Ryan Pfluger is best known for his deceptively simple, often intense photographs of the people close to him but this last summer he stepped out of character and began photographing complete strangers for his 'Portraits in the Park' project. More than three years after our first interview with him, we caught up with him to chat about this latest project, the results of have already been previewed in two self-published zine volumes (Vol. I is sold out, but you can still get Vol. II here), with Volumes III and IV available from his blog next week. A larger volume will also be available in early 2012.
All portraits by Ryan Pfluger
Shots of Ryan at work by James McLoughlin
Weston Bingham: Tell us about your 'Portraits in the Park' project.
Ryan Pfluger: 'Portraits in the Park' is my latest personal project, and the first I've completely devoted myself to, since my MFA thesis. My work has always been about my relationship with my subjects and our intimate interactions. I wanted to challenge myself; make a commentary on portraiture and place, by photographing in a public space where people gather. The series took place in four different parks in New York City, yet shot in the exact same way with the only changes being that of the daylight throughout the day. I just set up shop and allowed anyone who was willing to sit for a portrait. This project is also definitely about the quantity—an archetype of these people I've collected. Despite the "simple" approach, there are a lot of things going on in these images.
Weston: Your project reminds me of the August Sander's 'Portraits of the 20th Century' series. Any interesting revelations about the people you shot? What sort of archetypes emerged?
Ryan: I'm really glad you brought that up. I definitely take a lot of my aesthetic from both him and Avedon. Simplicity and interaction with my subject has always been what's most important for my process. As I was shooting I found myself being drawn to people who looked like people I previously shot. I also found that men were much more uncomfortable in front of the camera than women. Through the editing process I've definitely begun to see different archetypes whether it be young gay men, European women or people of different ethnic groups.
Weston: Neighborhoods change radically in New York depending on which side of the side of the street your on—how did the people differ from park to park.
Ryan: There was not only a difference of people, but also a difference in how open people were to being photographed. The diversity was definitely more apparent in both central park and washington square park. Those in Tompkins and McCarren were much younger. The other thing that was actually kind of surprising, was that people were much more interested and eager to be photographed in both Washington and Central Park. While the case was quite the opposite at the other two.
Weston: In your first EVB interview, you described your images as "fabrications, idealized relationships, memories, re-creations, and relationships that may or may not have existed". This is something completely new for you then?
Ryan: This is definitely the first project of mine where I have really relinquished a lot of the control in terms of process. I wanted to push myself to make intimate portraits in an environment that would normally make me uncomfortable.
Weston: I've always felt your most devastating portraits are of people you know intimately. How does your work change when they are complete strangers?
Ryan: Portraiture is just as much about the photographer as it is about the subject. There is a real vulnerability and awkwardness in these that I think is just as powerful as the intimacy that comes across in some of my other work. The fact that they are all shot the exact same way, regardless of the location, really allows you to examine each person without any distractions. The fact that these subjects for the most part don't know me or my work, allowed for a sort of clean slate. There were no expectations or pre-conceived notions of what would be taking place. The unknowing actually made the image making process stronger.
Weston: So much of your work is about posture, the body and the skin, the context and the gaze. Always the gaze! Most of that isn't available in this new work. What is it you're exploring now?
Ryan: This work definitely still has a lot to do about the gaze, or rather in a lot of the photographs, the lack of.This whole project really is about the exploration of people, what the role of place is in portraiture, and my need to collect.This work is a collection of people, a memorializing of fleeting strangers who allowed me to capture them in just a few short moments.I wanted to see how vulnerable people would allow themselves to be in front of me, and in public.The only other information that is given with these portraits is the person's name.These subjects are everybody and anybody at the same time.
Weston: Speaking of skin, I'll end this the way we ended your first interview with us—for symmetry. What's your next tattoo?
Ryan: I've had to cancel my appointment to get my next tattoo a few times due to work. I'm planning on getting a memorial tattoo for my grandfather who passed a few months ago. He always played video games with me when I was a kid, so I'm getting an old NES controller with his name spelled out by the wire. I know it would make him really happy.
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