Meet Ryan David | Fashion & Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan David and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I grew up as a creative kid and was very passionate about music and art, ultimately moving into photography at university alongside my formal studies. When I look back on my childhood and student-years, there was always a camera present (and this was long before the days when we all carried an iPhone in our pockets!) In 2015 it became an all-consuming hobby. I began to plan weekends and travels around my ability to photograph street scenes and travel topics, and landscapes, and I spent countless hours reading, studying other fashion and art photographers and their monographs, and learning the technical elements via a lot of YouTube, and photographing my friends and family.

I have a tattoo on my chest that says “ama et fac quod vis”, which is Latin for “love and do as you will”. I take that very seriously. Ultimately, I’ve pursued an artistic, creative career because I have to. It’s part of who I am. From the youngest age I can remember, I’ve been the most passionate about art, creativity, and beauty. As an adult, I’ve been fortunate to nurture this artistic career in parallel to my more traditional one, and my photography has provided balance to those more structured, linear parts of my 9-to-5 career, allowing me to express myself and create art that reflects how I see the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My photography represents the world as a sensual place and my work focuses on finding quiet, intimate, and connected moments that are filled with vulnerability. I actually started my photography journey as a street photographer, so I’ve been told that my instinct for the “moment before the moment” is still on display in my portraits & fashion work. I’m always looking for that charged, electric fraction of a second before conscious awareness kicks in and my subject becomes presentational or posed, because in that moment their energy shifts outward, rather than inward. I want my photos to feel intimate, vulnerable, and sensual, and at times even reflective.

I’ve always been most drawn to other photographers who seem to find that intimate honesty with their subjects but can still make it look very glamorous – legends like Peter Lindbergh and Brigitte Lacombe, and also Richard Phibbs and Mario Testino because they have done so much beautiful work specifically focused on male models & the male form, which is a large focus within my more personal work.

I’m so fortunate to have worked on some major fashion campaigns, so now when I work with individual clients or models I try to bring that same elevated approach to the composition and style of my shoots and make even the most “normal” person look glamorous, and worthy of a high fashion treatment.

And my process is slow. I often work on two small Leicas without auto focus or auto exposure, and many of my final images are made on film. This means that I have to connect with my subject, compose deliberately, and work in a dialogue with my subjects in order to create something together. It’s never just one-way direction of “what I want to see”, but rather a physical, tangible conversation that generates movement, energy, beauty, and intimacy.

The most important thing that I’ve learned is that my perspective & aesthetic is valued, and that there’s an audience for everyone’s work if you can trust your instincts and hone your voice. It’s ok to push against the mainstream. I do that by applying mainstream concepts and compositions to non-mainstream subjects. Many of my personal subjects are members of the LGBT+ community – I want my work to elevate their faces, bodies, and presence and to represent the beauty & diversity of my community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I adore the spa & grounds at the Standard. The spa & hammam are beautiful, sensually appointed, and relaxing and are a fantastic way to decompress. I love following a day at the spa with an evening sitting at their Lido cafe on the bay watching the day turn to night, and how the entire property feels shrouded in vines & privacy, torch-lit walk ways, and sensuality. Culturally, I love visiting the Rubell Museum. The collection is expansive and exciting. My very first time visiting, Mera Rubell herself was casually helping out in the gift shop, and we spent quite a while discussing art, politics, and Miami. She was energetic, passionate about art, and totally charming – it created such a last impression!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be here without the support of a handful of close friends and a key family members, who told me to just “go for it” when the opportunities have arisen to take my creative work to the next level. There are too many to name here, but they know who they are.

Website: https://mrryandavid.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.ryandavid/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryandavid

Image Credits
all images © Ryan David