Here's just a small preview of an amazing shoot that took place last week.  Much more to come of film-goodness in the next week or so from this shoot.  Be sure of that.

i'm finally shooting film and i am absolutely falling in love with it.  i grabbed my canon ae-1 and a roll of fujifilm 400H and drove north of dallas at sunset to experiment a little.  these images just came out gorgeous - i'm excited about what i will be doing with film in the months to come.  enjoy.

How to know whether your models are rad:  At the end of a photoshoot, if you tell them to jump in a lake - and they do it - this qualifies them as being rad.  This definitely was a blast to shoot and I loved every second of editing it as well.  That's how I know I really loved a shoot - I just can't stop editing it. 

Great models make it easy to make great photos.  This couple is a great duo and I know they are going places together.  I appreciate their willingness to stand out in the Dallas heat of the summer for me.  Hope you enjoy!

It was an honor shooting this Texas wedding... Johnny and Kim are good friends of mine.  Who wouldn't want to cover the wedding day of such a cool couple?  Johnny has been serving in ministry for years and Kim has been serving for years as well - she even spent a few years in Haiti on the mission field.  This couple is going places.

I finally was able to go meet my niece, Ella, and get some quick shots of her while I visited.  She's an amazing baby... my sis and bro-in-law did a great job.  I'm looking forward to watching her grow up into a young lady... be sure that there will be many photos. 

I got to shoot Green River Ordinance, a local Dallas band, at House of Blues the other night.  These guys just got signed by Virgin Records and are blowing up.   Be sure to follow them ( @GRO ) and check out their tunes!

1.  You can do anything you commit to.  When I first decided to leap into the photography industry I was told by many people that I didn't have enough experience or that I didn't know what I was getting into.  I was also told that this was off of my path and that I was going to be distracted from what I was "meant" to do.  It's true... I did NOT have any experience and I did NOT know all that I was getting into.  There was one thing that I DID know: I was going to be a photographer.  I researched equipment, I asked the advice of photographers that I knew, I picked the brains of small business owners, and I sought counsel from those who's opinions mattered most.  I found the most support from my mother and my girlfriend.  That was enough for me.  I did the research, and shot as many people as I could (for free) to build my portfolio,  and put myself out there.  Nobody held my hand and told me to do this or to do that... nobody was patting me on the shoulder and saying "Keep your chin up! It's all going to work out."  That was up to me.  I believe my creator has already put everything that I need inside of me to fulfill the passions that beat within.  Four months after I made the decision to leap into photography I had a website, business cards, a blog, a portfolio of at least fifteen portrait shoots, two weddings, and plenty more booked for the months to come.  To a seasoned photographer that may not seem like success, but 4 months into it I felt that if I accomplished what I did, then I could accomplish anything!  I had coffee the other day with an old friend who admitted that they didn't really believe I would go far in photography... they thought it wouldn't amount to much.  I don't blame them... so many people START things and never follow through.  Why would I be expected to succeed?  It's hard to find people who truely believe in you... but you really only need one person to believe in you when it comes down to it.... and thats you.  Moral of the story: You can do ANYTHING you commit to.

2.  True fulfillment comes by helping others.  Since the age of fourteen I have been involved in youth ministry.  My experienced spanned the roles of worship leader, jr. high youth pastor, highschool pastor, college pastor,  creative arts pastor, and even church janitor.  If there's one thing I learned being in ministry for the last 13 years I have learned this:  There's no better fulfillment in life other than giving to others.  When I crossed over into the photography business I made it my goal to give and help others in whatever way I can.  It has proven difficult because I don't just want to give someone photos for free - I want to change their life in whatever small way I can.  I don't just want to become friends with another photographer - I want to give them that extra support and encouragement needed to go the distance.  We all have so many things to offer... whether it be experience, information, encouragement, equipment, advice, an open ear, praise, money, a positive attitude, training, or just giving someone company during a hard time.  In whatever business or industry you are in you need to make a commitment to look for opportunities to give.  Better yet - MAKE opportunities to give.  You'll sleep better and others in your life will sleep better.  But sometimes that still doesn't feel like enough, which brings me to my third lesson...

3.  Don't ever be satisfied.  I see too many people settle for the life that they live.  Who wants a career that makes you want to bash your face into the wall by the water cooler every morning at work?  I had those jobs... the jobs where I thought to myself, "This is not me."  I'm twenty seven and life is not getting any shorter.  How many more years must I revert back to the jobs that make me want to throw myself off the nearest cliff?  I wasn't always "working" in churches.  Most of the time I had a side job to pay the bills so that I could get by while I tried to make something of myself.  Sometimes those "side jobs" are necessary, but those side jobs must never take the place of what you know you want to do.  What does your heart beat for?  What fires you up?  Just a few months ago I was invited by the amazing Lara Casey to Making Things Happen, an intensive designed to fire you up and send you out towards your passions.  I had lost sight of dreams that I have always had... desires to do great things that were always within me.  Since the intensive I have been on a crazy, but amazing journey rekindling those passions that had faded away through years of disappointments and "side jobs."  I can't settle anymore.  I can't wait for life to just happen to me.  I have to make things happen.  Like I said earlier, I believe God has gifted me and put everything inside of me that I need to do great things.  Most people are always waiting on God, but I believe God is always waiting on us. 

In closing, I have to relay the importance of having people in your life that inspire, encourage, and motivate towards the things that most people think you cannot do.  If you can commit, focus on helping others, and refuse to be satisfied with the status quo I believe you can achieve anything.   

Dreaming Big,
Jesse Ryan

Finally got my new business cards in.  I feel like I have all my bases covered now when it comes to branding.  At least for now.  Well, for now my blog, website, twitter, catalog, and cards all fit together with the same simple dark brown/light brown/wood theme.  I really like things to look simple and clean.  I'm happy with my new cards... I feel they give the feel I'm wanting to convey.  I ordered these cards through http://www.moo.com . I will probably use another company because there are a few changes I want to make on the card, but for now this will do.  Where do you guys get your cards? Thoughts?

Meet Johnny and Kim.  Johnny and I go back a few years... we worked together as youth pastors at a church in the North Texas area.  Kim has recently moved back to the states after serving through missions for a few years in Haiti.  Kim hadn't been back in the states long before the earthquake struck Haiti - Johnny and Kim were on a plane as soon as they could find a flight.  We shot this just a few days after they returned from Haiti.  Amazing.  Johnny and Kim are "good peoples" as we would say in Louisiana... keep an eye out for this couple because they're going to do big things. 

Today was a blast.  I went out in a rare Texas snow storm for an engagement shoot.  The couple, Jonny and Kim, are good friends of mine and I'm excited to be shooting their engagement and wedding.  I must say... it was a challenge shooting in snow so thick, but I brought an umbrella along to keep my gear dry.  After the shoot, I followed a crowd of kids to a large hill where families were sledding! I got some great shots of families having a good ol' time in the snow.  I put photos below of the sledding and a shot or two from the engagement shoot.  More to come from the engagement shoot!  Stay warm people!

I recently got to travel to Colorado and took some photos that I thought were worth posting here on the blog.  The cabin I was staying at was surrounded by the tallest trees which let the sun escape between to create some beautiful images.  It was really my first time in snow... remember, I'm a Louisiana boy.  It was an experience to remember.

Branding... to me "branding" has always seemed like this elusive and intangible thing that I just haven't been able to grasp.  You hear eight thousand different definitions of branding and just as many methods.  It's so hard to simplify the concept of branding and make it applicable to your business or creative endeavors.  I have spent the last month really looking at my business and my passions and trying to hone in on what make my business completely unique.  I'm learning the answer to that question is found in what makes ME completely unique.  I have such a passion for photography... but I'm just as passionate about other things.  I have a passion for those who are in need and have decided this month to start a second business/organization called Relief Photo.  I want to help aid causes that will make a difference in the world - causes like stopping human trafficking, providing fresh drinking water, and aiding relief efforts in coutries experiencing crisis.  I also have a passion for small businesses and want to inspire and help those starting out to get on their feet in whatever way possible.  I have groundwork in place for alot of big things.  BUT for some reason I felt the need to leave those things out of my blog, website, and branding.  Why?  Fear.  I think I have just been afraid of the reaction I might receive.  But those passions are what make my brand. 

After I attended the Making Things Happen Intenvsive this month I have been on a journey of really discovering what makes me tick and what fires me up.  Lara Casey, founder and cheif editor of Southern Weddings Magazine suggested the book Crush It.  I read it in one day. I just finished two more amazing books that have really opened up my mind, and soul, to branding and the true principles behind the concept.  These three books are MUST READS if you want to see forward progress in your branding!  The iPad isn't the most popular thing on the planet just yet, so until then you will have to settle for the stacks of paper that are bound together with words on them... books.  Here are a few passages from some of these books... if they ring true with you, then get them and read them, please.  It will revolutionize the way you look at your business/ organization/ ministry. 

"When you're thinking about your personal brand, don't worry that it will have to look like anyone else's in order for you to crush it.  You'll crush it as long as you concentrate on being yourself.  Besides, you can't be like anyone else.  You brand will be unique and interesting because you are unique and interesting.  Don't put on an act to try to imitate anyone else who'd had some success with social marketing.  You will lose because people can sniff out a poser from a mile away." - Gary Vaynerchuk - Crush It

"We hear the question "What do you do for a living?" all the time.  Your professional category is the wrong answer.  You are so much more than your profession.  That's what makes you stand apart." - Michael Port - Book Yourself Solid

Does anyone else know any great books, websites, or blogs on branding?  If so leave a comment and let us know! Thanks guys!

-JR

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

I just can't seem to decide whether I like this photo in color, or in black and white.   What do you think?  Leave a comment and let me know!
-JR

Well, you guys have chosen the color image and I decided to send that photo and another of my photos to possibly be featured on The Art of The Trench website.  They accepted both photos! You can view them here: http://tinyurl.com/ylhjvrt & http://tinyurl.com/ygnoham

Haiti - the poorest country in the southern hemisphere. The city of Port-Au-Prince is destroyed.  1.5 million are rendered homeless.  An estimated 200,00 thousand are dead in comparison to the estimated 230,000 killed in the Asian tsunami that occurred years back.  Red Cross is there.  Other smaller non-profits are on the ground doing what they can.  Some churches are feeding 10,000 homeless people 3 meals a day.  Thousands are down in Haiti helping but the need is so great.  I watched a video of a man walking down a street in Port-Au-Prince with a camera crew about a week after the earthquake - bodies everywhere, Haitians digging in through the rubble for loved ones with trash bags tied on their hands because they have no access to gloves, no one wearing shoes.  Not a soldier, doctor, or relief worker in site.  No hopes of a bulldozer coming through anytime this month.  I'm not saying that nothing is being done.  Like I said, thousands are down there doing as much as they can.  I have some friends who flew down there as fast as they could because they served as missionaries there for years.  I'm sharing to show the urgent need, and the need will remain for months - even years. 

What can I do?  That's what I have been asking myself everyday.  About every other day I text a number to Red Cross towards the relief effort.  I only have so much money.  So now what?  Well, I guess I go on with my usual routine and try to remind myself that people are suffering in Haiti.  That's what I did during the landslide in Honduras.  That's what I did during the tsunami in Asia.  I'm tired of doing nothing.  I'm not saying that giving money does not help.  It does!  Keep giving!  Keep texting!  I am as well!  But I have to do more.  I have to do more. 

I sat in a room with 15 teenagers last night and showed them a video of Mark Driscoll walking through the streets of Haiti ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQo76Itl6cw ).  Before the video was over, almost all of them were in tears.  I turned the TV off, turned to them and said, "Now what?".  "We do something!" one of them said.  They all shouted in agreement.  "Ok, what do we do?" I asked.  The room went silent.  Isn't that how most of us feel?  We ask ourselves what more can we do than just give as much as we can?  We feel useless.  No resources.  No money.  No connections.  So what do we do?

One of the students suggested they go from door to door asking for support.  Another suggested they pass containers around in the lunch room to collect funds.  One suggested that we hold a water drive - sending emails, tweets, fb messages, and flyers to collect water.  This weekend a few of them will be walking door to door in their neighborhood offering neighbors to crack a raw egg on their head if they donate $20 dollars for Haiti relief.

This all hits home with me so much.  From the age of 14 I have travelled across the world with churches doing ministry, relief work, and outreaches.  I lived in China for a summer, and spent ample time in South Africa and Nepal.  I love travelling - I love other cultures - I love helping.  It hurts - kinda makes me mad - that I can't be in Haiti right now. 

I'm saying all of this to make a point.  You ready for it?  DO WHAT YOU CAN, AND MORE.  There's a quote I always come back to: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing you've been doing and expecting different results."  Stop doing what you always do.  Think outside the box.  Get creative.  Grow a pair!  Collect money around your office for Haiti.  Host an event in your apartment complex or neighborhood.  Sell some of your artwork.  Throw a concert to raise money.  Have a carwash.  Do a bake sale.  Just DO something.  You'll be surprised because people want to give and are just looking for somewhere tangible to give towards.  Once you raise whatever amount, give it towards an organization that you know is down in Haiti bustin' their tails.  I'll include a list of charities/organization that you can give to.

Now you may be thinking... "Who the heck do you think you are?! What are YOU doing to help?"  Well, I'm doing what I can.  I've already started a fund with the students I mentioned above.  We already have some events planned and I also have some large events in the works that I will be sure to post more info about soon.  As of now, I will be giving 10% of my net income from my photography business towards Haiti relief.  Making a difference in the world is not just a fad that I'm in... the crisis in Haiti has spurred me to dream bigger.  I plan on starting a second business that gives 50% of it's income towards countries/peoples in need; especially countries in crisis situations.  Not only do I want to raise money to help, but I also want to raise awareness and inspire otheres, especially small businesses, to do something and make a difference. 

So do something.  Don't wait for someone else to do it.  They won't.  I just imagine a tired, thirsty, young man trying to dig his family out of the rubble in the middle of Port-Au-Prince with no one around to help - and with no hope.  Thinking about that just fires me up.  So do something.  Do you have any ideas?  Any plans to help?  Comment and let us know what you are doing! Tweet this post ( http://tinyurl.com/yd2usmu) and get people inspiried to do something.

Relief Efforts:
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.charitywater.org/
http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti
http://www.helpinghaitianangels.org/
http://www.water.cc/
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/haiti/
http://www.worldvision.org/

Below is a bridal shoot that I pulled together with the help of my girlfriend, Angelika (@angelikaeleni), her friend Breanna, and the make-up work of Pure Colour.  I had the experience of making a bouquet for the first time.  I seriously never thought I would see the day when I would be choosing flowers and ribbons and then fashioning a bouquet.  Weird.  Either way.. the shoot turned out great.  Let me know what you think.  Good times. 
-Jesse Ryan

I've had the opportunity to shoot some great live shows... including This Beautiful Republic, Ben Rector, Radio Revival, Jillian Edwards, David Ramirez, Seth Philpott, and The Northern Lights.  I threw some of my fav shots from these shows below.  Good times!

Here are a few shots from Emiryn's senior portrait session.  We had some perfect fall weather and the sunlight was just right.  Senior portraits are always a blast to do... I always look forward to them. 

Most of the photos shown here were taken with panoramic film.  The above and following images were taken in South Africa.  The photo above was in actually in Swaziland.  We arrived with tons of food and clothing for the students at the school - about a 1-2 mile walk for each student. 

I was alot closer to the wildebeest than it seems.  It just seemed too serene a scene to not shoot.  Below is a shot I took out of my hotel window in Durban, South Africa.  You can see the Durban skyline off in the distance.

The photo above and below was taken in Honduras about 3 hours out of the city.  We took a break on a bridge that overlooked this landscape and I snapped away.  About an hour after I took this video our van rolled down the mountain a few times with us in it.   No one was hurt and we all walked away with a pretty sweet story.

Image above: Konstanz, Germany overlooking Lake Konstanz south towards Austria.
The following images are all from my travels in the Phillippine Islands, near Cebu.  One day we took a catamaran out to sea, dropped anchor, caught and ate our dinner out there on the boats, swam for a while before the tide went out, and enjoyed a gorgeous day watching rain clouds move in and out of the distance.  I have never been more sunburnt. 

This week I really have to thank God and my lucky stars for all the opportunities that have opened up recently.  I have be so busy that is crazy.  It seems like just 3 months ago I would be waking up in the morning hoping the phone would ring but now I have more business than I know what to do with.  And I love it.  But I know... when it rains it pours, and when there's drought there's famine.  So I'm eating up this busy time while it's busy.  Anyways... my good friend Alexander Pappas asked me to come shoot Blake Mycoskie, the chief shoe-giver and founder of Tom's Shoes.  For every pair of shoes that you purchase, Tom's gives a pair to a kid in need.  Blake and his crew primarily work in Guatemala and Ethiopia although doors are opening to other countries.  Blake is a major inspiration to young entrepreneurs wanting to make a difference and not just be successful.  He's a rad and down to earth guy.  So go so your support and buy a pair!

Here are a few shots from Emiryn's senior portrait session.  We had some perfect fall weather and the sunlight was just right.  Senior portraits are always a blast to do... I always look forward to them.