Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925–1972) was an American photographer known for his surreal and haunting images that explored themes of identity, family, and the uncanny. Using masks, blurred motion, and creepy rural settings, he created dreamlike photographs that combined Southern Gothic aesthetics with Zen philosophy. Meatyard often used his own family and friends as subjects, blending personal intimacy with conceptual depth. His work, though underappreciated during his lifetime, is now celebrated for its experimental spirit and its ability to transform ordinary moments into profound art.

Meatyard inspires me because his art shows how creativity can emerge from the deeply personal and the familiar. He demonstrated that profound expression doesn’t require elaborate resources—only imagination and a willingness to see the world differently. His use of masks and surreal compositions invites exploration of themes like identity and transformation, while his experimental approach encourages breaking free of conventional rules.

How does he Portray Identity In his pictures?

Ralph Eugene Meatyard explored identity in his photography by blurring the lines between who we are and how we appear. He used masks to hide his subjects’ faces, stripping away individuality and turning them into symbols or characters. This made his photos feel universal, like they were about everyone and no one at the same time.

He also played with motion blur, shadows, and eerie settings, making his subjects seem ghostly or out of place, as if identity itself was fleeting or hard to pin down. By shooting in old houses or rural landscapes, he tied identity to memory and the passing of time. His work invites you to think about how much of identity is what we show and how much is hidden or shaped by the world around us.

She is regarded as one of the leading figures of the Pictures Generation, a collective that includes distinguished artists such as Richard Prince, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine, and Robert Longo. This group emerged in the 1970s, responding to the dominant mass media landscape by employing humour and critique while appropriating imagery from advertising. In 1972, Sherman began her studies in the visual arts department at Buffalo State University, where she concentrated on painting. It was during this time that she started to explore themes that would later become central to her artistic persona: she dressed in various characters, utilizing clothing obtained from thrift stores. Her work aims to challenge mass media on gender norms. Sherman carefully crafts her photographs, controlling every aspect of the image, including makeup, costumes, lighting, and settings. Through her elaborate modifications, she encourages viewers to question societal norms and expectations, particularly those imposed on women. In a 1990 interview with The New York Times, she expressed, “I see myself as anonymous in my work. When I look at the photographs, I do not recognize myself; they do not function as self-portraits.”

Some of her Work

Image Analysis

Woman in the image has dark hair and wearing evening clothes, as if she’s about to go out. She is Holding her neck with a rather startled expression and her other hand is holding what seems to look like a knife. In the mirror we can see her back which exposes herself making herself vulnerable as people can see what she cannot. There is also a table in-between her and the photographer, potentially acting as a barrier which can also back up the point regarding the feeling of vulnerability.

Smoke that is seen in the mirror at the back suggests that someone else is present. We can make an assumption that this picture is based in her home as there is a picture of her sitting on the furniture in the background The aperture is more likely to be lower so that the audience can see the closer details.

Furthermore there could be a bruise on her arm which would explain her expression of discomfort and vulnerability.

In this image we get a full body shot and we get to see the back of her. This makes the subject seem very exposed.

She is criticising films as they portray women to be distressed at the time and seen to be helpless when in reality they are not

What is it?

The fact of being, or feeling that you are, a particular type of person, organization, etc.; the qualities that make a person, organization, etc. different from others

What is femininity

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women or girls.

What is Masculinity

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men or boys.

How can Identity be influenced?

Identity is shaped a lot by where we live, where we belong, and how we grow up. These things influence how we see ourselves and how others see us, especially when it comes to gender, culture, social roles, politics, or even feeling like we don’t have a clear identity.

Gender Identity

Where you grow up can play a big role in how you see your gender. Some places have strict ideas about what it means to be “male” or “female,” which might make it harder for people who don’t fit into those boxes to express themselves. On the other hand, living in a more open-minded community might give people the space to figure out and show who they really are. Family, school, and social circles also influence what we believe about gender, and stereotypes about things like being “tough” or “delicate” can make this even more complicated.

Cultural Identity

The culture you’re raised in—like its traditions, food, and language—becomes a big part of who you are. But that can shift if you grow up in a mix of cultures, like in a diverse city, or if you move to a new place. This can sometimes feel like juggling two (or more) identities. Stereotypes about certain cultures might also make you feel like you need to prove something or distance yourself from those assumptions.

Social Identity

The people and groups around you—friends, classmates, co-workers—shape your social identity. Feeling like you belong somewhere (a sports team, a community group, or even online spaces) can give you a sense of identity. But being excluded or not fitting in can make you question where you belong.

Geographical Identity

Where you’re from can feel like a huge part of your identity, whether it’s pride in your hometown, country, or even just your neighbourhood. At the same time, leaving that place or feeling disconnected from it—like moving far away—can make you feel a little lost.

Political Identity

Your political beliefs are often shaped by your environment—what your family values, the political climate where you live, or what issues are important to your community. These influences might push you to agree or rebel against what you grew up with.

Loss or Lack of Identity

Sometimes, people feel like they don’t have a solid identity—like if they’ve moved around a lot, been excluded from certain groups, or experienced discrimination. This can leave them searching for where they fit in. Stereotypes can make this worse by creating unfair expectations or making someone feel they can’t truly be themselves.

In the end, our identity is always evolving, influenced by the places and people around us. It’s about figuring out where we fit—and sometimes, creating a new space for ourselves.

Formal Elements

Line

Lines are a great starting point when thinking about formal elements, as they are almost everywhere. Start by looking for lines in your composition that can guide the viewer through your shot or to a specific focal point. These are known as leading lines.

Shape

Effectively representing shape and form in your compositions can turn objects, landscapes and figures into defined, striking focal points. Using various lighting techniques, such as backlighting, silhouettes, and paying attention to shadows, will help elevate the shapes and forms in your shot.

Space

Building space into your compositions creates a sense of scale and brings added depth to your shot. It can also provide breathing room for your image’s main subject, allowing the viewer to focus on the scene’s primary features.

Repetition

This can involve the repeated use of lines, shapes, colors, textures, or other visual elements that create a sense of consistency and uniformity. The repetition photography examples could be anything—a row of trees, a series of arches, a field of sunflowers, or even a group of people dressed similarly.

Texture

Texture is a visual representation of how something feels, whether it is rough or smooth or soft or prickly. The cues we use to determine texture as we look at a subject (or scene) are variations in colour, shadow, line, shape, and depth.

Colour

A prominent colour in your image – whether it’s a concrete colour block or a set of similar colours that form a palette can make a bold statement in your shot.

Colours can also convey a mood to your image that will be emotive to the viewer. And you could also single out one particular colour to make a striking statement and have it ‘pop out’ of your shot.

‍

Value/Tone

Focusing on tone in your image means using variables of contrast and light and dark areas to bring depth to your image.

The tone is fundamental in black-and-white photography, where it should be used to guide the viewer through your image where there is no colour present to focus their attention.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to tone, and we recommend trying different lighting scenarios and contrast levels for your preferred aesthetic.

‍

Francis Bruguière

Francis Bruguière (1879–1945) was an American photographer and avant-garde artist known for his pioneering work in abstract photography. Initially a portrait and commercial photographer, Bruguière became famous for his experimental use of light and shadow, creating abstract images through techniques like multiple exposures and cut-paper compositions. His work was influential in pushing photography beyond its traditional documentary role into the realm of fine art. Bruguière also worked in film and design, collaborating with prominent figures in the early 20th-century modernist movement.

Francis Bruguier inspires me as he uses unique styles and cut outs of paper. He also intelligently configures light by using cut-outs held against un-natural light to get shadows.

Photoshoot

I put all of my pictures from the photo shoot into

My Chosen Images

Using Lightroom I picked out and made a folder regarding my best pictures from the Photo Shoot. I then proceeded to compare my images and pick the top 20.

Using the colour-coding method on lightroom i picked out my favourites and marked them in green. This made it easier for me to then go on to organize them into a set folder

Editing

Final Image:

What is Lightroom?

Well, Lightroom is many things but what Lightroom is actually used for is to enhance and sharpen pictures. it is commonly used as using certain methods (I will go into further along this post) it is easy to identify the ones with bad quality and good quality and eliminate the ones you don’t want to work on.

To start actually putting pictures into Lightroom, you have to import them. In the bottom left of your screen you will see the import button.

Once you have pressed this a screen will come up and on the left hand-side you can choose where the images come from and what images you would like.

Here is where you can uncheck and check images to choose which ones you would like to import into your Lightroom library. Once you have selected them in the bottom right of your screen you will see this button.

If you press import, these images you have selected will appear into your library. Furthermore this will unlock multiple different features that can improve your photos and make them easier to navigate to.

By going through your images and pressing in the top right corner of each image you can flag the images. This aids you further as you can prioritise the pictures that have certain features

Diptych

What is a Diptych?

A Diptych is a creative format that combines two images side by side. This approach allows photographers to explore relationships between the images, whether through contrasting themes or the monitoring and comparing of the two images. By pairing two photos it is easier to identify and pick out more final details. For instance, one image could focus on texture and detail, while the other provides context or a broader view, encouraging viewers to make connections between the two. Diptychs are an effective way to engage the audience and invite deeper interpretation of the photographic narrative.

This is my Diptych and it easily shows my original picture and the final product.

The aperture helps the photographer decide what they want to be in focus. It also links with the depth of field. For example the wider the aperture the smaller the depth of field. This means that the foreground is in focus and the background is blurry.

The F stop is what is used to measure the aperture

The image below has an aperture of 22. This means that the lens gets smaller and everything becomes in focus.

 

This image has an Aperture of 5 so the plane is in focus and the pencils in front and the toys behind. The lens expands in comparison to 22. This means there is a Medium level of: depth of view.

What is ISO…

ISO is a number that represents how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the higher your camera’s sensitivity, and the less light you need to take a picture. The trade-off is that higher ISOs can lead to degraded image quality and cause your photos to be grainy or “noisy.”

When might you use High ISO?

High ISO is generally well suited to low-light situations, especially when a fast shutter speed or a narrow lens aperture is essential to achieving a creative goal. For example, using a higher ISO setting for hand-held street photography at night allows one to use fast shutter speeds to create bright, sharp images.

My Own Photo using high ISO

This is an example of me using high ISO in a dark room setting.

As you can clearly see this picture has become very grainy. I used an ISO of 6400