Blog

on set with derek webb | nashville, tn

bre

This is Bre. We met up for an impromptu shoot on the outskirts on Indianapolis while I was road tripping from St. Louis to upstate New York. My direction for the shoot was that of a bohemian vagabond from the 1970's, and I think Bre pulled it off very well! There's some Janis Joplin soul in her swag, and I like it! Thanks for being game on such short notice!

Ryan Walters  |  Central New York Photographer

nashville | before the stage

On a recent road trip to Nashville, my brother and I spent some time on Music Row. The street musicians captured my interest and I hope to shoot a collection of their sub-culture in the near future. Subtle scenes of hopeful musicians littered every corner and alley. This one is a favorite.

Ryan Walters | Central New York Photographer

place of legends | monument valley

Tim Kotthoff. You've seen him here before. I've written about his extraordinary gifts as a video editor, a mentor, and a teacher. In May of 2011, we took to the road on a quest to conquer The American West with cameras. Maybe it was the mountain air, or maybe the ghosts of legends like John Ford, Henry Fonda, and John Wayne who walked here before us, but in the midst of the desert, most notably in Monument Valley, I watched this man come of age as a photographer. And he has the work to prove it. His black and white prints hang gracefully throughout the halls and offices of a St. Louis marketing agency, and they bring an epic element to the space. This shot most successfully communicates the triumph and grandeur I witnessed out there. We're going back. Soon.

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Photographer + Cinematographer

my wife | puerto rico


In 2009, Holly and I were fortunate enough to take our first trip to Puerto Rico together. It was a vacation I'll never forget. It was her very first visit to the ocean, and my first time in Puerto Rico, we both had an amazing week. We stayed in a hotel called the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza and I highly recommend it.  The hotel's lobby was featured in Ocean's Eleven when several scenes with Brad Pitt and George Clooney were filmed there. We spent the majority of our time on the beach and shopping in Old San Juan, but the hotel was always an oasis to retreat to in the evenings. I fell more in love with the girl who would become my wife in rural surfer towns along the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.  It was then I knew I wanted to spend my life with her. We were married in 2010, and journeyed back for our honeymoon.

The image on the left is straight out of my camera, and the one on the right was edited using NIK's Snapseed. It's software that saves a professional photographer time when working to create vintage looks like this one. It's available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Give it a shot.

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Portrait + Commercial Photographer

autumn in new york



Shortly after my baby boy was born, Holly and I took a drive through the hills of central New York to enjoy the changing forest. Autumn has always been our favorite time of year, and this year was definitely one to remember. This work doesn't have the usual gritty, tack sharp look that my portraits do, but I think it represents what I saw in the hills of New York well. It's true what they say, there really is nothing like New York in the Fall.

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Photographer

new york, usa

On the road to New York, I shot several images of the many farms I passed. They seemed to come one after another for miles. I didn't expect to do much with the images, but as I browsed through them, this idea came to mind. I looked through some documentaries on Netflix a couple days before, and I guess they inspired me. I wanted to pair the documentary's cover art, what I saw on the road to NY, and the birth of my son. As of right now, there isn't a plan for an acompanying film...they're just mock posters. If time allows, I may try to shoot a short film around the idea, but regardless, I enjoyed making them!

The first poster is much taller than the images I usually publish. It may be easier to view by pressing Command - (Mac) or Ctrl - (PC), if you're so inclined.

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Photographer + Cinematographer

desert wedding

I recently had the honor of shooting some wedding images for these two beautiful people. Stephen Fee and his bride, Candice, are absolute rock stars. They got hitched in Vegas in May, and I thought they would be the perfect couple to shoot some killer alternative wedding stuff with. Ceasars Palace has a strict "No Photography" policy during the ceremonies that take place there, so we rolled out in the desert the next morning. My gaol was to find a desolate location that looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, and this scene was just about exactly what I had in mind. Big thanks to Tim Kotthoff for assisting me! He and I road tripped so we could travel with some serious studio gear, and the resulting images are well worth the extra travel time! Check back for a series from this shoot! They'll be posted in the "featured" section of the blog. For now though, here's a look behind the scenes.

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Portrait + Commercial Photographer

conquistador

This vista presented itself while on a private island off the coast of Fajardo, PR. The light had a great quality to it and I couldn't resist being a tourist!

Ryan Walters  |  St. Louis Portrait + Commercial Photographer