Kelley Hungerford

Copy editor

Point. Aim. Shoot. A photo is taken, but to junior art major Meghan Meehan, photography is more than just aiming a camera arbitrarily at a subject.
She said she develops all of her own film and gets involved with the entire development procedure. “I really enjoy the process,” she said.
Meehan became interested in photography in middle school when her mother gifted her a used camera from the 1970s. The camera has sentimental value because it is also the first present her dad gave her mom. Street photography was Meehan’s first true subject. She said she likes the culture and the anonymity that a city offers, and she used these in picturing the human element in an urban setting. While she said she did take pictures of people with graffiti-covered walls and bunches of cars, she was particularly fond of photographing movement.
“I started taking a lot of action shots because [I liked] capturing action,” she said.
Unfortunately, she also said she doesn’t think McMinnville is the best place for her type of work.
“I’m from Seattle, born and raised,” Meehan said. “I kind of can’t stand it here. There is nowhere to picture someone in an urban setting.”
Recently, she has been working on incorporating the figure into different elements. Associate Professor of Studio Art Liz Obert said she has seen this thread in Meehan’s portfolio.
“She seems to be doing studies in black and white, and some of them are more portraiture, all focusing on the female figure,” Obert said.
A recent piece includes a 24-piece collage of pictures depicting the human body at obscure angles. Meehan said she concentrated on close-up shots of the body so it is almost unidentifiable. She couples these with distance shots that make the images of the figure clearer.
Meehan said her biggest challenge is bringing new material and art into the world.
“[It’s] hard to stun people nowadays,” she commented.
Obert said she believes Meehan is acquiring her own eye.
Meehan said the art community at Linfield is supportive.
“I just hope that everyone goes out and takes a lot of pictures,” she said. “Because you only live once.”