Ryno-Photo-Blog

Wedding Timelapse...

2009-09-14T23:23:00.002-05:00

I always try and do something a little different no matter what the job is. For a recent wedding I thought a time lapse video would be an interesting view of the wedding proceedings.

October + Phoenix + Ryno = Headshots?

2009-09-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Phoenix peeps...I will be rolling back through the valley in October. Will be shooting over the weekend of October 16, 17th, and 18th. If you are interested in getting on the schedule send me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com.

Phoenix + August = Ryno

2009-07-12T00:06:00.002-05:00

I am over due for a visit to the valley. My apologies and appreciation to those of you that have been patiently waiting to shoot with me.

I will be available for bookings from August the 13th through August 16th in Phoenix. If you are interested in getting on the schedule or just buying me lunch drop me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com.

Lets hope for a random cold front in August!

Old friends and their kids....

2009-06-10T10:57:00.024-05:00

One of the cool things that has happened since we moved back to Kansas City has been reconnecting with some old friends. Friends that have been a part of my life as far back as I can remember, friends that remember stories that I have long forgotten.

I got to shoot with my childhood neighbor Carrie and her family this past week. Her great family includes her husband John, a nearly four year old daughter Lucy (who has more personality than I can capture with my silly camera), and their newest addition four month old Charles.

Lucy...

Charles....

The whole gang...

It is great seeing friends as parents, laughing at ourselves and our attempts at parenting and recognizing how much we have learned to appreciate our own parents.

At the end of the session I got Lucy to run for me...I love letting kids be kids and trying to capture that joy with my camera. The world is so big and wonderful through their eyes.

My personal favorite from the day...

The craziest wedding party ever....

2009-06-08T08:28:00.008-05:00

Worked as a second shooter on a wedding for my brother Jeffrey last weekend and got to work with the craziest and most creative wedding party that either of us has ever worked with....

All future wedding parties will be judged by this standard. You have been warned.

Matt and Jessica...the Wedding!

2009-06-04T17:23:00.015-05:00

Generally the first question someone asks me when they find out I am a photographer is, "So do you shoot weddings?" I generally answer no just to avoid the a conversation about weddings (you know how stressful and awful they must be to document as a photographer). The truth of the matter is I do weddings on a selective basis. I turn down more weddings than I accept mostly because I want to work with couples that I feel like I am on the same page with because weddings with the right couple can be alot of fun.

Speaking of right couples....allow me to introduce Jessica and Matt. I have known Jessica and her family as far back as my memory goes. Jessica actually played on my baseball team (she was the only girl in the league I believe) when I was in first grade. Her sister Rachel and my wife have been friends nearly as long. They are a great family and it was very special to me to be able to use what little talent I have been blessed with to help document her wedding day. She was a beautiful bride.

I got to meet Matt for the first time about a month ago at a Royals game. We had great seats right behind home plate (thanks again Mr. Durbin) it was a great day and it was nice way to hang out and get to know each other before the wedding. Matt is a great guy, I literally think this was the only picture I took of him all day long where he wasn't smiling ear to ear.

One of the things I really enjoyed seeing is how much Matt dotes over Jessica which I think you can see in this picture. There is just no question he adores her.

To say that Matt gave Jessica a kiss would be a understatement.

It was a moment that even Jessica's parents had to appreciate.

Perhaps my favorite image of the day...

Congrats Matt and Jessica! I enjoyed being a part of your wedding day....

The New Postcard...

2009-06-04T17:06:00.008-05:00

I have been slackin' on the posts lately my apologies. I am going to try and make up for that over the next few days. Stay tuned...

Heading back to the PHX...

2009-04-06T09:30:00.004-05:00

For all my Phoenix peeps who are wondering when I will be back in the valley...the answer is May. I will be there and available for sessions from Wednesday, May 13th through Sunday, May 17th. The schedule is already beginning to fill up. If you want a spot drop me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com.

Thank you Phoenix...

2009-03-12T23:55:00.019-05:00

Just wrapped another Phoenix trip. It is hard to believe but according to my calculations (which my wife can tell you aren't always accurate) that is 16 trips since we made the move from Phoenix back to our hometown of Kansas City in early 2007.

I am thankful in so many ways that Phoenix has continued to stay busy for me particularly in these slower economic times.

I had the privilege to shoot with fourteen folks on this most recent trip. Many of them were return clients which is always fun, and I also shot a few new faces as well. I think we made some strong images together and I know I made a few new friends along the way which is always a bonus.

My first victim was Emily Baker. Such a sweet girl, currently appearing in Les Miserables at Phoenix Theatre...anybody that works at Phoenix Theatre is a friend of mine...so we hit it off. She was very easy to work with, one of those clients that makes my job way too easy.

I finished up with Katie Dunlap on my first day of shooting. I shot Katie's sister Kellie (an actress with the Ford Robert Black Agency) in January and her mom was brave enough to send her youngest daughter to me for a senior photo session. Her session was fun because we didn't have to worry about staying within the confines of a headshot session...you know I could have a random brown truck driving through her background.

Day two of shooting started off with one of my all time favorite clients (I know I probably shouldn't say things like that but I can't help myself). Jenny Hintze has been a loyal client since the beginning...in fact I think I have taken pictures of almost all of the Hintze family at this point. Jenny is a great girl and I always look forward to an opportunity to work with her. She is signed with the Leighton Agency in Phoenix.

After Jenny I got to meet Hayley Smith who is ten years old (and to quote her) "going on twenty." Hayley just signed with the SIM Agency in Phoenix and is a passionate fan of the movie "Twilight." Anytime I needed a smile all I had to say was "Edward."

Anita Malik was next along with her friend J. Miller. Anita is a return client, just one of those people that I clicked with the first time I met her (I don't know if the feeling was mutual). Anita is signed with the SIM Agency and also the creator and brains behind East West Magazine.

Her friend J. Miller was okay, you know if you like that talented good looking type...I would say more about J. but he knows why I can't...

I finished off day two with another return client the lovely Kate Haas. Kate is an actor with Dani's Agency in Phoenix. She does a mix of theatre and commercial work in Phoenix and has some of the coolest eyes around. They are somewhere in between green and blue and Kate is one of those folks that understands how to use her eyes on camera.

Day three began with yet another return Alexandria Ballesteros. I have shot with Alex (as I like to call her) three times now and she is awesome. You can find her on Ford Robert Black's roster and she is also the creator of the Great Talents.com website. If you are in the creative industry click over and check it out...sign up for a free profile, tell em Ryno sent you!

Day three finished up with Aaron Ginn-Forsberg and Amy Hartman. Aaron shot with me a couple years back and gets the award for the greatest change between the first session and second session. He recently cut his rather lengthy hair for a movie role, I barely recognized him when he walked in the door.

Amy is Aaron's girlfriend, she is just getting started in the industry but I wouldn't be surprised if she signs with an agency and starts working very quickly. She has a great look and couldn't be a better person, if karma has anything to do with it she is going to kick some serious tail.

The final day of shooting started with Mr. Evan Tyler Wilson. Evan is also currently appearing in Les Miserables at Phoenix Theatre even though he is just a freshman at ASU. Evan was a little nervous for his first headshot session but after a few minutes of my monotone voice we had him at ease. I would also like to point out that I steamed a couple shirts for Evan and I don't do that for just anybody.

Margaux Fox was up next....Margaux was yet another return client. I shot her about four years ago when she was just 14 years old. She is now graduating from high school and on the verge of college life. Margaux is as sweet as they come and her mom Kathy is a great as well. They always make me feel like I am much more talented that I really am....good people as we like to say in the Midwest.

My afternoon started with Miguel Alsonso, or the Spanish Alec Baldwin as I joked. Miguel is primarily a voice over talent. One of those guys that just works, works, works....although he is a voice talent he also has the chops for some on camera work as well. I know the folks at Dani's Agency will be very happy to have some headshots to market him with.

The last victim of the trip was Rachele Nichols, also a return client (you would think people would have learned). Rachele and I have shot together four times and each time it is an entertaining adventure. Rachele has personality, like major personality, if she is in the room you know it. She is a great lady and I am so appreciative of her continued support of my business not only has she shot with me multiple times she has also given me many referrals over the years.

Okay...I think I just broke my own personal record for longest blog post...thanks again to all my Phoenix peeps!! Will see you guys in May.

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T10:22:00.011-06:00

Remember how special snow was when you were a kid? For me at least a very high percentage of my favorite childhood memories involve snow. Having children has allowed me to revisit the magic of a winter snowstorm rather than focusing on the inconvenience of bad roads and cold temperatures.

Bundled up and ready for action...

Our snowman begins to take shape...

Level one is complete...

It was love at first sight...

Time for a quick bite...
And a snow angel...

We affectionately named our snowman "Frog Belly Frosty" in honor of two of our favorite stories the wonderful "Frog Belly Rat Bone" by Timothy Basil Ering and of course "Frosty the Snowman."

A hair raising experience...

2009-02-13T21:35:00.004-06:00

A weekend in Phoenix...

2009-02-02T22:14:00.006-06:00

I spent the past week in my old stomping grounds of Phoenix doing a little working and a little vacationing. I shot 15 actors over the weekend. Everyone was great to work with and I think we got everyone some strong images to go to work with.

It was great to wear some flip flops and work with that AZ sunshine...

The birthday party on wheels....

2009-01-01T12:59:00.021-06:00

The holidays of 08' were good to us, all four of the Nicholson brothers were in KC this year with their kids and wives in tow and anytime you get that many Nicholson's (21 if you are counting at home) in the same area code good things are bound to happen or at least that is what we like to think.

One of the highlights for me was my oldest daughter's birthday. She was born on December 27th (at 1:43 a.m. to be specific) 2005. We kept her first two birthday's very simple but this year we decided it was time to turn it up a notch.

To quote the wise man Curtis Jackson (aka 5o cent) "I love you like a fat kid love cake"

At this point you are probably wondering how we exactly turned it up a notch?? Well the cake was from Costco and I did spring for the vanilla cream cheese filling....but beyond that we rented a skating rink for a couple hours. Oh yes that is how we roll (no pun intended).

My three girls...
Never have this many Nicholson's been on skates at the same time...

Cousin "Jo Jo"

Uncle Jeffrey and cousin "Bray"

Cousin "Tay Tay"
We were wise enough to invite some non-Nicholson's to the party including John and Addy...

and the Hurst clan.
More Nicholson cousins...

Aunt Shelby and cousin Haley in the midst of some serious hokey pokey...

And my favorite image....this is my mother and father in law. I don't care what anyone else says I have the coolest in-laws in the world.

Uncle Greg and cousin Jennifer (sorry I just couldn't resist posting this Jennifer)

Uncle Jeffro and Aunt Missy

Uncle Andy and cousin Logan

Until next year....keep on rolling!

Back to the Valley...

2008-12-19T10:45:00.002-06:00

For all my Phoenix peeps...I have my next Phoenix trip on the schedule. I will be available for bookings from Saturday, January 24th through Monday the 26th. These three days will fill up quickly. If you are interested in getting on the schedule send me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com.

Happy Holidays!

To the Park!

2008-12-13T23:47:00.005-06:00

For those of you not in Kansas City, the winter weather finally hit the past week. We had our first significant snow and some cold temperatures. Today we had a small break and in our household that means a trip to the park. I just happened to have a camera handy...

Tomorrow's forecast: High of 52 and snow (seriously).

Finley rocks...

2008-12-13T20:48:00.011-06:00

I made a new friend today and her name is Finley. This was my first time meeting her and naturally she was a little camera shy.

But after some talk about the Backyardigans and some pretzels we started to see eye to eye.

I found out she has some old school musical tastes...

And the old school moves to match...

She loves cars...

And like any young girl should, she sports an impressive wardrobe...

One my favorite shots of the day.

And finally with her proud parents Ryan and Christine. I have known Christine for a very long time. I spent about half of my childhood at her house (I guess technically it was her parent's house) hanging out with her big brother Matt. We haven't scene much of each other in the years since high school so it was an added bonus to it to hang out with her and her husband.

Thanks you guys!! Hope to see you all again soon!!

Thank you...

2008-12-11T09:39:00.008-06:00

Long time, no blog.

As we approach the end of 2008 I wanted to take the time to thank some people in a public fashion that have contributed to my success as a photographer.

Thanks to Matt Englehart at Ford Robert Black who has been one of my biggest supporters since I started shooting. For me everything started with shooting actors for Matt at Ford. Thanks to the SIM Agency and Aimee Sugar who has referred many from her talented roster my direction. Thanks to Dani's and Misti at Dani's Agency who also have referred a number of actors to my door. Thanks to Elayne Stein commercial acting coach extraordinaire. I always know when someone has come from Elayne's class because they bring lots of blue shirts to their shoot. Thanks to Linda Waymire of Matlin Studios, Linda has not only been a kind friend to me over the years but she has even allowed me to use her facilities as a shooting space when I travel back to Phoenix. Thanks to Jean Fowler another acting coach who has been very supportive as well as Matt and Leeann Dearing from the Dearing Studio. You all are a huge part of what allows me to do what I do. I can't thank you enough.

I also want to thank the folks at Phoenix Theatre including Michael Barnard, Vincent VanVleet, Daniel Schay, Beth Reynolds (my friend and initial contact there) and most importantly Robbie Harper who has been so kind to allow me to shoot at their facility a number of times even when I started early in the morning.

Thank you to my makeup artist and dear friend Krissy Thomason who has put up with me on countless shoots and still returns my phone calls.

Thank you to my makeup artist and dear friend Laura Flagler who has survived some long shoots with me and has always brought her talent and sense of humor to every shoot.

And finally and most importantly no matter how you found me thank you to all my clients that have actually hired me as a photographer. Many of you have become friends which is just an added bonus. I am blessed to do what I do for a living and it wouldn't happen without all of you.

Happy Holidays to all of you and again thank you!!

The first haircut...

2008-11-06T14:35:00.009-06:00

One of the things that fascinates me about kids is the range of emotions they are capable of achieving in a very short time frame. I think these pictures document this phenomenon.

My youngest daughter Malia got her first haircut this past weekend. We took her to a place called Shear Madness (quite an appropriate name by the way). Shear Madness caters specifically to kids which means complete sensory overload. We are talking toys (strategically placed at kid level), televisions at each stylist station, barber chairs in the shapes of cars, candy, and as an added bonus for us a cranky "stylist." Seriously stylist lady I know we all have bad days but you think you could at least muster up a little enthusiasm when you are giving a child their first haircut.

Random sidenote: I always have to laugh when parents talk about how crazy wild their kids when they take them out to "kid friendly" places like this. You think it might have something to do with the available sugar on top of lots of noise and lights? These places shouldn't be called kid friendly because they really aren't, they should be called "places of completely sensory overload that will break kids and parents down until you buy lots of stuff."

Anyhow, I digress....

Malia's inner thoughts, "Okay the car is cool....this might not be too bad"

"I don't like the direction this is headed..."

"Seriously this can't be good, my arms just disappeared"

"Maybe if I cry enough I will get some of that candy I see sitting around everywhere"

"This is way too easy"

"All this for $17...priceless"

Cash Durbin Male Model...

2008-11-02T21:20:00.010-06:00

My camera has been busy lately (I even have the arthritic trigger finger to prove it). I had another family session with three of my favorite people this weekend. You met Cash in the recent Halloween pictures and now you get to meet his awesome parents Ken and Rachel.

I have known Rachel's family since elementary school. Rachel and Ken married a few years back and they are amazing parents and among our dearest friends. Always love shooting with them...

They like their "Cash Man" just a little bit.

I told them not to worry about Cash for a minute and just look at the camera. Cash saw an opening and went for it!

I love this image.

He wasn't crazy about being buried in leaves initially but we coaxed a smile or two out of him.

Thank you Durbin's!! Ryno loves you guys...

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T15:40:00.020-05:00

For those of you that aren't in Kansas City this Halloween was one to remember. The weather was amazing (in the 70's) and we hosted our second annual Halloween party with some of our family and friends.

I just happened to have a camera handy.

My daughter Malia was my first victim still repping for our lowly Chiefs.

Our oldest Manoa decided to upgrade from the Chiefs cheerleader look to a Princess.

And yes I will be starting a shotgun collection very soon.

Elena (my buddy John's daughter) represented the fairy population nicely...

I just couldn't get her to cast a spell for me.

The youngest member of our party was Eli. The cutest lobster I have ever had the honor to photograph.

His big brother Noah gets my award for the most creative costume award of the evening.

Noah is already more handy with his tools than I will ever be.

A couple of the entire crew.

Our last arrival was Cash. Cash has been subjected to my camera on a number of occasions.

I think he might be over me :)

After knocking out the photos we headed over to Brookside for their annual Halloween party. Noah was just a little excited about it.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

For all you suffering Chiefs fans out there (and I know there are many of you) my "assistants" Manoa and Malia are here to brighten your Halloween day at least for a moment.

You can say what you want about the Chiefs as a football team, but their cheerleaders are without question the cutest in the NFL. Of course I might be a little biased...

Happy Halloween!

A walk down memory lane...

2008-10-27T23:47:00.017-05:00

As a former high school teacher senior photo sessions always feel a little familiar. I have to say I really prefer working with the seniors one on one and without having to worry about lessons plans and educational objectives (not to mention the fact I don't have to wear a tie).

My most recent senior session felt familiar for completely different reasons. My subject was the ring bearer at my wedding. David is my wife's cousin and I have literally known him his entire life.

He has gone from a little kid to a full grown man.

Since we are family he is required to laugh at my jokes.

He is an offensive lineman for Harrisonville High School.

The "Wildcats" are three time defending state champions and David has the rings to prove it.

After knocking out the "standard" senior photos it was time to have some fun. One of David's favorite toys is his four wheeler. He wanted a quick shot with it...

And since it was out we had to get some shots with him riding the four wheeler...and there just happened to be a jump...

Never one to leave good enough alone. I wanted to try and push the photo to the next level. If you look closely and the next shot David is jumping over my Profoto 7b pack probably not the smartest thing I have ever done (and trust me that is saying something).

Thankfully David is pretty skilled on the four wheeler and all of us (equipment included) finished the shoot unscathed.

Wind, wind, and a little more wind....

2008-10-27T11:29:00.018-05:00

I had a photo shoot in Arizona once on a really windy day. When I arrived at the shoot the client ran up to me and asked what I could do about the wind. I told her we could hold hands and say a little prayer. I don't think she enjoyed my sense of humor.

We had one of those exceptionally windy days yesterday in Kansas City and I had two sessions scheduled. Thankfully I was working with families I am familiar with and I didn't have to make any bad jokes. I am sure I still made some bad jokes but just not about the wind.

Anyhow, I have known Gary since middle school (he had a little more hair back then) but not sure he has changed otherwise. He is one of those friends you can always count on. His wife Kim and my wife have actually known each other even longer growing up together in church. So to say they are friends is a bit of an understatement, they really are like family to us.

They welcomed the amazing Bridget into the world back in April. I love seeing my friends with their babies and it is truly rewarding to know that the images that we create together will become part of their family history.

Kim's sister Kristy and her husband Bruce joined in on the windy fun as well. They also have a beautiful daughter named Bailey who is just a few weeks older than Bridget. They were great sports despite the conditions (did I mention it was windy?).

I think they like Bailey just a little bit :)

The wait for the bridge was worth it.

Thanks you guys!

Ryno run fast...

2008-10-22T09:48:00.007-05:00

I think one of the best things about blogging is that it allows clients and potential clients to get to know me better than any "bio" or "info" page on a website ever could.

This post is one of those "get to know me a little bit better" posts....

In my 30's I have turned into a runner. My wife (a physical therapist/personal trainer) is mostly to blame but it has turned into one of my favorite activities whether I am rocking out to some music on my Ipod or just enjoying being outside.

I recently ran the Kansas City Marathon 5k in lovely downtown Kansas City. I was originally going to do the half marathon but my crazy week in Phoenix in September and a tight training schedule (was trying to get ready in 10 weeks) was a little too much. As they say on the northside of Chicago every Fall "next year."

Anyhow, I don't brag on myself very much but I just pulled up the results of the race today and I placed in the top ten in my age group. Game on!

A weekend in St. Louis...

2008-10-14T23:11:00.025-05:00

I spent the past weekend shooting at Webster's University in St. Louis. I shot a total of 14 actors 12 of which are graduating from Webster's this year with their degrees from the conservatory. This was my second time shooting the graduating class there and hopefully it will become a yearly adventure.

For you photographers out there let me just say that shooting fourteen people in two days has its challenges. How do you give fourteen people unique images when you are shooting in the same place with limited time? How do you connect with fourteen people with different needs and personalities so they feel comfortable enough with you to take their picture and again on limited time? Well you just do...

Here are some highlights:

I started with Robert from Memphis. Robert and I got to watch the sunrise together at 6:30 a.m. and he even took me on a bit of a field trip to start his shoot but I thought it was cool that he had put some thought into his shots and brought ideas to the table:

Next up was Brian he had me from the moment he started quoting Anchorman:

Spot #3 went to Miriam who had a great confidence to her on camera. Her mom is a photo assistant in the making working the reflector for me (you know if that whole lawyer thing doesn't work out for her):

I worked with Ian next. Ian is from Santa Fe and seriously might be the nicest person in the world or at the minimum in the top 1 percent of the nicest people in the world.

Gabe was my next victim. Gabe is from Baldwin City, Kansas which earned him some bonus points. He also got the award for the most dramatic difference between his first and second look. Who would think shaving a beard would make such a difference?

Gabe sans beard:

Next I shot Jef who is a faculty member at Webster. Jef still does some acting and directing in addition to teaching at the conservatory. You could tell by his interaction with the students that they not only respect him but enjoy him as a teacher (despite the fact he is a communist):

Shayla was victim number seven of day one. She is from Booneville, Indiana and gets my "best smirk" award for the weekend and I have to say there wasn't even a close second in the category:

Liz was my second to last person of Day one and provided me with my "small world" moment of the weekend. Liz is from Phoenix and I have shot pretty much all her actor friends during my time in the valley. Strange that she and I would meet in St. Louis but I am glad we did.

Day One finished with Adam who has one of the most genuine smiles I have ever shot. Just don't ask him to wear a tie.

Day Two thankfully didn't start quite as early...although we did have to call campus police to open the makeup room for us. Cesar was up first and despite the fact he is a big UT fan (he is from Texas so I forgave him) we got along just fine:

Corley was another Texas native although we talked music and not football. Corley gets two awards from me. One for the coolest name of the weekend and the second for my favorite outfit choice. She rocked the red sweater:

And then there is Abby. I am a little biased because Abby was the student coordinator who helped me pull together all the plans for the weekend, hotel, scheduling, etc...but she is a beautiful person inside and out. Just want to go on record as being a big fan of Abby. Not to mention her mom is dangerous with a hair pick so she has that going for her as well:

Heather was my partner in crime for the weekend, doing hair/makeup for those that needed it. She is an actor first and one of my new favorite people. She made me laugh, she brought me tasty turkey sandwiches from Einstein Bagels. All I can say is "How you doin' Heather?"

And the shoot came to a close with Dan Ford. Dan was very easy to shoot and we were blessed with some great end of the day light which resulted in some of my favorite images from the entire weekend.

Thanks to all the Webster folks I enjoyed meeting and shooting with all of you.

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Ryno

2008-10-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

Behind every successful Ryno there is a even more successful Mrs. Ryno.

Yesterday was my wife's birthday. The girls and I collaborated on a "project" in honor of her special day.

First of all I have to say that I am truly blessed.

Second, when I do "projects" like this I am always amazed at the power of adding sound to still images. It is one of the tools I am going to continue to explore as a photographer. I want to do more storytelling and add the element of sound whether it be music, interviews, or a child's sweet singing voice. As simple as this short 30 second video is it is something my wife treasures and ultimately that is what I want to do for my clients.

Headshots by Ryan Nicholson

2008-10-08T22:58:00.002-05:00

A small (and quick) sample of the headshot work I have completed over the last few years.

Back to the PHX one more time in the 08'

2008-10-08T21:11:00.002-05:00

For all my Phoenix peeps...I am heading back to the valley in November. I will be available for bookings from November 14th to the 18th (five days of headshot goodness). If you are interested in shooting with me drop me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com.

This will be my last Phoenix trip of 2008 and the calendar will fill up quickly so if you want a spot I would suggest letting me know as soon as possible.

I am looking forward to seeing the desert and eating at Cibo.

Time to give back...

2008-09-27T10:48:00.007-05:00

Earlier this year I was reading on the Interwoven Threads website about a night of charity they were involved in for reStart. Interwoven gave away some of their shirts to needy families and photographer Rebecca Peters was there to shoot family portraits free of charge. Kudos to both companies.

With the launch of "Ryno Photography" I thought it was a perfect time to put my own spin on this idea.

Basically I am looking to offer my services to a deserving individual or family free of charge. If you know of a family in need or just deserving of a portrait session please send me an e-mail at ryno@ryno-photo.com with their story and contact information.

I plan to select the family or individual within the next two weeks so any nominations need to be received by October 7th, 2008.

Headshots: The good, the bad, and how you can eliminate the ugly!

2008-09-22T15:29:00.005-05:00

I recently gave a speech to a group of high school actors in Phoenix regarding headshots. Specifically what they could do to put themselves in a position to have the best possible headshot.

Here is the text from my presentation. It contains some good information for actors at all levels.

First of all.....what is a headshot??

First and foremost it is a marketing piece, think of it as a your business card as an actor. Try and separate your ego from your headshot. The purpose of a headshot isn’t for you to look good (not that you need to look bad) but ultimately a headshot needs to look like you. Every agent or casting director I have ever talked to about headshots has told me their number one complaint is when the person standing in front of them doesn’t look like the person in the headshot (both for better or worse). Your headshot needs to be you!

What is a good headshot?

This is totally subjective but my attitude is that I am trying to capture you, just you on a good day. Good headshots have something that catches the attention of the viewer and encourages them to spend a little extra time looking. Keep in mind even the best headshot isn’t going to get you work (it might get you in the door) but after that it is up to you.

Selecting a photographer:

Referrals from other actors (actors love to talk about their headshots) is a good place to start but I would also suggest getting recommendations from talent agencies (most have websites with referral pages) and other folks in the business particularly if you know any folks on the casting side of the equation. Recommendations are great but ALWAYS look at their work for yourself. Make sure you like the work that is shown and feel like it fits your wants/needs.

The two sides of the photographer equation:

The craft:

Do you like their lighting style (lighting is almost everything in photography)? Do you like the style of the images including the hair/makeup? Do they show a diversity of work (not just pretty people)? Basically you want to find someone that has consistently delivered quality images in a style that matches your desired style.

The personality:

Probably even more important! As best as you can try to get a feel for their personality before you book with them. Ask yourself if this someone you are going to be comfortable with sticking a camera in your face? If you are nervous will they help create a scenario that will allow you to relax and get the images that you need? You don’t want to shoot with someone you aren’t comfortable with, ever, ever, never, ever…

Things to watch out for in photographers:

If they don’t have a website (never a good sign).
If they are difficult to deal with before the shoot, they are probably going to be difficult to deal with during and after the shoot.
They won’t allow anyone to come to the shoot with you….major red flag!!
Rates are generally a good indicator….if they are significantly higher or lower than anyone else that you have contacted proceed with caution.

Photographer’s responsibilities:

Obviously the image quality should be fit to print!! In focus, etc….

Responsible for creating the setting for the shoot, from the vibe of the shoot to the locations/backgrounds, etc…keep in mind not to judge a photographer by where they shoot particularly with headshots. A studio and nice camera doesn’t make someone a photographer just like having a paintbrush doesn’t make you a painter.

Talent (this means you) responsibilities:

Be prepared!! Bring appropriate clothing choices (if you don’t know what to bring always good to bring more options that fewer options). Make sure the clothes are ready, clean, ironed if needed, etc….think of the clothing as window dressing it needs to help place you but it should never be the focus of a headshot.

Come rested and ready to be in front of the camera. I often tell my clients that I don’t have any magic buttons on my camera, their isn’t a personality button. You can expect the photographer to capture something you aren’t willing to share. If you want personality you have to bring personality.

Don’t expect the photographer to do everything or to read your mind, if you want something going into the session let them know! If you have shots from their website that you really like tell them so they can get a feel for your expectations.

Other random thoughts:

Retouching: Cleaning up some blemishes and “softening” the image are fine, just don’t overdue it or allow the photographer (if he/she handles the post production work to overdue the retouching). A lot of time photographers try and “clean up” their work in post to make themselves and the talent “look better” and it is easy for it to go too far. Again a headshot needs to look like you…

Print your headshots with a good reproduction house!! Don’t do everything right and then print the images on your inkjet printer at home. Keep in mind the print is the ONE tangible piece that will emerge from the shoot. The one thing that casting directors are going to see so make sure it is as good as possible.