John Ryan
There is something to admire about the way a camera can tell entire stories in the fractions of a second it takes for the shutter to flick open and close shut. While other mediums can undoubtedly tell a story, I have always found photography to be the most intriguing. Words are often quite explicit in the way they convey information. On the other hand, photography is often quite ambiguous, inviting the viewer to use their imagination to decipher the meaning of the photo. This is further enhanced by the flexibility of the medium, granting the artist freedom to approach a single subject in a variety of ways that may influence how their audience interacts with the image.
My current body of work uses diptychs to create a commentary about the religious experience and individual expression on an increasingly secularized college campus . Many photographers have influenced my work over the years, but Nick Ut’s coverage of the war in Vietnam, Steve McCurry’s Eloquence of the Eye, Herb Ritt’s , and Richard Avedon’s work have been my main inspiration for this series. With the primary subject of this series being portraits of religious affiliates within the Bates community, I aim to emulate the same raw emotion and personality that these photographers are able to convey in their work. Presenting a person in a rather vulnerable manner allows the viewer to make an intimate connection with the subject and give insight into the lived experience of the individual.