Interview
Meg McKenzie Ryan
Meg has made her life and living through photography, shooting for the local newspaper, the Associated Press, several magazines, and on her own. “Funny, I didn’t know I could make a living shooting when I decided to study photography, but I did. And what a life it has been!”
It seems like every shoot is a learning experience, not just about the technique of shooting under the circumstances of that time and moment. It’s much better than that. Meg lived in West Africa - Burkina Faso and then Togo - for two years. “The cultural differences were huge. The poverty was widespread. I found that I wasn’t ready to shoot the lives of the people I came to know during those years.”
However, after earning a Master of Fine Arts in Photography at Indiana University, and after shooting thousands of portraits for the local newspaper where Meg was employed, she realized that what she really wanted to explore with her camera was people, their lives and their assumptions. “Africa taught me that I, too, live by assumptions that I really hadn’t realized until I was there.
“I was lucky to have another opportunity to look at a different culture. Mexicali, Mexico, a city of over a million people, was just ten miles south of my home which was in the lower desert of California. Crossing the border into Mexico was fairly easy at the time. And this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, unlike my African experience.
“Poverty in Mexicali is also widespread, and I would seek the less fortunate neighborhoods to find subjects. My shoots began by stopping in front of a home with activity going on. I would walk up to the adults, who I didn’t know, with my 8” by 10” field camera open and the bellows pulled out. I would ask if I could take their pictures. They never turned me down. Most of the time, the adults/parents wanted me to shoot their children, which I was happy to do.
“I used a lens intended for a 4” by 5” field camera on my 8” by 10”, resulting in an ultra wide-angle, circular picture. People of all ages made a guess as to where the edges of the photo would be, and lots of times, parents and neighbors would stand just outside their perceived frame, avoiding being in the photo. But they were wrong.” The ultra wide-angle shot included their spontaneous actions and hints of the environment where they live.
And those are the aspects that Meg loves most about these photos. An 8” by 10” photo is often not spontaneous at all, but these photos often have interesting edges.
“It was in Mexicali during these shoots that I began to confront and try to understand cultural differences, and this continues to be an amazing source of inspiration, education, and yes, satisfaction with my work. For one thing, how do people survive the climate there — summers are about seven months long with temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day - when air conditioners are a rarity? They also have to survive strong earthquakes, and you’ll see the cracks in the stucco and miscellaneous lumber used to shore up walls and roofs. Homes are humble; sometimes a few boulders are the steps to the front door, and curtains often suffice as their entry door, with multiple beds in one room. Mothers seem exhausted.
“One day, I learned that a mother was accusing me of shooting pictures of their kids in order to kidnap and sell their children. I was devastated, and I never went back to shoot in neighborhoods again.”
However, Meg didn’t want to stop shooting in Mexicali. So, she began doing hip shots of people downtown Mexicali, which is right beside the border crossing. Hip shots are photos taken without holding the camera to the eye. Instead, the camera is hanging on a strap at about waist level, with the exposures set at automatic, the focus on maximum depth of field, and her finger on the shutter release. It takes a little while to learn to see the photo without looking through the lens. Hip shots are the opposite of large format shooting, and it was really fun to stroll around Mexicali with her finger on the shutter release, watching for action and/or emotion.
“I like to compare the ‘feel’ of the large format, home-based photos in Mexicali to the spontaneous loosely-composed hip shots downtown. I hope you let your imaginations have a field day while looking at these photos.”
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I received my MFA in Photography from Indiana University in 1985.”
What inspires you?
“People and nature inspire me.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I like to make photos that require a nice long look rather than a glance. This goes for all the themes I have had over the years; landscapes, botanical closeups, portraits, environmental portraits, abstracts, etc.”
“I like to make photos that require a nice long look rather than a glance.”
How would you describe your work?
“I think they are caring, thoughtful. The work submitted for this blog is environmental portraiture.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Artists like Imogen Cunningham, Eugene Atget, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Elliot Erwitt, Julia Margaret Cameron, Margaret Bourke-White, Gary Winogrand and Jeff Wolin influence my work.”
What is your creative process like?
“It usually involves trying to do an image better than I have previously. This takes practice and thought.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I believe everyone is responsible for helping people see new and/or different points of view. Artists, writers, and actors all participate in this.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’ve had only one show in the United States: at Imperial Valley College about 1987-ish. I haven’t tried to have a show since then. I’ve had two shows in Mexicali, Mexico, both in the late ‘80s. Like many artists, I was very busy in my employment paying for my living expenses such as the mortgage, etc.”
Website: www.megryanphotography.com
Instagram: @meg_mckenzie_ryan
