One of the coolest things I have done so far in my photography career took place a week ago. Based on an idea that started from photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help-Portrait was birthed and over the course of a few months went completely viral over the internet and turned into something quite spectacular. Professional photographers from around the world came together in their own communities and did one thing…

… offered people portraits…

… free of charge…

… and printed them on the spot.

When I initially heard about this concept several months ago, I was really pumped. My mind was raising with possibilities for how this could play out in Bryan/College Station. But, due to some conflicts with my schedule for the weekend that it was supposed to take place globally, I realize that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I was super bummed!

For some reason, it never crossed my mind that I didn’t have to do it on the date that the rest of the world was planning on doing it… I could do it whenever I wanted. So, I got with some other folks in my church and we put our heads together to make this happen.

Another great photographer that is part of our church (Stancy Higley) partnered up with me, and together, we spearheaded the project and shared the load of taking photos and editing them on the spot.

I wanted to make this something more than photographers taking some photos and then leaving. More than just smiles.

So, I presented it to my Life Group at church and told them that I wanted them to be involved. Stancy and I knew that there was only so much we could do when we were behind the camera and computer all day. We wanted people to be there to visit with folks and make it an all around good time. So, our Life Group came out in full force with desserts and smiles and were a major help!

When I presented the idea to a coordinator at Twin City Mission in Bryan, it took him a few minutes to grasp the concept. “You mean, you’re just going to give them professional portraits with no strings attached?” he said.

me :: “Yup!”

Once he got his mind around it, he was thrilled. They were fully on board.

So, we showed up on Sunday morning with all our gear and people were already dressed up and ready to go. The residents at the mission were so excited about this. It really exceeded my expectations of how they would react. What I loved about it was that very few people wanted a photo to just keep for themselves. Almost everyone wanted to send the photo to a family member or loved one that they don’t get to see often. These photos were going to be Christmas presents to family members, a reminder to loved ones that they are doing just fine and for some of them, that they are getting their lives back on track.

It was simply amazing.

One of the greatest things about the day was not the way we made them feel… it was the way they made us feel. When I presented this to my Life Group, most of us had no clue what to expect. When I said “homeless”, everyone’s minds went straight to a bum on the side of the road with shabby clothes. In the words of one of the kiddos from our Life Group when he was telling his mom about the experience, he said, “I didn’t know homeless people have jewelry.”

It was a great reminder for all of us that we are all just people. These people, for whatever reason, were simply in a hard place at this stage in their life. But, they are no different than you or I. They have children that they care deeply for. They have friendships and hopes and aspirations, just like the rest of us.

For me… Help-Portrait was so much more than just free portraits. It was reconciliation… redemption… hope.

Here are some of my favorites that I was able to take. The smiles and the conversations that I shared that day will stick with me for some time.

The photos that were previously up here have been taken down because Help-Portrait isn’t about the photos… it’s not about showing people what we’ve done. As much as I would love to show you these photos, I think it’s best to just let them be for the people alone.

Around the world today, people are stopping to consider the impact that HIV&AIDS has had on the human race.

As I stop and do just that, I’m reminded of many faces that became friends while I was in Malawi. Many people who contracted HIV and were doing their best to make the most of life with this virus.

As I write this, I am becoming aware of my tendency to move on from that experience. Faces and memories are getting blurry, and with each word of Chichewa that slips my mind, my soul forgets another detail of the reality for people living with AIDS in Malawi.

Today is as much for me as it is for them. For people living with HIV, they don’t need to be reminded that it exists. Each and every minute of every day, they know what HIV is doing to their body and to their society. It’s not for them that we pause to think… it’s for us.

It’s for us to consider the fact that 33 million of our fellow humans are currently living with a disease that is killing them at an alarming rate.

It’s a day for us to consider why 95% of those living with HIV are in developing countries.

It’s a time for us to think about the impact that this one tiny virus is having and will have on society.

It’s a chance for us to contemplate how we [you + I] need to respond.

You can’t simply ignore the fact that this is something plaguing the world.

I highly encourage you to check out this interactive AIDS experience. It will change the way you see those living with HIV.

If you’re new to this blog or haven’t known me for very long, you should also check out things I wrote while living in Malawi working with those affected by HIV&AIDS. I’ve pulled up some of the posts that I wrote specifically regarding HIV&AIDS… you can check them out here.

Refuse to not be educated about what’s happening around you.

Refuse to turn your head away from those sitting on the side of the road.

Stop.

Listen.

Help.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to photograph one of the most amazing weddings I have ever been to. The setting was this out-of-a-magazine plantation style house in Brenham, TX with a bed and breakfast on the property. It wasn’t just any ole property though… the bride’s parents actually live on this place.

It was pretty much one of the most perfect days of the year so far. There was literally not one cloud in the entire sky (which isn’t always the best for photography… but it sure did make for a nice wedding) and it was like 70 degrees.

To sum up the day in one word it would be:  Details.

I have never seen an event that had such attention to detail. They literally thought of anything and everything to make this wedding unique.

They also had this really awesome truck just for people to put their gifts in.

This family was incredibly nice and a lot of fun to work with. Here are some of my favorites from this day. Enjoy…

Learn more about my wedding packages by visiting my website :: www.ryanpricephoto.com

Also :: special thanks to Lynsey Kramer for hooking me up with this opportunity!

So, today has been a really interesting day for me.

It all started bright and early with a 5:30am phone call. Not knowing why my phone was ringing me out of deep sleep, I just answered it with an ID that read “unknown number” or something like that. On the other end was a lady with a British accent talking about something. So, I got out of bed and headed to the living room to have this weird conversation with this lady. She was actually a reporter with BBC News.

Yesterday, the BBC posted a “Have Your Say” forum on a new legislation that the Malawian government is proposing that would give loans to prostitutes in order to help them start a business and get off the streets. Of course there is plenty of debate about such a legislation. And, because I love Malawi so much, I just chimed in with my 2 cents, left a comment and then kinda forgot about it.

Now… here I am at 5:30 in the morning talking to this lady (who sounds just like the lady that says “BBC newwwws” on the radio … if you’ve ever listened, you would know exactly what I’m talking about) about what my thoughts are on this legislation. Honestly, I was pretty confused as to the reason why she: a) cared so much about this legislation and getting all this info about it; and b) why she cared what a guy in Texas thinks about it.

Turns out, out of the 120+ comments that people made, some people had pinged mine as an opinion they would want to hear more about. The reporter thought that I would offer an interesting perspective since I had lived in Malawi and worked with HIV/AIDS prevention and stuff.

So, she invited me to participate in an hour long live BBC Africa broadcast that started at 10:00am today.

Basically, it was kind of a forum where they start a discussion and then pull people in on the line to give their opinion about it. At the same time, people are e-mailing and texting in thoughts as well. I sat on the phone for quite a while and, based on the people they had on their talking (Malawian Minister of Gender, actual prostitutes, other important people from around the world), I was pretty sure that they probably weren’t going to get to me. But, I listened to this lively debate and had many thoughts throughout the hour.

Then, the guy said, “and now we’re going to go to Ryan in the States and see what he has to say about this. Ryan, do you think that this plan that the Malawian government is proposing is something that will actually work based on your time there?”

I had been practicing my non-Texan accent all morning to prepare for this opportunity… I really didn’t want to sound like a hick on world news! So, I talked really fast (like non-Americans tend to do) and said:

“I feel like we most certainly need to focus legislation on sex workers, but I think that the current proposal is lacking in that it only focuses on monetary things. By simply giving someone a loan, you are failing to address other important factors such as investing in the person spiritually and emotionally. Let’s try to get at the root of this issue and invest in people… invest in education. But, I also want to commend the Malawian government for at least starting down this road and developing progressive legislation that would attempt to tackle this hard issue. I just feel like it needs to be developed more and that the long-term implications need to be considered before this gets implemented. What we need is not a bandaid approach here… their needs to be a more holistic approach that deals with why people have gotten to this point.”

Then he asked me what I did while I was in Malawi, and I told him.

It was pretty short.

I just think it is crazy that I was just on world news talking about something that I honestly don’t have more than a few opinions about (by no means expert opinions).

Who would have thought that my Thursday morning would go this way?

This is the reason I LOVE BBC News!

You can check out the comment discussion here. If you click on “reader’s recommended” tab, my comment in the 8th one down. Unfortunately, I don’t think that they are going to post the audio from it. Oh well…

I had a lot of fun a few weeks ago doing this session with some great friends. Last year, the Garratts let me live with them for several months before I was married and had just moved back from Malawi. It was great to get to know their family even better. And, this time last year, I was able to take their family photos as one of my first family sessions. I’ve learned a lot since then indeed!

We decided to head out to the Bush Library for some more outdoorsy type shots, and I think we were pretty successful.

I think it helped that I actually knew the kids. The youngest one, Carter, was pretty much a side show all by himself! He is a ham and pretty much loves doing the opposite of whatever I was originally planning for. But, it all worked out in the end, and I think I was able to really capture his personality rather than just some contrived shots.

Here are a few of my favorites…

The Fam…

:: The kids ::

I thought that this photo really summed up the whole experience…

Thanks for keeping me on my toes Garratt Family. Love you guys!

Check out my website for more info about family portraits!
www.ryanpricephoto.com

This is another post that is well overdue. I took these photos back in mid-September! I know… condemn me…

Anyway… I had the pleasure of doing this photo session for a friend of my sister in Austin. Jake was like 3 months old or so back then, so he’s probably twice this size now.

We had a ton of fun getting him all dressed up and then trying to get him to laugh, smile, make funny faces… you know the gig…

Here are a few of my favorites from that session…

Check out more of my work on my website :: www.ryanpricephoto.com

These past few months have been full of baby and family sessions! I’m kinda glad a lot of these have come at me at once, because it has forced me to be more creative so that I don’t give people the same shots that their best friends have… that wouldn’t be any fun!

So, I’ve invested in some new props and just new ideas in general… and I’ve been really happy with stuff.

The Stockbergers are some great friends of ours. Nathaniel is nothing short of CRAZY [in a good way] and Tara is super nice [and as my wife is always saying... Tara just looks really natural as a mother]. So, they had their first little one, Avadelle, back in July… and I think we’re all wondering how she will act in 5 years… will she be more like Nathaniel or Tara. This could be interesting!

Anyway… so, here are a few from her session. One thing I really like to do with Newborn photos is to use as much stuff that belongs to the family as I can. I find it much easier and more comfortable for the mom and baby to be in their own environment, and if the baby is fussy and needs to nurse, it’s not super awkward or something. I also like to incorporate things that actually mean something to you and your baby into the photos. I mean… I have a huge selection of props… but, if I can find things that look just as cool and actually belong to you, then I will definitely use those instead. These make your photos unique to you and help you remember little things about those first days of life.

The words of this song have been wreaking havoc on my soul as of late.

This photo is inspired from the lyrics.

Falling down upon our knees
Sharing now in common shame
We have sought security
Not the cross that bears Your name
Fences guard our hearts and homes
Comfort sings a siren tune
We’re a valley of dry bones
Lead us back to life in You

Lord we fall upon our knees
We have shunned the weak and poor
Worshipped beauty, courted kings
And the things their gold affords
Prayed for those we’d like to know
Favor sings a siren tune
We’ve become a talent show
Lead us back to life in You

You have caused the blind to see
We have blinded him again
With our man-made laws and creeds
Eager, ready to condemn
Now we plead before Your throne
Power sings a siren tune
We’ve been throwing heavy stones
Lead us back to life in You

We’re a valley of dry bones
Lead us back to life in You
We’ve become a talent show
Lead us back to life in You
We’ve been throwing heavy stones
Lead us back to life in You

w/m: Bobby Gilles & Brooks Ritter
Sojourn Community Church
Listen here.

Before I even really got serious about the role photography would play in my life, I felt the Lord calling me to do something deeper with photography than simply snapping shots of people and taking their money. For the past year or so, I’ve wrestled with this idea and how it should look.

One way that it is playing out is that I have changed my mindset when it comes to capturing and editing photos. I no longer see my photos as a product to be processed and dispersed, but art that is to be contemplated and created. How does my style reflect something deeper in humanity? How do my photos inspire and bring hope? How do my photos point to something/someone bigger? What redemptive qualities do they possess?

As I wrestled through this, I began thinking more and more about how light is imposed into my photos. Exploring different ways of shooting and editing that would accentuate and focus people on the importance of light in a photo, and light in our depraved world.

But, aside from the artistic side of photography, I have been determined to allow the business side of it to be about something deeper and eternal. This too has taken on some different faces. One huge passion of mine is to capture images of the poor, neglected, and forgotten in our world and allow those images to confront us here in our comfortable existence. One great desire has been to present an accurate picture of hope, while most people are only seeing pictures of despair and dirt.  Giving us in the West an accurate picture of our own depravity when compared to the hope and joy that people have while living on nothing.

I also want to serve my local church, as well as the Kingdom as a whole, in this way. Critically thinking about art and culture and how the church plays into that, and then allowing images to communicate that to our body.

But, more recently, the Lord laid something else on my heart. For the last few years, I have watched and prayed with people that I am really close to as they embark on the sometimes painful, but always redeeming process of adoption. As I have journeyed with them on this road, my heart has been captured by the beauty of adoption. How wonderfully this simple act reflects the work of Christ in our lives. My eyes have also been opened to the enormous need for more couples to seriously consider how adoption fits into their lives. How as believers we are called to care for the orphan.

One thing that every family that is looking to adopt will need to do is create an album of pictures of their family and submit it to the adoption agency for the birth family to look over. In an effort to assist families looking to do this in a small way, I want to offer my services to you for FREE to get you one step closer to having a wonderful child in your arms.

Yep… you read that right… I’ll give you my standard family package [usually costing $180], because I want to be part of what God is doing in redeeming our world.

So, if you are in the process of adopting or know of someone who is, just let me know and pass this along. This isn’t even a monthly special or anything, but just an ongoing thing that I will offer.

www.ryanpricephoto.com

So, I’ve had several newborn photo sessions since I last posted some on here. I have been exploring with some new props and some new editing techniques, so I wanted to show some of them on here.

This is the first of several more posts of newborns that are to come. This baby was probably one of the best babies that I have ever photographed. I was literally in and out in under an hour, and I don’t think that he cried once! I was really excited with the outcome as well. Here are some for you to enjoy…

Here’s where you come in… below is a sample of several different edits of the same photo. Which do you prefer? I’m really interested to see what the average customer likes most… more traditional or more artsy? So, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

To find out more about Newborn Photo Sessions, visit my website!