Staircase | Chicago

Hard Rock Hotel | Chicago

Fan | St. Louis

The W | Chicago

Woods | Kirkwood, MO

Mohawk | Adam

Vintage | St. Louis

Vacant | St. Louis

Something about vacant buildings has always been interesting to me.  I always think about the life that happened in and around them, and how different they must have seemed then.  I barely notice buildings that are currently occupied, but once they're abandoned, they suddenly appear to me.

-ryan

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Mad Adam | St. Louis

This is my bro.  He came home during a shoot and was chatting away on his iPhone.  I asked if I could grab a couple quick shots of him while I had lighting in place, and he staged this expression!  He's always a good sport when I ask to shoot him!  Thanks bro!

-ryan

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Holly James | Digital Gallery Frame

With this shot, I wanted to produce a digital gallery frame.  My goal was to have it appear as real as I could, so I applied different bevels and shadows to the outer frame and matte to mimic a real framed print.  With this work, the success usually lies in attention to detail, so I tried to include all aspects of an actual framed image, including the bevelled cut produced by the matte cutter around the image.  

-ryan

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Portrait Study | Painting with Light

This shot resulted from a shoot Holly and I collaborated on to create a movie poster similar to the new posters in theaters advertising "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", directed by David Fincher.  Holly snapped the shutter, and I processed it in post.  I threw a lot at this image to get it where I envisioned it being.  I started with the RAW file and went directly into Photoshop.  The workflow went like this:  Color-correction, retouching, removed the reflections in my glasses, LOTS of dodging and burning, painting with light, applied monochrome noise, overlayed a golden tone on a new layer, then a brown tone on another layer, then applied a deep yellow photo filter to a copy of the background layer.  Finally, I ran a smart sharpen command on the overall image, then did some selective sharpening to finish it out.  I really dig the results!

-ryan

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Edward Jones | St. Louis

Self-Portrait | Kodak

 

Continued HDR Study | Melissa

1. This is the original image that Holly captured and ran through Aperture for RAW processing. Once that was finished, she brought it into Photoshop for retouching.  This is the image I began with.

2. From the original, I created three versions with different exposures of 1.5 stops difference, then merged them to create an HDR image.  I also pulled the color level down to mute the overall palette of the image.

3. Here I've applied tone mapping and monochrome noise to produce a gritty look.

4. In the final version of the image, I began by selectively painting with light, followed by dodging and burning.  Last, I brought the saturation of her skin tones up to produce a glow.

It's important to note that this is not my image.  It was shot by my girlfriend, Holly James, at my sister's wedding in October this year.  She asked me to try to produce an effect she had in her mind, and this is the result of my effort.

-ryan

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Grace

I love this image.  Holly is absolutely stunning in it.  She seems so at ease with the world.  Her eyes suggest a quiet rhythm...steady...constant.  Her grace is apparent to me in this shot.

-ryan

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Rachel Smith | Triptyque

Jeff Smith | Corporate Portrait

Barbershop | Cape Girardeau

Newspaper | Pine Manor

This is the shot Shannon & Melissa selected to be printed in the newspapers announcing their marriage.

-ryan

Enchanted | Pine Manor

My little sister and her husband, Shannon Rhodes were the subject for the weekend.  Their hope was to be married in the golden, ambient light of the early evening during the fall.  I think this shot sums it up.  Holly and I shot over 1200 images, so there will be more to come as I have time to process them.

-ryan

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Parking Lot Storm | St. Louis

This storm rolled up out of nowhere while I was in a store.  I liked the drama and tried to accentuate it with some processing.  Both these shots feel a bit desolate to me with the color treatment, and I love the empty shopping cart in each one.

-ryan

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Elegant | St. Louis

This was shot in the parking garage pictured in a couple shots below this post.  The morning light was filtering through the trees and backlit the BMW that passed me.  I was lucky to get this shot in frame!

-ryan

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Sonic | St. Louis

Traffic | St. Louis

Early morning traffic in Kirkwood, MO.  I thought the clouds really accentuated the motion in the image.

-ryan

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Parking Garage | West County

This is the scene I drive by every morning when arriving at work.  I just had to stop and get a couple shots this morning.

-ryan

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HDR Study | Heath

Again using an HDR process, but this image isn't my own.  It was supplied to me from a friend of mine, and the snapshot is of a friend of his.  I wanted to see what HDR could offer an average snapshot.  The result is very interesting.  I really like the dark tones and gritty feel the image took on.  It looks nearly illustrated rather than photographic.

-ryan

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HDR Study | Jenny

This is my attempt at the HDR/tone mapping process that's becoming popular these days.  I don't have much real use for it, but it was fun to see the results.

-ryan

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Kelsey and Kate | St. Louis

Kelsey and Kate were interviewed to be models for my studio.  We hosted a studio rental program for college students and the idea was to have several models for them to choose from and work with.  Kate came in with experience as a Rams Cheerleader and Kelsey had modeled for some local events.  I took several shots to get an idea how they worked in front of the camera, and these were a couple favorites.

-ryan

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Julie Wheat | St. Louis

This image is one of the rare occasions when I shot the model in the studio, then shot the background outdoors, and merged them together with Photoshop.  Once the images were brought together, I lit the background with Photoshop to mimic the way the studio lighting fell on Julie.  Hopefully it appears seamless.

-ryan

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Holly James | 2007

This image was shot in my first studio on the first day I moved in.  Good times.  I miss this space.  It was full of natural light from two windows that ran the length of the eastern wall.  The walls and concrete floor were stark white and my brother and I painted the entire ceiling matte black.  I loved how minimal it was.  There's beauty in simplicity.

ryan

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Shannon Rhodes | 2007

Shannon Rhodes is now my little sister's husband, but was her fiancé at the time this image was captured.  They came to my apartment for this shoot because I didn't have a studio then.  I like how haunting his eyes are in this shot.  

-ryan

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Mike Manker | 2007

Mike Manker is a local comedian in St. Louis.  I had the opportunity to photograph him in 2007 through a mutual friend.  Mike needed some new promo shots and was mostly interested in B/W.  We spent an afternoon in the studio together, and this image was one of my favorites from the shoot.

-ryan

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Cult of Mac | Cupertino, CA

This is the result of drinking way too much tequila and passing out in Cupertino, CA.

Enjoy.

-ryan 

Grain Silos | Olive Branch, IL

These grain silos have always reminded me of my mother.  I remember stories of her working at one long before I was born, and I've always thought of her as in her twenties at that time.  They also remind me of my grandfather's farm in Essex, MO.  I have great memories of visiting the farm while growing up.  I couldn't decide which tone I preferred most for this image, so here's both of them.

-ryan

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Jax

Pine Lake Storm

Wedding Invitations

This morning I'm sitting at Spencer's Grill waiting to meet my sis and her fiancé. They're planning the wedding and asked me to design their invitations. I've never done an invitation so it should be interesting! I'm looking forward to it!

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RWA Print | Pier, Chicago

RWA Print | Flora, Chicago

Waiting At Spencer's

Spencer's Grill is one of the few great greasy spoon diners still surviving from the late 40's and early 50's. My dad noticed it when I first moved to Kirkwood in 2005, and although it took me a year to finally walk in, I'm glad I did. Since then, I've been a regular. The place will forever remind me of my dad and the simpler times in this country's past.

-ryan

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Series | Ryan Walters Arts

This is a new series of personal work.  Each image will share the same duotone conversion and will be printed on 100% cotton substrate using archival inks.  They will be limited to seven 16x20 inch prints and will bare a new mark consisting of the ornate "W" with "Ryan Arts" scripted directly under it.  In addition, each print will be signed and numbered to ensure authenticity.

-ryan

RWA Print | Geometry, Chicago

Hangin At Revival

If you have yet to dine at Revival, your missing out on a party for your tastebuds! Treat them to an evening out and relax in a great atmosphere while enjoying food that really does "Make life worth living"! Check out the menu and upcoming events at www.revivalstl.com, or head in for a visit!

-ryan

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Holly James | St. Louis