Photography has filled me with purpose and joy, and taken me places I never thought I'd go. I have covered three U.S. presidents, been blessed by the Pope, and been stared down by Muhammad Ali. I've shared a laugh with Smokey Robinson, and had a picture I took of him used when he received a lifetime achievement award. I've photographed a 110-year-old woman as she told me what it was like to climb onto the torch of the Statue of Liberty. I was chosen as the only independent photographer allowed near Obama and McCain in their last meeting before the 2008 election. I'm the only photographer in the world to have been officially represented by the three largest photographic retailers in the Western hemipshere. Heck, I've even had a photographic technique named after me (which is crazy).
But I have never felt so blessed by photography as when I am photographing a wedding. At weddings, we are most visibly ourselves -- the walls we walk around with come tumbling down under the forces of joy, anxiety (and sometimes a bit of alcohol). To document that experience, the relationship of friends, families, and a couple launching a new stage in their life, is an incredible feeling. When a client says "This is the first picture I've seen of my parents that actually looks like them!" I feel like I've done something with lasting value. After years of shooting and more than 225 weddings under my belt, I still find each one to be more exciting than the last, and try to make each one the best one that I've ever photographed.
In addition to a staff of photo assistants, I am so happy to have my partner Wendy as a full-time studio manager to make sure that our clients' needs are met at every stage from the first inquiry until years after the wedding. Wendy is the hardest worker I have ever known, and she makes my clients' experience as stress-free as possible.
brett maxwell - Love it. I’ve been looking at 14mm rectilinear lenses, but maybe a fisheye and defishing is all I need.
Joshua Gull - Crazy shot. I’ve always wondered about de-fishing fisheye lenses and if it was worth it. The plane of the ground and the building looks like one. It’s a crazy perspective. Trippy but very cool all at the same time. Good stuff Ryan.
Becca Dilley - Oh, great idea de-fishing, totally would have never known. And I love the color.
Martins Kikulis - Great perspective makes a great image! Love wide-angles in such photos!