You might be asking, "Ryan, why are there all these pictures of YOU on your photography website????

1. That's a very good question. It's super narcissistic, right?!

2. Well, the LONG VERSION is that, for me, sometimes the adventure required to obtain them is just as important and interesting as the photographs themselves. I feel the same way about my sobriety -- that the result was impossible without the journey. Photography is no different, and occasionally the fun, difficulty, or importance of the journey ends up eclipsing the original goal.

I know it's not always right, but it's frequently unavoidable: I find myself equating the merit of a photo with just how difficult it was for me to obtain. Luckily, I recognize this, otherwise my photography portfolio would be 100% filled with only the photos I took above 17,000 ft, in the Everest Region of Nepal, when I could barely hold my camera to my eye because I thought I was going to pass out and die from lack of oxygen. The photos might not even be all that spectacular, but man! They sure were difficult, expensive, and time consuming to obtain! So look at them, dammit!

Photographing the HIMALAYAS is an extreme example. However, most of my photography involves being outside, a good degree of athleticism, and often a great degree of adventure or even outright danger. You will probably notice that a sizable portion of my human portraiture is not only outdoors, but centered around a location that was very difficult to get to, and/or performing an athletic activity that was even more difficult still.

3. The SHORT VERSION -- as to why there's a whole section here featuring photographs of myself -- is that I am not (nor have I ever been) on any social media platform, so I just don't have anywhere else to put these. Seriously. haha

If you'd like to read more about scuba diving, you can go HERE!