Jessica Rabbit

"I'm not bad, I'm just photographed that way." Those of you who have seen the 1988 film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", will recognize that line, and this character.
I recently realized why I enjoy creating these Disney characters so much....it's because it combines my love for animation and my love for photography. These projects are a lot of fun, and very tough to walk away from. They are extremely challenging, but I find them very rewarding in the end.
Like the others I've done, the goal is always the same......to make the animated character come to life. And I try to do that to the best of my limited abilities and resources.
Let me make something clear here.....YES, this is a real person. Her name is Courtney and she was a great sport through the whole thing. Yes, there is a lot of photoshop work involved to make Courtney "become" Jessica Rabbit....about 30 hours worth.
This is MY interpretation of the character, it may differ from yours.
Thank you for stopping by.

Hannah

They grow up so fast.

Hard Body

Leonella was probably in better shape than anyone I ever worked with.

Great Mix

Her name is Jasmine Ariel (first and middle name), believe it or not ....and she's German, French Canadian Indian, Brazilian, and African American.

Suanny

Suanny came back for a third shoot. We work really well together and make a great team. At this point, she seems to know my opinion about something before I can even say it!

FACEbook

The many faces of Jessie Camacho....

Ice cold?

I added the full shot, and gave it a little more of a "cold" feel.
This was the make up artists' idea, and I thought it'd be nice to do something a little different.

Galardon Magazine

I recently had one of my photos featured on the cover of Galardon Magazine. The model was once again, Jessie Camacho. She has really helped me get my work out there, and I'm very appreciative. And as you all know, I'm a big supporter of the Hispanic community.

The Art of Disney Princess Book

The Art of Disney Princess Book finally came out! It only took a year! I was honored to be a part of this with my fellow character artists and designers. For those of you not familiar with the book, every artist was allowed to do their own version or "interpretation" of Disney princess in any medium. I chose photography. Go pick up a copy today!

Whitney!

Heyyy, what's going on with the blogs?? Are people slowing down? I hope not. Don't see a lot of posts out there lately.
Anyway, here's Whitney.....she really brought the energy and had a terrific smile. I'm sure we'll be working together again soon.
On a different note, I just packed up my studio (also known as my master bedroom), because I'll be moving on Saturday to a bigger (and hopefully better) place with fresh new shooting opportunities. I'm looking forward to it. I may not post for a couple weeks until I finish the transition. But when I DO finally get settled, the blog posts will be a-flyin' once again!

Bullets 4 Peace

This shot was done for a campaign called "Bullets 4 Peace", an organization that takes used bullet casings, which are meant to be reused in streets and battlefields, and turns them into beautiful jewelry pieces that promote peace and compassion. Proceeds from sales help support various charitable organizations. For more info, please check out www.bullets4peace.com.
This shot was featured in the latest issue of La Costa Magazine.

Magazine Cover!

I recently shot the cover for "Latin Star" magazine, which was very exciting. There was a small entourage over here at my place during this shoot, but we had a lot of fun. As you all know, I'm a big supporter of the Latin community.....como siempre! A special thanks to Jessie Camacho, one of my "All Star" models. We have shot together 4 times now, and we always get great stuff.

Bubble Gum

Sheila has a very animated look AND personality.

Brandy

Brandy really knew how to pose and did it well. I told her she could teach classes on "How to Pose" to the other models.

Pocahontas

This is a shoot I've wanted to do for a long long time. Pocahontas is the first project I worked on when I started at Disney in 1994. So it always reminds me of that time in my life and how inspired I was at that young age.
This is the third princess shoot I've done, and the goal for me is always the same.....to make the character from the animated film come to life. I think to myself, "If this character was a living, breathing person, what would she look like?" And I try to make that happen to the best of my limited abilities.
The model's name is Sherri, and I felt she had the right hair, skin tone, facial structure, eyes, lips and physique to make this character come to life. I had the costume made, it is a one of a kind. And luckily, it fit Sherri perfectly. She was very excited to become Pocahontas, and I thought she did a great job. I worked hard on this, and I'm pleased with the results.
Again this is MY vision of this particular Disney Princess.....it may differ from yours.

Chris

For the ladies....

Descontrol

Here's Jessie standing next to one of my shots of her that ended up being used to promote the television show, "Descontrol", which she hosts.

"BEAUTY-Ful"

Here's a "beauty" shot I did recently of Jessie for a magazine.

Christina's back

Here's another pic from one of my many shoots with Christina.

The return of Vanessa

There are good models, and there are great models, Vanessa is the latter.
Vanessa came back a week later for another shoot, and I'm very glad she did. We got some great stuff once again! Her dark skin and light green eyes makes her very striking.

Versatile

This is Suanny, you may remember her from the roller skate shots. Well, she came back for another shoot. We seem to work very well together and were able to get several different looks on the same day.

Wait...a GUY?!

I know this will be a disappointment to a lot of the people who follow my blog, but once in a while I have to shoot a GUY. I gotta show my versatility, right? Anyway, this is Sam, and he did a great job....a real pro.

Published....in español!

I recently had one of my photos featured in a Latin lifestyle magazine called, "La Costa." They even gave me credit and spelled my name right. The shot was of my friend, Jessie Camacho, who I've photographed several times. She's the host of the TV show, "Descontrol" on the Spanish television network, Telemundo. And as you all know, I'm a big supporter of the Hispanic community.

Compelling Face

This is Vanessa, a beautiful Peruvian girl I photographed on Wednesday. I've been trying to shoot with her for a while now, and finally got the chance. She has one of the most striking faces I've worked with.

Bianca

The Amazing Bianca in action...

Rob & Amber

I went to my cousin Rob's wedding yesterday. He had asked me to take some pictures at the wedding, and I'm glad he did. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had a great time.

Amazing genetics

Maria....(pronounced "Maur-ee-uh") and I shot together once before. I asked you to guess her ethnicity. She is Pakistani.....but can pull off looks of several different ethnicities. Her face has an amazing structure to it. Great eyes, beautiful nose, amazing lips, killer jawline.....and that's just her face!

Ka-POW!

Don't mess with Bianca, she will take you down! Actress, model, dancer, stuntwoman....this girl does it all!

Retro Smile

Here's Daniela again...great pin up face.

Effortless Beauty

Kathy makes it look easy. You may remember her from the "Flashdance" photo.

Happy Fourth of July!

Here's Rebecca again....I thought she wore this outfit well.

Grace

Grace recently won the "Miss Mark & Brian 2009" Beauty Pageant over at the KLOS 95.5 radio station. We were both pleased with the results from our photo shoot on Saturday and look forward to working together again soon.

Just Dance

Here's Jessalyn. She attended Juilliard and can do some amazing things. I was very impressed.

Christina

Yes, I still love cowboy hat shots....

Great profile

This is Rachel, who I've worked with twice now. She's a lot of fun, and always has a witty comeback. I like her strong features, so I wanted to accentuate that. She has some of the best lips I've ever seen. Also, I tried to use her hair as more of a graphic elemnet. I like the straights and the curves....and the shapes her hair creates.

Lummi Island Shoot

So I went up to Washington state with some friends, to see some friends, and I ended up making a new friend. This is Kim, who lives up in Bellingham, Washington. I was fortunate enough to coordinate a shoot with her, and she was such a delight to work with. I stayed on Lummi Island which is located off the coast of Washington, near Bellingham. My friends Brian and Leigh currently live there, and their place has a spectacular view of the water. The entire island is really beautiful, so I was glad I was able to shoot with someone while I was there. Kim and I got along very well right away, and I'm sure she'll be down in L.A. soon to shoot with me again! A special thanks to Leigh and Brian for being such great hosts and for helping me out with the shoot. This shot was actually taken on their balcony which overlooks the water.

My friend Jessie...

Jessie and I just had our third shoot together, and it went very well. She's got great energy and is always fun to be around.

Daniela

Sometimes you see a model, and you just know they'll be perfect for "Pin Up." Daniela is one of those girls.

Beautiful.....Can you guess her ethnicity?

Ashley

This is one of the tougher Pin Up poses, but Ashley pulled it off with ease.

The Mighty Erika

She may only be 5 feet tall, but Erika performed like a superstar.
These shots were done in a very simple way....just one Nikon flash and a piece of foam core (tanktop shots).....but they are some of my favorites of the year so far.

Skatin' around....

Had a lot of fun with the roller skate theme...I'm sure it will be a popular theme in the future. Been shooting a lot this week, so there's much more to come!

Nazanin

Nazanin had a great exotic look. Her ethnic background consists of Spanish, Persian, Mexican, and American Indian. Great mix.

Chi-WOW-hua

That's "Cuba" the little chihuahua, and Rebecca, who I've shot with once before. I don't often bring an animal in the studio, but this seemed like a good idea to try. Cuba makes a great prop!
You've really gotta click on the photo to appreciate it.

Carina

I had a photo shoot with Carina on Sunday....it lasted 9 hours! It was just going so well, we didn't want to stop. We got a lot of great shots.

Salute to the Hair & Make Up Artists

Just wanted to give some recognition to some of the wonderful Hair & Make Up Artists I've been working with lately. These shoots wouldn't have been successful without them. SO....a big Thank You to Candace, Liz, Evelyn, and Susana.
The model here is Cindy, who you also saw on the "Diner" post down below.

Lana

Lana, who posed for the fairy shot, came back for another shoot. As usual, we got way too much good stuff....it was tough to know where to begin. We both really liked this shot, so I thought that would be a good place to start.

Diner

I love 50's Diners, so this was a lot of fun. We managed to squeeze in several different looks into one night, so I'll be posting more soon.
This is Cindy, she did a great job and is anxious to work together again in the near future. It always makes me happy when the model has a fun time and wants to come back and shoot again very soon.

Fairy: Updated

Ok, so I brought the wings down, and I like the composition better. I know the wings are large, but I like oversized wings.

The Amazing Amy

Amy came back for another shoot recently, and we had a great time! This look was inspired by an old Billie Holiday photo.
It was Amy's idea, and to be honest, I wasn't too sure about it, but in the end I was very pleased.....and she was right, it WAS a good idea!

Flashdance

This shot was inspired by the 80's movie....gotta love the 80's. Kathy, the model, was very professional and did a fantastic job. She was very pleased with this image and wants to work together again very soon.

Top Hat....Top Model

This is Alicia, who I photographed on Sunday. She was very pleasant to work with, and I'm sure I'll shoot with her again soon.

Lana

So this is Lana, who is portraying Silvermist (see picture below). I'm still working on that shot, but I thought I'd show a picture of her in "regular clothes." This was shot on Sunday at sunset out on the street using only natural light. I got so many shots of her that I liked, it was very difficult to pick one.

Silvermist is coming....

This is a work in progress that I'm very excited about...
Stay tuned....

Bold

I know this is a lot for some of you to handle, but I hope you can. This is Jeramee, she's a great model who really knows how to pose. I didn't need to give her a lot of direction, she just made it happen all on her own.

Simple Elegance

This is Amy, who was amazing to work with. She was very graceful and elegant, but wasn't afraid to be silly too. We were both very pleased with the shoot, and I'm sure we'll do it again soon.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while....been a little under the weather lately.

Lady in Red

Cristy already came back for a second shoot. A good time was had by all.

Natural Light

I was in Vegas all of last week for a photography convention. My hotel room at the Rio had floor to ceiling windows, so the natural light was amazing. I didn't want it to go to waste....so my good friend Susie came by and we did a photo shoot right there in the room using just the window light. It was a nice change of pace from the studio lights.

Happy Valentine's Week

Here's Marisa's great smile again.....I thought the message on this particular heart was appropriate.

Valentine Fun

We used a lot of lollipops, cupcakes and candy hearts on this last shoot. It was a lot of fun. Hope this isn't too much for you to handle...

Marisa

I've been playing around with some valentine colors lately. Marisa had a great smile and was very easy to work with.

2008 Portrait Book

Well I finally finished putting together my portrait book for 2008. I did it through iPhoto. It should arrive in the mail next week.

The Cowboy Hat Shot

I know I've done this shot many times, but there's something about a girl with long brown hair wearing a cowboy hat that totally works.....and I think it works in color, black & white, AND sepia.

Cropping choices

One of the benefits of a 12 megapixel camera is being able to crop in really tight on a photo and still retain a good quality image.

Happy New Year

Anchors Away! 2009 is here....

2008 Wrap-Up and Thank You

Are the blogs dying out? I don't know, but I want to say Thank You to anyone and everyone who's taken the time to check out this blog and leave comments. I really appreciate you making the effort.
Here's a collection of a lot of the people I photographed this year. You may find some familiar faces in there.
2009 should be even more fun.

The Pin Up Process

Everyone is always curious about the "before & after" of a photo.
Well, with a Pin Up shot, the change is pretty dramatic, so I thought it'd be a good example to show. First, the image I started with, straight out of the camera. Second, the image all touched up, and Third, the image after going through a multi-step process to make it look more like a painting. I'm still refining the technique, but I'm learning more all the time.
I thought a close up crop of the face would better illustrate the process.......no pun intended.
And finally the full pose.

And Winter finally came...

Well, it finally got cool here in southern California, after 8 months of 90+ degree weather. It's a refreshing change in my opinion. Thought this recent pic of Tamara would be appropriate. This was Tamara's first real shoot...she followed direction very well and did a great job. I'm sure she'll be in front of the cameras a lot more in the New Year.
I always like the fur coat shot....it's a great prop and frames the face nicely.

Brandi

The "Pin Up" theme is very popular with the models....I'm sure I'll be doing a lot more of it in 2009.

Happy Christmas

Bowling

Another shot of Kristabelle from our recent shoot.

Tells a Story...

Something a little different..

After the rain...

The amazing Kristabelle

I photographed Kristabelle once again this past weekend, because we got such good results the last time we worked together. She brings the props, the outfits, the energy, and she does her own hair & makeup!.....A photographer's dream.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Harris Family.

The Girl with the Curls

I took this shot of my good friend Efie on Saturday, November 1st. It had just started to rain when I took this shot....and about one minute later it was POURING rain, and we had to run for cover.

Adrien/Jasmine

On the day I did the Jasmine shoot, Adrien insisted I do some "standard" headshots as well. I thought I'd post two of them here to show what she normally looks like. I think she still looks a little like Jasmine even without all the big hair and make up.

Final Snow White

This is the final Snow White image for the Princess Book......and yes, that's her real hair.

Final Jasmine

Here's the final Jasmine image for the Princess Book.

Adrien

This is Adrien, who I photographed about a month ago. I'm hoping to photograph her again, because I think she'd make a great Jasmine. If you can't see it....well, you're just gonna have to trust me.

Jessie's back

Jessie came back for another shoot. She's great to work with, and always brings the energy!

Guess WHO.....

Here's another shot....let me know what you think. Click on it....you really have to see it large to appreciate it.


So, where do I start? This is one of many images I had in my head. This shoot was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. Reminds me of my animation days in college....the more work you put into something, the more rewarding it was in the end. The final product was always a bigger payoff.
This shoot took a lot of preparation....I went out and bought the costume, the shoes, the ribbon, new material for the cape, lots of flowers, a basket, wiring for the flowers, apples (real and fake), safety pins, clothespins, and some double sided tape. Did I mention that the costume only came in one size for adults?... and my model was only 5 feet tall! I took a half day of vacation to do this shoot, because I wanted to do some shots outside, and I knew the preparation would take a LONG time. (3 and a half hours!) So needless to say, I was determined to make this work.
I would also like to give a big thanks and some special recognition to my MakeUp Artist, Tracy Richards. She has really been making a lot of my work shine lately, and I find myself not wanting to work without her. We first worked together on the Disney Lifestyle shoots last year, and we've remained friends ever since.
This shoot would not have been possible without her great talent.
Cyndi, the model, also did a great job and was very patient....you can see some other shots of her from a few posts ago.
So, you'll be seeing more from this shoot in the future, but I wanted to get something up here.

CHECK OUT MY NEW WEBSITE!!!

It's VERY simple...nothing too fancy. Just wanted an official website that says, "Here's my work." No complicated menus, galleries, or buttons, just clean and simple....which is kinda my style.
So go to www.ryanphotos.com, or just click the top link on the right.
Thanks!

Kim

Kim came back for another shoot....just one week later!

Jessie

Some photo shoots go bad, and some go really well.....this one went amazingly well. Jessie did a phenomenal job....one of the best I've worked with. I'll be posting more....

Gina

Cyndi

Stef

Kristabelle

Here's another shot of Kristabelle...

A Coke and a Smile!

Let me know what you think....

Pin Up Girl

This is Kristabelle, a fantastic Pin-up Model. Yesterday I collaborated on this photo shoot with two co-workers of mine, Danielle Bedics and Olga Mosqueda. We had a great time, and each took turns photographing her. Kristabelle is one of the best models I've ever worked with....brought the smile and the energy every time.
I really worked hard in Photoshop to try and give this shot a classic feel. Hope it worked.

Gary

PR

Noelia moved back to Puerto Rico yesterday....we decided to do one last photo shoot before she left. We will all miss her very much.

Desmond

There are good guys, and there are great guys....Desmond is a great guy. One of the best people I've worked with.

Valley Spring Lane

I may have mentioned this before, but sunset is my favorite time to shoot outdoors. The light is always great during this "magic hour." I often just walk right outside and shoot in the middle of my street. Sometimes I find a great car to use as a prop....and I hope the owner doesn't come out and yell at me. Lately I've been using my 200mm F2 lens which is actually really heavy after a while, but produces dramatic results, so I don't mind the trouble. And because of the long focal length, and the large aperture, I can really blur out the background.

Han & Nat

Back to the Roof

Here is a picture of Holli I took at the same time and place I photographed that wine glass below.

Wine in Manhattan

Just got back from New York. Great trip...but it was REAL hot. I took this shot at sunset. I really liked the reflections of the city in the glass. Not only are the top and bottom of the glass different in color, but they are different buildings altogether.

Childhood

Another shot from South Carolina. I thought it sort of had a "timeless" feel....coulda been shot yesterday, or 50 years ago.

New Camera...New Possibilities

I picked up a new camera last week, and it is phenomenal. For those of you who know a little about photography, you know that being able to shoot at ISO 1600 is an impressive thing. Normally shooting at that "film speed" results in very grainy pictures. Well, I'm happy to say that the Nikon D3 can shoot at that speed very easily, and can even shoot all the way up to ISO 25,000!! This shot above was shot in very low light after the sun had already gone down at ISO 1600. That's Bart in the picture....he's a pro.

Madeline

I was in South Carolina this past weekend...what a beautiful place!! I was there visiting my friend Anthony, who used to work with me at Disney back in the 90's. He is now married with three beautiful daughters.

Gia

Uptown Girl

Shot yesterday at sunset on the rooftops of Downtown L.A.

Stephane

Yeah...and he's French too.

Noelia

A perfect shoot.

The 41 Year Old Character Artist

George McClements is fearless.

First Cover!

Last month I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot for Hudson's Childrenswear Review. It's an industry magazine that showcases the latest in kids' clothing available to retailers. I shot the cover and several pages inside.

Abigail

You really have to click on the photo to appreciate it. We had a lot of fun shooting these.....Abigail takes direction very well.

Guitar Girls

Here's Alex and Gabby again....photographed yesterday.

Happy Easter

Reese

Reese is only 4 years old, but is very comfortable posing for the camera. A great model....and a great singer too!

Miss Chenos

Efie was nice enough to come by and help me with some new lights.

Krystal

The oldest of the Edwards girls....and she just celebrated her 21st birthday!!
Believe it or not, this was shot outside in the driveway using only natural light at sunset.

Bravery

This is my cousin's daughter, Brittney, and she's been featured on this blog several times. Last May she was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in her cerebellum. She's been through surgery to have it removed and is now fighting a long hard battle to beat this completely. She has shown such great strength that I wanted to acknowledge it here. We're all very proud of her.

Goodbye 2007....

Well, it was quite a year...from a photography standpoint. I shot more pictures than I ever have, and came out with some of my best work yet. I hope to top it in 2008. I continue to learn and improve....with the camera AND with photoshop. Here are SOME of the people I photographed this year. Look close....you might find yourself!

Sorry to not post something for so long...let's hope this gets the ball rolling again.

fABulous

Girl in Central Park

Rooftop Holli

Here's Holli, the mother of those beautiful girls, Hannah and Abbi, who you've seen on here many times. I liked this shot of her on this rooftop at sunset. This was taken last week.

New York State of Mind

Guess where I'm standing......

Gabby

World Trade Center

Here are some shots I took of the Towers back in 1999. The last two shots were taken from inside the observation deck of the South Tower....and I feel they give you an idea of how high up they really were.

Lots of Shots

Been doing a lot of shooting lately. I took about 13 thousand photos in August....got 4 good ones.

My Photography Philosophy

What I love about photography is bringing out the best in someone, and of course, the more I know someone, the more I can bring out. You get the best stuff when the subject is comfortable with you, and you with them...which is why I prefer photographing people I know. It's also why you usually get your best stuff towards the end of a shoot, because that is when the photographer and the subject are most comfortable. And yes, I also enjoy making people look better than maybe they ever thought they could. I like to give them something that they'll cherish for the rest of their lives....something they can show their grandkids someday and proudly say "Yeah, that's me."
I've realized the value of photography. Nobody ever looks back at really old photos and says, "Boy, I'm sure sorry I have these."
No, we treasure them...whether they're embarrassing or not.

By the way, the man pictured above is Denzil Smith, a Character Artist who used to work with us at Disney, and a great guy.

1000 words

Ice Cream Smile

This is Lydia, daughter of my friend Natasha. When I'm photographing children, I often ask them to say "ICE CREAM" in order to get them to smile, instead of the traditional "CHEESE." But Lydia didn't give me a real smile until she GOT the ice cream.

Mighty Mason

This kid doesn't take a bad picture.

Clint

What can I say? The guy is an icon. I'm glad he gave me the opportunity to photograph him.

Windmill

I took a lot of pictures when I was in Greece, but this has to be one of my favorites. This was taken on the island of Mykonos.

Girls just wanna have fun

Yesterday I photographed the daughters of my cousin Vicki and her husband Jimmy. I do it about once a year because they're growing up so fast. We always have a good time.

Gorman, CA

I recommend everyone make it up to Gorman in the spring time to see the poppies. It's pretty incredible.

Skateboarder

I had a paid assignment to photograph skateboarders.....I found this guy at a local skate park, and he was happy to help me out with a couple of photos. This was shot in 2002, and was one of my first PAID photography jobs.

Wedding Window

This shot comes all the way from Melbourne, Australia. I photographed the wedding of my friends Pete & Louise. It was certainly the farthest I'd ever travelled to photograph a wedding. Weddings are not my favorite thing to shoot, but they are great friends, so I made an exception. I really liked this shot. I decided to just leave the two of them in color, and make the rest of the image black & white so that they'd stand out even more. I thought the church in the reflection was a nice accent.

Happy Turkey Day

I took this picture a while back, but I always liked it.
Yes, it was shot the old fashioned way....with film!

Take a Gander...

This shot was taken for George's first book, "Jake Gander, Storyville Detective" way back in April 2001....back when I still used film!! It was actually the very last shot on the roll. George was nice enough to give me credit for the photo in his book. If you don't have a copy yet, I highly recommend you pick it up.

Quinn

Today I did a photo shoot with John and his 8 year-old daughter, Meredith. They were both great sports and a pleasure to work with. We shot these up at the Vasquez Rocks. It was my first time there...what a beautiful place!

Wacky Jim!

Jim Franzen came into the office today....and since a lot of you know him, I thought I'd put up some shots I took of him earlier this year. He's quite a ham in front of the camera, and seems to have an elastic face.

Abbi in Central Park

This is Abbi, one of the sweetest people I know. She's only 9 years old, and has the most beautiful eyes you've ever seen. This was taken on Friday, October 27th in Central Park.

Hannah

This is Hannah. She's only 12 years old, but she's a natural in front of the camera. I'm sure that she'll be a superstar one day.

New York

This shot was taken from the top of the Empire State Building.