What is your favorite photo you’ve ever taken? It’s a challenging question, for sure, but Ryan Field knows his answer without hesitation.
Field, a professional landscape and lifestyle photographer with a client portfolio that includes an eclectic mix of outdoor goods and apparel companies, automobile manufacturers, and high-end residential real estate, snapped his perfect shot on the southern coast of Oregon. It’s a landscape of Ansel Adams-y epic appeal, and the result of years spent honing his talent while exploring his backyard… and beyond.
Although based in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan’s passport and memory cards are full of imprints from around the world. Together with Alex Stead, Ryan co-hosted two seasons of AdoramaTV’s “On the Road” series, taking him across Iceland and Norway’s Lofoten archipelago, and not to mention into every scenic nook and photogenic cranny of New Zealand.
To prepare for his sharing his expertise and judging skills on “Top Photographer Challenge With Nigel Barker,” we asked Ryan to wax philosophic on everything from wrestling with weather to the importance of raw luck in pursuit of the perfect shot.
Adorama: Was there a moment you remember first falling in love with photography? Describe it.
Ryan Field: While I do not remember the seminal moment or event that kicked off my love for photography, I do recall the first time I ever felt proud with a camera in hand. As an absolute amateur with no real connection to the creative industry, I was brimming with excitement when a group of local photographers I looked up to invited me out for a night of star-gazing and astrophotography. Even though I was fascinated by the night sky, I had never attempted to shoot photos of it. Heck, I didn’t even own a tripod, but I wasn’t about to let my inexperience and lack of gear prevent me from doing something I was so honored to be invited to do.
“This was something I knew I could be proud of, and a trajectory of growth I have tried to maintain ever since.”
After a couple beginner YouTube tutorials and a quick trip to the store for snacks, I headed out to the mountains to shoot some brutally underexposed and terribly out-of-focus photos of the cosmos. I had the best time ever.
You see, it wasn’t the photos that I was most proud of. It was the complete paradigm shift in personality occurring in me, and I realized it was because of photography. I was moving away from a life of cloistered introversion, to find myself seeking connection to those who were doing things that interested me. This was something I knew I could be proud of, and a trajectory of growth I have tried to maintain ever since.
Adorama: In your AdoramaTV “On the Road with Alex and Ryan” series, you mention your favorite photo you’ve ever taken (above). What makes this image so special to you and what about it, technically, makes it a stand-out in your portfolio?
Field: This image is so special to me personally because it represents the tangible convergence of two elements highly imperative to my success in the industry: determination and luck.
The determination aspect stems from the fact that we had been to this location several times throughout the year, and had nothing but nice memories to show for it. On the Southern Oregon coast, the weather rarely cooperates. When it’s not pouring rain and howling wind, there is often a muddled gray Pantone swatch in the sky that stretches as far as the eye can see. Due to the ever present marine layer, there just aren’t that many opportunities to shoot under the dynamic conditions necessary for making memorable images.
After multiple trips to this spot, that’s where the luck kicked in. I wasn’t even supposed to be on this trip, but was coaxed to come by friends on the morning of. We also had no idea that, for a couple weeks in the winter, the sun would rise at a particular point on the horizon and cast its light through the arch and across the water. Adding to the scene was a brilliant, low coastal fog and the presence of an adventurous hiker who made his way to the edge of the continent to witness the first glorious light of the day over the Pacific Ocean.
Adorama: How do you go about finding such locations, and do you take any special preparations if you think the spot might be unsafe or offer only a limited access window?
Field: In terms of generating a unique portfolio that hopefully stands out, location scouting and effective trip planning are absolutely essential. I’ve rarely, if ever, just shown up to a spot carte blanche and hoped for the best. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but scouting just helps me to be a bit more prepared.
When planning a shoot, a few things I consider are: forecasted weather conditions, direction of sunlight as it rises and sets, seasonal access to the area, water volume, and local wildlife behavior. The best way to gather all the information that I need is thorough online research, printed hiking guides, and reaching out to those who possess local knowledge of the area I’d like to explore. Rangers or volunteers at parks can also be a wonderful resource to utilize as well.
Adorama: What, to you, is the greatest challenge of photography in wild, natural settings?
Field: The greatest challenge of outdoor photography is the complete lack of environmental control. Shooting in a studio presents its own set of challenges and difficulties, but with the requisite knowledge and equipment, there is nothing that cannot be achieved.
When you are working out in the field, there are countless factors that may prevent you from generating the asset package you had hoped to procure. Relying on Mother Nature to provide good light and appropriate weather can be a maddening process, but one with which we are unavoidably tasked when choosing to shoot outdoors.
Adorama: Your images often tell a side story of the weather of a location. What is your best tip towards ensuring you shoot the conditions you want, in the spot you want, at the time of day you want?
Field: Once you have your location for the shoot pinned down, you need to determine what type of emotion you’d like to convey through the images. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, I absolutely love our frequently moody and melancholic weather, and I believe that’s the reasoning for the weather-based narrative in many of my photos. I’ve found sunrise to offer me the best opportunity for heavy atmosphere and unique light, so that’s what drives my personal shooting schedule.
“When you are trying to utilize the local weather as a storytelling tool, dedication to your vision as well as patience with the process will help you see out your goals more frequently than not.”
In terms of getting the shot that you want under the conditions that you hoped for? This circles back to the themes of determination and dealing with factors that are simply out of your control. When you are trying to utilize the local weather as a storytelling tool, dedication to your vision as well as patience with the process will help you see out your goals more frequently than not.
Adorama: In just the last year, you’ve traveled to and shot in Raja Ampat, the Faroe Islands, New Zealand, the Swiss Alps, Banff, and beyond. What destination has most exceeded your expectations, and in what way?
Field: Indonesia was the one country that met and exceeded all expectations of experience for me in the last year. The landscapes are obviously legendary and some of the most striking I’ve ever seen, but I was truly taken aback by the genuine kindness and welcoming nature of the Indonesian people. Their culture is rich in history, unmistakably vibrant, and the pace at which everything moves there is absolute and utter chaos. It’s one of the biggest countries on the planet by population, and communities are splayed out across thousands of beautiful islands connected by bridge, boat, and plane. Everywhere we visited there was something new to see and something new to eat, but there was always that unmistakably proud Indonesian smile.
Adorama: Where in the world, other than home, do you always find yourself returning to for photos? And what is a destination or location you believe everyone should visit and photograph, at least once?
Field: Other than home, the one location that keeps drawing me back time and again are the Canadian Rockies. I’ve been six times in the last two-plus years, and each visit is just as special and awe-inspiring as the first.
The Icefields Parkway is a three-hour journey that connects Banff to Jasper, and I honestly do not think there is a prettier drive in the entire world. It is literally hours of jaw-dropping beauty as you roll past alpine lakes, pristine glaciers, northern wildlife, and some of the most geologically imposing mountains I’ve ever seen. It is such a ridiculous concentration of natural beauty that it often feels as though you are on a movie set. There are so many classic spots to see and their close proximity to one another makes Alberta a wonderful place to take a photo holiday, and it’s the place I find myself returning to most.
Adorama: How do you work to differentiate your images from the most popular, “tourist snap”-like images or views of a place?
Field: To be perfectly honest, I am just as guilty as the next person of taking the classic tourist snap everywhere I go. I rarely share them, but typically add these types of shots for stock use in my portfolio as well as holding them as memories to look back on.
In order to create something shareable at these often “over-shot” places, I typically rely on a process that hopefully leaves me with something unique as the end result. This is a very basic recommendation, but I always try to shift my perspective a bit, whether it means scrambling for an elevated view or getting low to incorporate some sort of foreground element into the image.
Once I have my composition, I’m often moving at two paces: hurriedly shooting fleeting conditions or casually waiting for hours until things hopefully line up in an interesting fashion.
If you find yourself with a piece that is unique enough to share with your audience or add to your portfolio, the finishing touches are always put on in post-processing. This is where many successful creatives separate themselves and their brand from an ocean of very similar-looking work. I feel like, when all of these things line up for me, that I am able to create something that stands out from the traditional image at an “over-shot” spot.
Ready to share your best landscape image? Check out the new Top Photographer Challenge With Nigel Barker to submit your best shot and win a $5,000 prize package from Panasonic.
Feature photo by Cas Sheridan
