Mask-erful
Photographer seeks to capture the aesthetic of social distancing
Little Rock photographer Ashley Murphy’s latest project started with a question:
“How could I document this weird time we are in? I feel, as a professional photographer, it’s my job to document history,” she says. “I knew I needed to do it.”
Murphy brainstormed some ideas and it came down to masks as a symbol of this time of coronavirus and its impact on our lives.
“The Masked Project” was announced April 5 on Facebook. She invited people to participate by messaging
her. What started as a goal of 25 images grew to more than 100.
“If, 10 years from now, I looked back and didn’t document it, I would deeply regret it.”
With social distancing in mind, Murphy had a plan. She and husband Mac drove to each person’s home and, using a 200 mm zoom lens, she captured the subjects in 2-5 minutes from six to 10 feet away.
“I wanted people to do their own thing with this,” Murphy says. “They could do it plain or be creative, however they wanted to express themselves. Some were really excited about it. People hunger for creativity and still want to express themselves, even if it is just for a moment.”
At the beginning of the project, she thought the images would be in full color.
“I was thinking black and white might be too somber,” she says. “When I started editing the images, I did both to look at and compare. I always look for a feeling in the work; the black-and-white had a strong feeling, emotional impact. I felt it was the right way to go.”
Now that it’s done, what will become of “The Masked Project?”
“I’ll probably have a show at M2,” she says of the SoMA neighborhood gallery she coowns with husband Mac Murphy. “I might wait a while to do this; it might be stronger if I wait a couple of years. And maybe I’d like to do a coffee table book.” She also does private photo sessions for
clients and has started social distancing lifestyle shoots that are one-on-one.
Murphy says she is happy with the project’s results.
“It’s more than I thought it would be,” she says. “Some people were really excited about it. A simple 2- to 5-minute photo session outside their home became something much more; it was a way to be a part of something bigger, a way to show the world who we are.”