Meredith Alexander
Ever since I was a child I loved to take pictures, whether it is of my pets,
friends, or landscapes. The materials with which I make my art include: a single
lens reflex camera, filters, photographic paper and photographic chemicals.
I have a wide range of subject matter that can include portraits, nudes, still
life’s, and abstraction of human form. My style also varies because I
combine my subject matter into on photo. Most photographs I do are realistic.
However, I have experimented with abstract and non-objective photography and
liked it very much. Whatever the style I use some of the things that are always
on the back of my mind are: composition, line, form, texture, value and lighting.
Value and lighting are especially important because my photographs are Black
and White.
I think of myself as kind of an emotional sponge. I observe the things around
me and absorb them into my brain and heart. After sitting on those ideas or
issues for a while I come up with an image that I think would represent those
feelings or that place in time. Every time I produce and image its like I’m
taking that sponge and extracting the water out.
My work is not just about personal expression; I also like to think that I can
reflect the world around me. I try to take those emotions and observations and
make an image that is saying something about my world. I am interested in subjects
such as: society and its views on women, sadism (lately I have been reading
a lot of Marquis De Sade and so naturally sadism has been on my mind), and beauty.
Some influences I have would be other photographers like Richard Avedon and
Cindy Sherman, who is a feminist photographer.