Ryan McGinley
Ryan McGinley
Ryan McGinleyis an American photographer living in New York City. McGinley began making photographs in 1998. In 2003, at the age of 25, he was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was also named Photographer of the Year in 2003 by American Photo Magazine. In 2007, McGinley was awarded the Young Photographer Infinity Award by the International Center of Photography. In 2009, he was honored at The Young...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth17 October 1977
CityRamsey, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
All my work, really, is based on my brothers and sisters. I had so many adventures with them and a big part of the work is to recreate those. It's easy for me to be around a lot of people, because I can retreat. I can watch everything.
Just having the camera, being able to pull back from situations and be an observer, it saved my life... I realised I could find these intimate moments and that people trusted me. That, basically, my camera was magic.
I can work with shyness, but for the most part I want people to feel comfortable with me. It's really more about the photographer feeing comfortable right when they walk in that makes the subject feel comfortable.
I don't want to be an artist that gets stuck doing one thing. I don't want to be an artist who people look back at and say, 'His early work was really great.
You have to be able to observe life as if you were a camera all the time, constantly looking at light and the way that things are placed and the way people hold themselves. You need the ability to see something in someone or something that no one else really sees and be able to bring that to light. Basically, you have to be an obsessive crazy person.
I know that my mind is so A.D.D., and I want instant gratification - and photography can provide me with that - but at some point, I want to make an independent feature.
It's weird being a photographer because you really have to divorce yourself from the image.
I'm interested in reaching the masses with my work. It's one of my goals.
I went through a pretty big David Bowie period when I was younger, and that has affected me profoundly in my life and my work.
I have absolutely no interest in creating depressing images.
Everyone I'm photographing, I feel like I'm remaking a family, in a way. My brothers and sisters are my heroes. So many of my models resemble them.
All I do is make photos. It's my life.
I'm always interested in an atmosphere where dreams and reality mingle on equal terms.
I've been attracted to Kate Moss since I was a teenager.