Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925-1972) was an American photographer and made his living as an optician while creating an impressive and mysterious body of photographs. Meatyard’s photographs explored many genres and experimented with new means of expression, from dreamlike portraits; often set in abandoned places, to multiple exposures, motion-blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. Meatyard has two series where he experiments with depth of field and focus, below is his work ‘No Focus’ where he has photographed figures without a specific focal point, creating a blurred effect.
‘No Focus’ Analysis
Meatyard’s series ‘No Focus’ is very abstract and ambiguous as you cannot tell what the blurred figures are. I really like this approach to photography as I believe it makes the observer think and be imaginative which their conception of the images. These photographs hold lots of dark, light and mid-tones which create a mysterious atmosphere and a sense of obscurity. The texture of these images is very soft and relaxed as the unfocused camera lens does not capture any sharp edges that may reside in the shot. Meatyard may have used a slower shutter speed, such as 1/2, to capture these unclear images so that more light could enter through the lens while it was open for a longer amount of time.
‘Zen Twigs’ Analysis
Meatyard also has a series called ‘Zen Twigs’ where has has experimented with the aperture settings on his camera. He has photographed twigs and tree branches in black and white, focusing clearly on specific points of the branch to create a shallow depth of field and a smaller focal point. For this series of photographs, Meatyard has most likely used a small aperture, such as F/2, to blur the background and areas surrounding the branch in order to create abstract images with depth. Meatyard’s work also consists of many harsh dark shadows which contrast with the bright highlights creating a range of tones and enhancing the silhouette-like outline of the branches. In these images we can see natural curved, jagged and straight lines in the foreground which form a rough texture, however the blurred shadowed branches in the background produce a softer texture as there are no defined lines drawing attention.
Contact Sheets
In my photo shoots I experimented with photographing natural forms such as leaves, twigs, flowers and trees. I was inspired by Meatyard’s ‘No Focus’ and ‘Zen Twigs’ series, therefore I used a range of aperture sizes and shutter speed lengths. I plan on editing my images to black and white in order to reflect Meatyard’s work, while also using my own experimentation with contrast and exposure.
Selected Edited Images
Final Images
I have chosen these 5 photos as my final images as I believe they explore the strong dynamics of depth of field and focus. In the first two images I was inspired by Meatyard’s ‘No Focus’ series. I experimented with a slower shutter speed, which allowed more light to enter my camera lens and created a blurred image. In the first image I used a low angle shot to capture a silhouette-like photograph. My highlights were in the background which enhanced the dramatic shadows of the subject in the foreground. I enjoy the ambiguity of this image as I believe the blurred black objects have no specific geometric shape, therefore it is up to the observer’s interpretation as to what the image is really of. Furthermore, I experimented with under exposing this image to add to its mysterious dark mood, I believe it created a more heavily shadowed image with harsh black tones contrasting greatly with the soft grey highlights in the background. I also really like how the second photo came out, I think the slow shutter speed produced an abstract image containing a motion blur and repetitive effect. In addition the image of a birdfeeder looks almost unrecognisable because of its echoed pattern overlapping the original subject which creates quick movement and rhythm in the photo.
In the last three photos I experimented with aperture, similar to Meatyard’s ‘Zen Twigs’ series. The first twig image has a clear focal point in the foreground as the twig is sharp and is the only focused element of the photograph. Additionally, I really like the strong highlights in the background of this image as I believe they enhance the focus on the twig by surrounding it with bright light and drawing the observer’s attention to its rough texture. In the second twig image the focal point is not central, but a little to the bottom right. This creates an abstract photo as moments of the foreground are unfocused which again draws focus to the clear branch. The image also contains many repeated natural shapes, such as leaves, which add to the busy texture and composition of the piece. Personally, I believe this benefits the photo as it shows the frequent power of nature and the natural world as it is untouched. The final image holds lots of natural repetition and has a strong central focal point. I enjoy its subtle highlights and shadows, which mixed with the soft texture created by the blur, creates a balanced calm image. Finally, I love the shallow depth of field created by the short aperture size in all of these final three images as it creates a dramatic focal point for the observer and reflects the abstract nature of Meatyard’s work.