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.