Photo copyright Ryan Wesson
Growing up I loved to capture daily life motions. I first picked up a Coolpix freshman year of high school. Even if it was a simple portrait I liked to spice it up. I would either put an odd prop in with the subject or capture an abnormal facial expression. The creative aspect in photography kept me hungry to find my style. I kept on taking my camera out for these past six years. I was introduced to Canon and immediately was instilled with inspiration to capture as much as I could. I think I finally figured out what I like. I love to tell a story. By telling a story I also love to explore the angles of my subject. Portraits are probably my favorite genre at this point. One thing I can say about the difference between my work and others is that I love weird-different captures. It’s a good tool to really test creativity. When I walk around I’m constantly thinking of new ideas for photos. I love looking at work as well to see what others are doing. It drives me to get out like other photographers and shoot. As I was told the ones who want to be good will utilize every opportunity you can handle. It’s not an easy time learning what you like to photograph, but the practice is worth every second. Photography is a lifestyle I plan to live in for a while. I wanted to capture a strong motion in black and white. Black and white filters have evoked new ideas, which is why I chose to put the filter on my image. Recently I have been extremely excited about black and white photography. The image’s purpose is to inspire the viewer. Opportunities are endless with hard work. Focus on the goals we choose to pursue.
I used a Canon EOS 70D. I was shooting with the kit lens 55mm. My shutter speed was at 1/400 of a second. I set my F-stop to 11. I had the ISO at 400 which I should’ve changed to 100. I also was experimenting with my flash unit. I cropped the image a little bit on the right side because of a sun ray. I gave it some nice contrast and applied the black and white filter. Then I messed with the color section to pop my subject out.
About the Photographer:
My name is Ryan James. I first discovered photography through my friends Flickr account. It was in the beginning of my freshman year. I ended up picking up my first camera at the end of freshman year. I kept progressing in photography and decided to pursue it as a major in college. In high school I didn’t do a lot with photography it was more of a hobby, during my high school career I was filming more than I photographed. Once I attended Northern Arizona University I joined The Lumberjack and I have been affiliated with Red Bull getting my photos published. On the side I’ve been experimenting with numerous genres of photography through my photo classes. I love to shoot portraits and location. When I shoot portraits I don’t just put a subject in front of my camera. I want to express who they are. Most people I shoot have a weird presence about them in which I like to capture natural shots of their daily motions. It creates a new perspective of someone in my opinion. I also love location because when you explore a location there are numerous angles you can capture of the location. You may end up finding something no one has thought to click and shoot. My favorite technique I utilize right now is Flash. Manipulating light has shown great importance to my work. My work varies away from others because I have a weird style to my work. I capture scenes that are abnormal and creative to the viewer. As an artist I want aspire to reveal my work around the world. I want to create a positive presence to show that we are all radically great in our own way. I plan to utilize photo journalism within this dream I have. I’m inspired greatly by people I run into. Chris Cunningham for instance one of my teachers who has been shooting photography has impacted my work. He always told me think outside the box. Instead of taking a cliché shot how can you produce it within your own style.
To read more about the Northern Arizona University “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” project on our blog, please read the introduction at http://youcansleepwhenyouredead.com/wordpress/3rd-annual-northern-arizona-university-behind-the-image-guest-blogger-project/. Please take a minute to leave your insights and constructive comments in the Comment section below – the student would love to hear from you!