I first heard of Ryan Brenizer through his flickr stream and was hooked on his work ever since. He continues to push the envelope of photography–inventing new tricks and mastering old ones.  He reminded us in his workshop that photography is constantly changing and getting better and better. What you learned this week will already be out of date the next. As he says, you need to be “crazy passionate” and always try new things to stay ahead of the game.

Ryan opened up the day talking about his mission statement. Talking about “Why?”–why is it we do what we do? It was really interesting to stop and think about what we are doing and importantly WHY we are doing it. He showed us 5 of his most favorite photographs of his life–ones that if were ever lost or stolen, he would die. They weren’t the award winning photos you would expect but they captured a moment and an emotion. They told stories of their personalities and they were memories that put you back there.

He said to be successful, you must be your hardest critic. When talking about the value of what we do, the one compliment he does give himself is that he wished that people photographed his life the way he photographs weddings. So true.

At the workshop we learned about making the best out of any situation, worked step by step with the Brenizer method and also worked on mastering flash composites. This was my first workshop and I loved it. It was a total honor to spend a day learning from Ryan and the others who attended the workshop. The models were an absolute treat to work with–they were so fun and laid back. And 2 Stop Brighter Studios was an awesome space to have the workshop. I am really looking forward to staying connected with everyone and starting to apply what I learned to my photography. Thanks Ryan!Ryan, kneeling down, getting the right angle for the shot.Ryan, strategically places a few flashes to fire outside a window so it’s casts a unique shadow on the couple inside. Genius! It was a way to bring a more interesting take than just using ambient light.Isla and her husband Dan were such an awesome couple and great to work with. Isla is also Ryan’s intern–most would kill for that jobPhotos of us behind the camera:

The two photos below are of Rochelle Bilow who looks like a professional model but she is actually a writer and cook.We had another awesome couple, Kindiya and Thomas who rocked it in front of the camera. They just got back from a trip to Portland, Oregon of all places so it was fun to chat it up about that with them between shots.  Isla is holding a device that connects 3 flashes, it’s what Ryan like to call the sledgehammer of light.  We also learned tips on using continues light (video light) and by tweaking the white balance you can achieve for a really cool look. (See below) where we photographed in a stairway with awful light but turned it into our advantage.Some Video of the process:
The Sledgehammer of light!

I met some really great people and learned a lot from everyone. Here are some more photos  of the awesome people I met and photographed with:

Owner, of 2 Stop Brighter Studios, Phillip Stark

Group Photo of everyone. Photo set-up by Ryan, photo taken by Kindiya:

Here’s another iconic landmark from NYC: John Lennon’s Memorial in Central Park. I can’t get enough of this park, it’s so amazing!

I am happy to be back Portland and catching up on some work. Stay tuned for a recap of the photo workshop and also a new wedding post!