My fetish for photography started toward the end of my college career some 20 years ago when I bought my first 35mm film camera, a Pentax ME Super. After finishing my engineering degree at U.C. Davis and moving to Fresno, California, I enrolled in a photography class at Fresno City College and roamed the streets and alleys of Old Town Fresno. I found and captured on film some amazing, if not surreal, images
which only added fuel to the fire of my love for photography. To see some of my first photos, look for the black and white images in my Photojournalism page of my website, DouglasRydenPhotography.com. There were often long intermissions and usually some traveling between any two great images, but I longed for each meaningful shot since the purchase of my first camera.
I continued my photography education at Moorpark City College in 1988 by taking a black & white photography class from, who else but, Mr. Grey. Mr. Grey will always be an important man to me and my photographic endeavors because at some point during our scholastic relationship he illuminated my desire to capture or create images that synthesize the essence of the circumstance. I immediately began developing my photojournalistic style with this philosophy in mind. Because photojournalism involves,
among many things, being at the right place at the right time, I sometimes attribute some of my photographic accomplishments to luck, but luck goes only so far. A sensitivity to the surroundings and proper preparation are two more important facets to my achievements. Ironically, at that time photojournalism was the avant-garde of wedding photography and I regret not following my instincts and pursuing my photographic profession, instead I followed another path, but it seem it is not too late toresume my passion for photography.
It was not until Christmas of 2003, when my brother sent my son a simple point and shoot 2 mega-pixel digital camera, that I seriously regained my momentum toward becoming a dedicated professional photographer. This was the first digital camera to enter my sphere of influence and fortunately for me, my son was not interested in the camera his uncle had sent him as he would have had great difficulty prying it from my fingers. It was an exhilarating experience rekindling the infatuation I have for my art. I
instinctively began studying the light that fell on a person’s face, the geometric patterns formed by shadows and color, and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated objects. Since that humble entry into the digital world of photography I have attended classes at Ventura College and Santa Fe Photography Workshops, intensely studied Photoshop and lighting techniques, saved my “loose change” in order to afford professional equipment and shot and shot and shot. Thinking back on my first camera, my class with Mr. Grey, and my son’s Christmas gift from his uncle (which he never missed - he’s successfully pursuing video at this time), my initial enlightenment for my love of photography has never dimmed. I hope you enjoy what you see.
Sincerely,
Douglas Ryden
DouglasRydenPhotography.com
