s by Kit Kittle
Kit Kittle, MARILYN IN THEATRE. WEST VILLAGE, 1984.
Kit Kittle, NIGHT OUT. WEST VILLAGE, 1987
Kit Kittle, CAROL CHANNING. WEST VILLAGE, 1986
Kit Kittle, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? WEST VILLAGE, 1986
Kitlle photographed drag queens in a documentary style. He used harsh direct flash to lit the photos. These photographs show drag queens before and after performances, at the nights out, partying. They are raw and unretouched what makes them more real.
“Drag queens are the embodiment of all of the qualities that roughnecks completely lack, including style, grandiosity, theatrics and outrageousness. Drag queens loved my camera, as it fulfilled their wish to be recognized and gave them a chance to be preserved. When approached with just a tiny bit of charm, drag queens would playfully flirt with me and take on outsized personalities and bigger-than-life roles that turned into unforgettable performances in the streets, bars and clubs of New York.”
Kit Kittle
Anthony Friedkin
Anthony Friedkin took a look at drag queen life in California from 1969 to 1973 with an amazing series of black and white photographs.
These photographs give a glimpse into the lives of drag queens following the violent demonstrations of the Stonewall riots in New York City, which occurred in the early morning hours on June 23, 1969.
Magnus Hastings
Magnus Hastings has been photographing drag queens for the past 10 years. He photographs all famous drags that became popular after being in reality show “Rupaul’s drag race”
“Drag is the creative love of my life, I view it as both a magical fantasy world and as an art form.”
Hastings
The queens that Hastings photographs love working with him because of his determination to get the perfect shot.
I think it’s a great idea to show the drag queens in set up situations (like movie stills) Location shots are more interesting and drag queens are great actors. His photographs are heavy retouched though which isn’t something that I would do as its making them look more fake than they actually are.
Leland Bobbé
‘Half-Drag’ is a project by photographer Leland Bobbé. These impressive photographs show drag queens before and after makeup.
I think this project is a great idea. The difference between before and after is huge. They look like a composite of two different people.
Jon Dean
Jon Dean highlighted the elegance and poise of his subjects in his portraits. Dean shot all of his work in studio. He used backdrops, props, and digital projectors to stage his shots. He took inspiration from classical poses and dramatic lighting and transformed his subjects to look like golden-age movie legends.
Violet Chachki by Jon Dean
Brigitte Bidet by Jon Dean
Kryean Kally by Jon Dean
Lavonia Elberton by Jon Dean
My Project
I would like to photograph the drag queens in a different way. I want to do it in a documentary style with a use of color gels to get aesthetic similar to the photography of 70s horror movies like “Nightmare on Elm street” or “Suspiria” I believe this style would be suitable for aesthetics of iD magazine.
Drag queens are very fun performers and i want to show that in my pictures.
I have organised a shoot at the flat of the drag queen i know with 4 drag queens
The general idea was to photograph each one of them individually in different rooms and together in a group. The flat has a lot of quirky elements and extravagant objects which i thought would be perfect for the mood i was going for.
I wanted to photograph 3 different scenes lit with a mixture of different color lights:
- shower scene – with the shower curtain
- kitchen scene – with the fridge and
- living room scene – with the quirky furnishing and stuffed animals
I will use my digital SLR canon 5d mk II and Elinchrom Ranger kit to lit them.
Weronika Bachleda Baca BA research blog 