I’ve decided to open my blog up to photographers that inspire me but have small followings on social media. In the first guest blog, I had introduced you to Daron Marshall, in this the second guest blog I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Waterfield. You can find Ryan on instagram
Ryan Waterfield
My name is Ryan, I'm a 38-year-old street photographer based in the north-west of England. I love to take gritty street photographs that capture interesting characters who seem to have life experience and a story to tell. My weapon of choice is the Ricoh GRII.
My love of photography started around 10 years ago when I decided to document trips around Europe and Scotland with my first Canon compact digital camera. I loved that camera, and I enjoyed taking photos of architecture, landscapes and anything that would capture the culture and feel of the places I was visiting. My interest led me into the field of landscape photography, and on a voyage to capture rugged environments with dramatic light with my Canon 70D SLR. Rough weather and stormy conditions were my favourite conditions to photograph in and my favourite lens became my 70-200 for picking out areas of interest.
About two years ago, I wanted to take a side step with my photography and to be able to take photos while out and about on a daily basis, and this is what lead me to street photography.
I discovered the work of John Free (@john_free_photography). He was and still is my greatest influence and inspiration. Johns passion for photography is infectious, and in particular, I admire his work documenting 'railroad tramps'. He always seems to have genuine respect and interest in his subjects, and only releases the shutter when the moment is right.
Another one of my favourite influences became Tatsuo Suzuki (@tatsuo_suzuki_001). He is also a very passionate street photographer, whose work is gritty. I was fascinated by how very close he gets to his subjects.
I realised that my Canon SLR was too bulky and cumbersome, and not discreet enough, so I began to research into a new camera which would be used specifically for street photography. I came across Samuel L Streetlife on youtube (@lin.taro) and watched his videos about the Ricoh GRII. After further research, I realised this would be the camera for my street photography. It's compact, rugged, has excellent functions and image quality, and most of all its unique 'snap focus' function. This means I can pre-focus to a set distance and forget about focus altogether. I now almost forget about the camera and its settings while out shooting, and I concentrate purely on finding and capturing moments.
At the end of 2019, I was really starting to enjoy street photography and I decided to start an Instagram account (@ricohryan2). I was really pleased to have done this because the platform gave more purpose for my work, and it was great to be exposed to so many great photographers and to make some good friends along the way.
My work is primarily black and white, as this is how I tend to see and think when composing shots. If I feel it adds something extra to a photograph, I occasionally work in colour. I love to capture gritty and interesting people, and often quite close up. I've learned and developed the subtleties of getting close to my subjects without them necessarily noticing me, or my camera. On the occasions that people have noticed me I've been open and honest about my intent, and have told them what I admire about them. More often than not they are interested in what I do and they approve of me taking their photograph. This isn't always the case though, and if somebody does not like me taking their photo, I respect their wishes and delete the image. I have on occasion asked people if I may take their portrait and they have approved, but what I really like is the candid nature of spontaneous street photography.
I'm a firm believer in choosing a focal length that you feel comfortable within street photography and letting the process of framing with that focal length become second nature. There is very little time to be zooming, focusing, or thinking about camera settings.
My set up and workflow is entirely mobile. I shoot in raw and transfer via wifi to my phone, edit in Adobe Lightroom mobile and then publish straight to Instagram. I love to be out and about shooting, and when I know I have a keeper I'll generally pop into a café, edit my photo and often post it there and then.
Street photography for me is something that excites me, helps me to relax, and gets my creative juices flowing. I have the utmost respect for my subjects, and I'm fascinated by people's lives and personalities, and how a photograph can capture them. I feel I'm still at the beginning of my journey as a street photographer, and I look forward to discovering what the future will bring.
