Innovative : Laugh... Love... Live!

bands: Wayne Hoskins

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Dustin's band just added two new members and they are getting ready to hit the clubs again (this weekend they will be at Kamikazes in Ogden) so they asked me to photograph them. We had a blast and found an amazing location that I'm hoping to use for future sessions!

Here's Eric breaking the rules!

Dave

Mike

Carl

Eric

Dustin

We had some fun with this one... Dustin playing tough with Ogden's finest!

calendar : July

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:48:00 +0000

In recognition of Independence Day I felt it appropriate to use one of my images from my recent trip to NY.

challenge : have a sincere converstation with a complete stranger

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:30:00 +0000

It was 1:30 AM on the corner of 45th and Madison in midtown Manhattan as we strolled hand in hand talking about our day. Becca and I were heading back to the hotel after a long night of sight seeing when we heard a soft voice speak to us. We looked up to find an middle aged man with gray beard toting a ragged old rolling suitcase with 6 balloons - 3 red and 3 white - wrapped around the extendable handle. His small wooden cane held his fragile hunched body as he asked us if we could spare some change. As I reached into my pockets to retrieve my one dollar coins that we were handed by the cashier at the Empire State Building just hours before I asked him for his name to which he replied Jay. I then asked Jay how long he has lived in NY and he told us that he has lived here for 32 years. We proceeded to get to know Jay as I dug through my pockets, I knew I had some money in there somewhere. I finally found what I was looking for and handed him a couple of dollars. I asked Jay if I could make is photograph and he kindly obliged. In our short 5 minute conversation with Jay we learned so much from him about his family, how he became homeless and that sleeping in the shelters is more risky than sleeping on the streets. As he walked away, I snapped one last image of him. I asked him to meet us in the same place the next night and we would bring him some more money. Although he didn't show up and more than likely we will never see Jay again the impact of that conversation will stay with me forever.

I challenge each of you to take a minute and have a conversation with a complete stranger... they don't have to be homeless just take some time out of your busy life and have a sincere conversation with someone that you normally wouldn't have spoken with. You never know... you might enjoy it.

These images were taken at 1:30 AM on the mostly empty streets of NY.

New York Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:33:00 +0000

After being up for almost 36 hours straight we were able to get a good night's sleep last night. This morning we started another busy day in NY, this time we headed for Greenwich Village, Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty. I can't believe how many things there are to see and do in on this tiny little island. I'm in a conference for the next two days so we wont be doing much during the day so I'll be getting some night shots for the next couple of days. I think we are going to try and make it to the Empire State Building tomorrow night at sunset so that should be fun.

Here are some images from today.
Us on the ferry on the way to see the lady.

Here we are with Lady Liberty.

Another one of us... but hey... it's our vacation right?

Here she is in all her glory! (no photoshoping... this is how I shot it)

This is what lady liberty wakes up to every morning. The NY sky line from Liberty Island.

This is an image Becca took of a memorial that some kids put together across the street from the hospital where the wounded were taken on September 11th 2001.

This is part of a memorial on the exterior wall of the building housing Ladder Co. 10 directly across the street from Ground Zero.

Home of all the great men and women that make up Ladder Co. 10

I don't even know what to say about this one. The feeling that came over Becca and I as we walked up to the empty hole is indescribable. I didn't even want to photograph it, all I really wanted to do is pray for those who lost their lives and their loved ones on that dreadful day.

Right as we got off the ferry after returning from Liberty Island it started pouring rain and hail. If you look closely you can see the rain still falling in the next images. These are grave stones in a church near Ground Zero.

New York Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Wow... Yesterday was crazy! I was pretty nervous about coming to NY, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard stories about "Be careful with this..." and "Be careful with that..." and "Watch out for this..." but I haven't felt like that at all. Yeah there are a lot of people EVERYWHERE but nobody really pays attention to anyone else. It has definitely been a cool experience so far.

We have a busy day today, we are going to try and make it to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Greenwich Village and the Empire State Building. I have a conference Monday and Tuesday so we are trying to get in all that we can! Our next trip to NY will definitely be a more relaxed one.

Here are some images from our first day... feel free to leave comments!

Becca Chillin.

Maybe we will do a top 10 list of all the things we loved about NY...

Reflecting on Radio City Music Hall.

One of the cool residential buildings that we passed by.

Becca and I in Central Park... as we were walking Becca says to me... "We should probably hold hands." That has been the joke ever since. LOL

Windows on a random building.

The Apollo Theater in Harlem.

One of the many churches.

Every Mac lovers dream... mmmmm

Hanging around Time Square at night with NY finest!

Jenna's Bridals

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Congratulations to Jenna and Jeremy! Their big day was yesterday and everything turned out beautifully. I had so much fun photographing their wedding, they are an amazing couple. Their families were so gracious, I felt like I have known them my whole life.

I hope to have a couple of their wedding images blogged before I go to NY. Here are some of Jenna's bridals that we did about 3 weeks ago and I have been holding off from posting them so that Jeremy didn't snoop around and find them.

Let me know what you think.

Here's some texture love.

My 6 yr old + My Old D1X camera

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:59:00 +0000

I've been wondering for a while what I should do with my old camera/paper weight and then it hit me when Ayden started asking if he could use Becca's camera. I pulled the old D1X out of the camera bag... dusted it off and put an old lens on it and let him loose. He wanted me to pose for him and I gladly obliged... as you can probably imagine I am ecstatic that he is showing an interest in photography. If you remember our 2007 Christmas card, he took the images of Becca and I for the card.

These images were taken at mid day in our back yard so the lighting isn't the best. Considering this camera weighs about 5 lbs and is pretty big and bulky I think he did a pretty darn good job... what do you think?

Here is a shot of him working the beast! He's even doing a little camera tilt.

apple + 3G = iPhone 3G

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:13:00 +0000

If you are half the gadget freak that I am then you will greatly appreciate the announcement that apple made today at it's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) unveiling the new iPhone 3G which is slated to debut on July 11th! In case you haven't heard, it will run on the 3G network making it 2.8x faster than the phones on the EDGE network, have GPS support and it will be half the cost of the first generation models!

Check our the ad for the new iPhone here!

June Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:46:00 +0000

I have been getting some emails because I didn't upload a calendar for May and fohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifr that I apologize! Featured on the June calendar is Jenna and Jeremy, they were so much fun to work with and I can't wait for their wedding this month! Stay tuned for Jenna's bridals to be posted after the wedding, I am itching to post them. Sorry it's a little late but how does the saying go... better never than late? Anyway here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

Excuse me... what point and shoot do you use?

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:20:00 +0000

I get a lot of people asking me what point-and-shoot camera I use. Well, this past Christmas Santa brought Becca a shiny new Canon S5-IS (Yes... I still shoot Nikon gear professionally) and we love it. It's a little bit bigger than most point and shoot cameras but it has a 12x optical zoom (very important if you need a good zoom) and it also has the Image Stabilization built in. It does pretty good in most situations and it also has video capabilities with a flip out LCD on the back so that you can take pictures of you and your friends huddled together and be assured that all of you are in the shot.

If you have a point-and-shoot that you absolutely love, please feel free to post a comment so that everyone can hear about it.

Memories are PRICELESS so even if you don't commission the services of a professional photographer make sure you are capturing your families memories yourself and do it often!

Friends and fun

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Isn't it crazy how life works? I went to high school with Dustin and Sarah almost 15 years ago and didn't really hang out with them too much. Now, so many years later our paths have crossed again and it seems like we've been best friends this whole time!

Last weekend they invited us to join their family in Bear Lake. We had such a rad time hanging out and we even made it to the beach one day for a quick shoot. The weather was cold and the rain came in on Monday but that didn't stop us from having fun!

Dustin and Sarah looking HOT!

Becca being a little sinful... rockin out.

I'm bringin sexy back... yeah! Check out Sarah laughing at me.

Ayden playing with one of the caterpillars the kids found around the cabin.

The kids playing.

Gotta love those freckles!

Becca and I lovin

Jenna + Jeremy x 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Here is the follow up from Jenna and Jeremy's engagement session.

sneak peak: Jenna + Jeremy

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:49:00 +0000

I just got home from shooting with Jenna and Jeremy and wanted to post an image before I go see Iron Man with Ayden.

You guys were so much fun... you made my job easy! I had a blast this afternoon, I can't wait for the wedding!

I'll post more images from their session tomorrow.

Shootshop Love

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:55:00 +0000

Last week as many of you know I had the awesome pleasure of hanging out with some rad photographers... Nate + Jaclyn Kaiser from theimageisfound.com. These two make a great team! With a dash of Nate's awesomeness and a speck of Jaclyn's sweetness soon the radolicious shootshop stew was a boilin!

If you are a photographer and you have been wanting to attend a workshop but you can't decide which one to attend well look no further! They just announced the next shootshop date for June and there might be a couple of spots left if your lucky but I'm sure there will be more to come so stay tuned into their blog.

Thanks Nate and Jaclyn for learnin us well... you guys ROCK!

Here are a few images from the day.

Andy checking out Rachel while Nate is getting us ready.

Most of the group gathered around while Nate works. The three kids came rolling up on their skateboards and jumped right in the shoot. Nate obliged and captured some killer images... check his blog to see on of the shots.

Nate getting up close... this is his usual shooting distance!

Nate shows us how he captures some great images if he is on a tight schedule. I am going to try this one out this weekend!

This is Andy wondering what the heak Nate is doing.

Beyond being learned from the coolness that is Nate, you will also get to meet other rad photographers from around the country such as Robert, Charise from Photography By Charise, Whitney, Janet with Oi Joy Photography, Lisa of Bella Rock Studio, Cristen and Scott with W. Scott Photography, Mark with Mark Eric Photography, Crystal of Crystal Petersen Photography, Joy Marie of Joy Marie Photography, Tim Larsen of Tim Larsen Photography, Carey Estrada with LifeScapes Photography, Sabine Scherer with Sabine Scherer Photography, Shari Correll of Shari Correll Photography, and Jonilyn of Jonilyn Photography. There were a few more that I don't have information for. It was nice meeting all of you and I hope you all keep in touch!

Commin back from Cali...

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:47:00 +0000

Well, the workshop is over and I had a blast... Nate and Jaclyn are awesome both as people and photographers... Much love homies! I want to thank them both and tell them how much I appreciate there hospitality and Nate's wicked sense of humor. For all you photographers out there who have been looking for a workshop to attend, this is the one! Go to their blog and watch for the next one... I heard it's coming very soon!

Here are my loves Ayden and Bentley (Becca, I love you to honey!)... I miss you and can't wait to see you later today!

Sneak Peak : Belly Session

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:08:00 +0000

On Friday afternoon I had the opportunity to photograph a very cool couple... Dustin and Sarah. Sarah is due to deliver their first child in June and after meeting them just once I can tell that they are going to make fantastic parents! It was a pleasure getting to know them and I can't wait to photograph their new arrival.

Congratulations guys... talk to you soon!

Fathers Day Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:24:00 +0000

Mothers day is almost here and Fathers day is just around the corner so moms you have another two weeks to get your sessions completed if you want to get your prints back before dad's big day. If you haven't emailed to book your session do it now, I have a couple of openings that just became available.

Here are a couple of the fathers day gifts I gave to myself!

UPDATED: Here are a couple more self gifts!!

win.32GB iPod Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:33:00 +0000

For those of you who know me you know that I quit photographing weddings about 2 years ago. Well, after attending WPPI this past March and meeting some amazing photographers and seeing how the wedding industry has changed over the past couple of years my wedding fire has been reignited!

To kick of my renewed love for wedding photography, I am giving away a shiny new 32GB iPod Touch containing all of your bridal, engagement and wedding day images together valued at over $800. How do I enter you ask... well the only way to enter is to book a wedding with me between now and June 2nd, 2008 and if I did my math correctly, that's 40 days! So ladies... if you want to impress your new husband-to-be this could be a great chance. If you book a wedding during this time, your names will automatically be entered into the drawing... it's that simple.

Deciding who wins will be left up to you... my loyal blog readers. Sometime in early June, I will post images of each couple along with a short story about them at which time you will be able to vote for the couple you would like to see win.

You can find out more by emailing me today.

blog.FaceLift

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:34:00 +0000

Well I figured it was time to give the blog a small face lift. I have had a black color scheme since my blog debuted and I thought it was time for some change. Hope you like the new look... I am in the process of creating a new site and I will probably revamp the blog when the new site rolls out so at this point I've decided to keep it simple.

Thanks to all of you who visit or have RSS'd me.

If you've been here before, you know that I always include images with every post however this time I am running late and I don't have time to. I promise I will make up for it later.

Care to join me in California?

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:21:00 +0000

Since I will be in California in early May I thought I would invite you to come with me. I have beach sessions available for $200 each for the first two people who email me with the words "Beach Me" in the subject line of the email. This is a great opportunity to replace those old family portraits with a beautiful new canvas gallery wrap wall portrait... or maybe you want your senior portrait done on the beach instead of the same places everyone else is doing theirs... or perhaps you are recently engaged and would like to have a a romantic engagement session as the sun sets behind you. You may need some new images of your children playing in the sand. What ever the reason, I will be there and ready to photograph you in all your glory!

I only have two session available so if you are interested let me know quick before the sessions fill up. I hope to see you there!

dear.BRIDES

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:21:00 +0000

Are you planing a wedding... are you looking for some wedding inspiration? I came across a site while blog stalking Jessica Strickland's blog and I thought I would share it with you!

Snippet & Ink offers daily wedding inspiration and they have ideas and photos for pretty much any color scheme you can think of. Check them out and let me know what you think.

The images below are just a sneak peak of what you will find on their website. Be sure to add them to your rss feed because they add new stuff every day.

Retro/Vintage theme

Water front theme

Backyard theme

I was going to put this one first but I didn't want to scare anyone away. This one is for all you wild and crazy brides who aren't afraid to be different!

Sneak Peak... Belly Session

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:01:00 +0000

As I have mentioned before, I love maternity sessions! Here is a sneak peak at a maternity session I completed recently with the wonderful Mrs "K" and her beautiful daughter. We had a lot of fun... at the end of the session, big sis colored on mom's belly with markers(don't worry, they were washables)... and then she decorated herself.

These next two are my favorites from the shoot.

Dear Music Lovers... check this out!

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:27:00 +0000

I had the honor to photograph the concert of an extremely talented singer-songwriter named Alison Sudol better known as A Fine Frenzy. She is currently on tour for the release of her debut CD One Cell In the Sea. If you haven't heard her music you are missing out on something very special. She has only been playing the piano for 4 years and the guitar seriously for about 2 months. I was introduced to her music about 6 months ago and I have been a huge fan ever since.

Here is the video for her most popular song... Almost Lover!

Here are some images I took at the show.

Here I am with Alison before the show.

This is Buddy... one of the opening acts.

Bellies and babies

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:42:00 +0000

I have been getting some requests to show some of my maternity and infant images so I figured I would post some here. I really love doing maternity sessions and working with new parents because they are always so happy during this stage of their lives... preparing for a new addition can be very exciting. It can be even more fun when there are siblings who want to participate in the session especially if they are toddlers... it's fun to see the interaction between the toddler, the mom and the belly!

Hope you enjoy these!

WOW... I can't contain my excitement!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Christensen) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:21:00 +0000

All my fellow photographers will understand what I'm talking about but for those of you who are not photographers let me explain. I just found out yesterday morning about a photography work shop being hosted by two of the most talented photographers in the world... the wonderful Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser from This Image Is Found based in sunny San Diego. As I scrambled to print the registration form and fill it out, I realized that I was no where near a fax machine or a scanner so I drove 25 minutes to the nearest scanner (that I knew of) so that I could get my registration in to ensure my front row seat. Anyway, I'm happy to say that my registration made it in time and I am so excited to be a part of this experience.

Laguna Beach at sunset.