Ralph Gibson

 Gallery - Ralph Gibson

While I am not a fan of some of Ralph Gibson's work, there is no doubt that he has a very creative and unique spin on photography. Gibson tended to capture his subjects from angles most people would not have thought to be flattering, but this technique leaves room for the viewer to wonder about the 'rest' of the image. I also think this adds emphasis to specific areas he wanted to capture and add focus to. His images often have a main subject with a very neutral background, causing the viewer to really focus on what Gibson was trying to capture. I feel this reflects how we see things regularly. It is often hard to see the bigger picture, but what we do instead is focus on the individual parts and create an image I our head as a whole

Horse & Hand by Ralph Gibson | Susan Spiritus Gallery

Gibson also seems to pay close attention to the source of his light, as he understands this can emphasize or distract from certain areas. He uses these shadows to create extreme contrast. Again, the choice of framing in his photos is quite different than what most people would expect from a photographer, but by almost never capturing his subject as a whole there is almost a dream like feel. In dreams, things are never sharp and we can never really see the whole picture, just like these images. 

Self-Exposure: A Closer Look at Ralph Gibson's Photographic Autobiography — HENI Publishing

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