- Meet
Ryan James MacFarland
Photographer Ryan James Macfarland speaks with us about his preference for film, going against his optometrist's advice, and the Moon.
I like being grounded in reality; a physical reality around me that I can interact with and touch, which I feel traditional photographic methods allow me, personally, to do better.
About the Artist
Ryan James MacFarland's (1985-2024) photographs address the intangible and transitory qualities of landscape. His images are born out of an overwhelming obsession with nature and its mechanics, notably Tide Study, a series capturing the moon above bodies of water before nightfall. Ryan’s compositions are usually devoid of human presence and are sometimes comprised of triptychs or pairings, or reproductions of the same image arranged in quadrants, forming a central diamond shape, suggesting the symmetry and patterns that exist in nature. His photographs reveal how he saw the natural world and attempted to break down the complex systems of nature to their base elements. Ryan received a BFA in Photography & Imaging from New York University in 2006, and his work has been exhibited internationally.
All profits from Ryan's photographs benefit The Trevor Project.
Exhibited at Phillips, 2017
Artist in Residence at Frontispiece, 2016
Solo exhibition, Tide Study, Charles Bank Gallery, 2012
