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.
Stefan Hellberg - wow ryan, this is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Jay Cassario - Amazing shot! When I seen it on Facebook it didnt even cross my mind that this was a stitched shot. I’ve never done a Brenizer method shot with this close of a comp, but Im gonna have to now, this looks awesome!
Roman - Ryan, Ryan, please, don’t do this – we want more Kelsie, she’s gorgeous, much more so than any camera or lens you are about to review (which is also great, don’t get me wrong). Just.. just… more. Please.
Andre Blais - Wow that’s such a gorgeous image, I love how the focus goes right to her eyes, great capture!
Schalk Ras - Great photo in B&W, look the golden oldies. Details in the right spot, the rest blurred away. Remind me of macro shots, we’re I try to push the DOF the other way.
Eric Uys - Really nice B&W portrait, very film noir feel. Funny enough I just stumbled upon “the Brenizer method” today, was reading an article on SLR Lounge about some portraits he had done using the Brenzier method and having been in the game for over a decade I had never heard of this method. So google found me here and it’s interesting that I had been using a similiar method for years but it involved a lot more photoshop work, where I would shoot a single frame and then capture follow up frames and just blur the focus on the lens and then mesh them in photoshop. I have been shooting people portraits in a Panorama style for years as well but never thought to do it with a zoom lens and build a panorama up, very clever :)