Gordon Ryan

So the first launch of the photo blog was a dud—the system just didn’t work the way I hoped it would. However, I decided to give Pixelpost another shot (I had experimented with it many months ago) and everything is working great! Go check out the new and improved photo blog at www.gordonryanphoto.com.

The new system is incredibly easy to navigate, the photos are front and center (as they should be), and everything just has a nice polish. I’m definitely excited to get to work producing new photos to post there, but in the meantime, you can browse some of my back catalog stretching back to 2003. I’ll be adding more of the older photos throughout the next week or so and hopefully getting some time to get out and capture new photos to add to the beginning of the time line.

In other photography news, I’m looking into a serious upgrade to my equipment collection over the next few months. The plans right now are to add a Nikon D700, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, 85mm f/1.4 lens, and portable studio lights (and accessories). Obviously, that’s a ton of premium equipment, so it will be incremental, but it should be a blast to start shooting with some pro-level equipment.

In blog news (meaning, gordon-ryan.com), I’m planning to transition the site to focus on a portfolio/resumé as I continue my job search in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina. this will include a more polished design, a static front page, and a focus on my professional work. A blog will remain part of the overall site architecture, but it will be a page that has to be navigated to.

So, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Without a doubt, though, there are good things in the pipeline and I’m eager to get these new endeavors off the ground.

Just launched my new photo blog, Gordon Ryan Photography. I’ve been sitting on that project for much longer than I should have.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

I can’t let my niece have all the photographic glory (though she certainly deserves it). Consider this post to be the kick-off for my own photography appearing on this site. All of the following photos were taken during the same time frame as the previous post highlighting the shots my niece took. You can also find my photos on Flickr.

My niece, holding the soccer goal.

My niece, pondering life beyond the goal.

The two most adorable sisters ever.

Sad. (quite the little actress)

More photos after the break. (more…)

And what happens? If she’s the least bit excited about the fact that she gets to play with her favorite uncle’s treasured toy (or however she views it), she will likely do something completely unexpected—and possibly awe-inspiring.

The photo above is of said three-year-old and it was taken with said $400 camera. The amazing thing is, I didn’t take the photo; she did.

Great writers, artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, firefighters, leaders, and (of course) photographers aren’t just born with their talents. But chances are, the reason these people became passionate about the things they became known for is because someone they looked up to gave them their time and shared their experience with them.

They got them excited.

Kids, college students, junior-level employees—even (especially?) older folks taking up a new hobby—are always more successful at things they are interested in when they have the support of someone they admire. By merely giving them some pointers, offering encouragement, or showing them “how the pros do it,” those of us with talent and experience have the capability to energize and inspire the next generation of creatives, professionals, and humanitarians.

My niece (who is as fascinated by cameras as any three-year-old) never had a photographer hand her their camera. But look at what she did when I gave her mine and showed her what to do. I’m sure the CEO of your company was a nobody out of college, but there was undoubtedly someone along the way that mentored him about what it means to succeed in business. And I can guarantee you that at every juncture in his life and in every endeavor that he embarked on, Barack Obama was energized by someone who saw something special in him. The point is, you never know what the people who look up to you might become, but you can certainly help them become something you’re proud of along the way.

To see a few more photos my niece took that day, read on.

(more…)