Photographer Ryan Schude just finished shooting the fashion feature for RE:UP 16, but before letting him loose we hit him with a quick Q&A — his photos are so striking, his scenes so involved, we had to learn more. Living and working out of the Forge Studio in Los Angeles, Ryan is mainly concerned with editorial portraiture and is also busy developing a series around narrative tableau. Along with his contributions to RE:UP Magazine, you can keep an eye out for upcoming work in Flaunt and Esquire Magazine.
How long have you been shooting and what’s your background?
I started shooting casually in 1997, mostly street and travel photos until about 2001 when the first experiments in portraiture began…
A more focused approach to lighting, set design and concept has grown in the last few years which lends itself to a variety of cinematic and narrative influences.
What subject matter are you primarily interested in?
This is a good question. My friend once commented that my book was too much of a downer which I would say is more of a by-product of the light and color palette I prefer to use rather than an intentionally somber mood I am creating. There are a few common themes you could pull from the images if you thought about it enough but I would argue that much of the aesthetic is more superficially surrounded by ambiguous nods at a mystery that isn’t really there. Hah, that sounds ridiculous but I suppose a simpler way to look at it is that I am more interested in form than function.
What kind of equipment do you work with? Any particular techniques that you’re especially into right now? Do work with a big light setup or keep it minimal?
Each photo requires a different level of setup depending on time, budget, location and how many people are in the shot. For a portrait I shot at a train station, there was only one subject and the scene was lit almost perfectly as it was so I didn’t set anything up except a tripod. Other times, like the last shot I did at a diner, we had to meticulously place 24 separate lights throughout the scene and that was still cutting it short.
What inspires you?
The dialogue that is developed when someone looks at a photograph. Similar to how reading a book is interactive, it’s interesting to think of what goes through people’s mind as they create their own ideas surrounding an image.
How was your experience doing the Fashion Feature for the upcoming issue of RE:UP?
This project was too much fun. I was fortunate that you guys trusted me to do whatever I wanted which opened up the door to bring on Collins and Keith to help brainstorm concepts. We ended up making a video documentary about the shoot which entailed developing a short narrative for each of the models to explain on camera as we were shooting. All of the models were great sports and totally got into their roles. We were also fortunate to have the unknowing help of Kiersten at youfail.com for coming up with the sock pose.
Photos:
1. Diner, Sun Valley, California. Personal.
2. Tortoise Vs. Jaguar, Los Angeles. Personal.
3. Craig Bierko, Hollywood, CA, CS Magazine
4. Sam Witmer, Union Station, Los Angeles, CS Magazine
To contact Ryan or see more of his work, please visit his website at ryanschude.com. Also scheduled for release early this fall is a short film that Ryan helped produce alongside his brother Collins who also wrote, directed and acted in which is entitled “Bunny Suits.” Check out the trailer at bunnysuitsthemovie.com.
0 Responses to “Scene Specialist: Interview with Photographer Ryan Schude”