One of the things I love about photography...

...is that no matter what you point your lens at, in that instant, you are seeing the world in a unique way. You shut everything out, outside of the borders of the frame, and you decide, in a moment, what is important to the image and what is not. It doesn't matter if you are photographing people, or flowers, or mountain ranges, or grizzly bears, or fast cars...when you frame up an image, in your camera's eye, you instantly, and sometimes without really consciously thinking, choose, in that particular moment, in that particular frame, what is significant and what is not. What is relevant to the image you are creating, what is relevant to your story or your mood or your surroundings. And there are no rights and wrongs, just choices, just you and the lens and the moment.

So maybe, then, our choices are a reflection of who we are, at least in any given moment.

In this moment, when I clicked the shutter for this image, I was enjoying a really quiet weekend in the mountains. It was the kind of rare, unencumbered weekend when I actually got to start and finish a book! And take a nap in a hammock. And take a walk in the woods. So this image is pure and simple, and quiet...a reflection of who I was this past weekend…who I like to be, often.

What do your images say about you?

Dandelion puffs!

I don't know the botanical name for these, I have just always known them as dandelion puffs!  You remember, as a kid, blowing on them, making a wish, trying to get them all off in one breath, and then watching all the little parachutes float away in all directions?  (All the while parents everywhere were cringing that you were spreading dandelion seeds all over the yard?!) 

Well, this was just a fun, quick experiment with focus points...the first, I focused on the interior (for those of you photogs, my aperture was 9.0), and the second, (same aperture, same exposure) just a second later, a focus on the exterior. 

We spent a beautiful couple of days camping in the Teton Canyon, on the West side of the Teton Range.  Now, home and enjoying a quiet weekend, getting ready for our youngest daughter's WEDDING, and a trip to the Oregon Coast!  It seems like just yesterday we were packing the girls up to head to the beach for a summer vacation... 

Maybe if I make a wish on a dandelion puff I can turn back time...and spend one more summer with little sand buckets and "banana suits" and kite-flying little girls?

Confession...I've been a photographer for awhile...

I know it's crazy...but I actually shot film for many years!  Remember film?  I still have some in my freezer!  Do you remember the darkroom...not the digital one, but the one that smelled like chemicals and had that ever-present sound of running water?  And Velvia slide film!  Oh, I loved the saturation of Velvia!
Anyway, that's where I began.  In a darkroom, with black and white photography, then onto color slides...which is what these images were, until I scanned them for use in our digital world.  If you ever shot film you may remember being really selective about when to click the shutter, 'cause you only had 24 or maybe 36 images on the roll.  Nowadays it is easy to shoot through a 4 GB card (a couple of hundred images in RAW) without much thought.
One of the most important things I learned, as a film user, was how important is was to be selective about your composition.  Sure, you could crop into a photo to eliminate extraneous elements, but there was no easy "bandaid" for spot healing or "clone stamp" for erasing things you may or may not have even realized were a part of your image.
My style, maybe as a result of trying to eliminate all of the "noise"...became one of simplicity.  I prefer the simplest version of an image, whether it be a sweeping landscape, a personal portrait, or capturing a sense of place...my style usually reflects a sense of simplicity.  It isn't right or wrong, that is certainly not the lesson here, it is, instead, that you have to find your voice, in everything you do.  Make it your own. 



We've launched our new website!

My husband, Mike, and I have been working on our fine art portfolios for quite some time...to edit them, combine them and design a new webpage has taken some time, but proved to be worth the effort! We launched our new website http://www.mikeandkrisryanphoto.com/ and would love for you all to check it out and see what we've been up to!

We are this month's featured artist at Marigold's, a great new "try before you buy" wine shop in Pocatello! We have a variety of framed art on display; traditional prints, canvas wraps and a new vivid metallic print that is pretty amazing to see!

As a result of all of this preparation, I am taking a week or so off! I absolutely love being a photographer and wouldn't trade it for the world, but all of this computer work has made me a little stir crazy (not to mention all of this rain!)! So, enjoy all of these images, a sampling of our work...take a look at our new webpage...and enjoy your week!

Photo-a-Day! Sun-drenched weekend!

It seems I am obsessed with sunshine! I get that way in mid-May, when the days of true warmth and sun have been few and far between!

So, I am taking the weekend off, to play...and am wishing everyone a weekend full of sunshine and time to be outside enjoying the warmth and renewing powers of Spring! Whether you spend your time in a garden or in a lawn chair, playing catch or playing on a swingset, on the water or on a hike...breathe deeply and enjoy!

Here comes the sun!

Photo-a-Day! Waiting for Spring!

A photo from one of my favorite places, Corvallis, Oregon...and one of my favorite time of year, Spring! Isn't this what Spring is supposed to look like?! What is all of this white stuff still doing around here? Oh well...enjoy the weekend, whatever your weather!

Mike Ryan Photography

My husband will be updating his website soon...(as soon as I get to it!)...so be sure to check it out periodically for new images! http://www.mikeryanphoto.com/

Kayaking weekend...continued...

...and some other pretty things in the park...

My creative work is available in prints, fine art cards and on canvas. Call or send me an email to inquire about sizes and pricing. This Fall I will officially launch a gallery on my Heart & Soul Images website which will feature my landscape, wildlife and macro photography!

Sunday afternoon

I love Sunday afternoons, or any chance I get to just meander a bit, camera in hand, in search of great light...different perspectives...something which makes me feel very small, or enormous... Thus was this past Sunday...just a bit of wandering...

Mike Ryan Photography

My husband, Mike, is a fabulous photographer. He prefers to photograph non-human things, like critters and landscapes! You can see more of his work at http://www.mikeryanphoto.com/.

Other things I love to photograph!

I love to find color, pure color, in nature. And a sense of dreaminess, places that evoke emotion...