Del Ryder

It seems from an early age I was driven by curiosity. My father said that as far back as he could remember I was “full of questions”. During my high school years he bought a set of encyclopedias. He thought I'd find some answers there, but I hardly ever used them.

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My curiosity was experiential and mostly visual; seeing and discovering things for myself. As a kid, I spent my free time hiking in forests or wading through swamps in upstate New York just to see what was there. For my twelfth birthday, I received a microscope from my grandmother. What I saw in a single drop of swamp water was amazing. It was home for a dozen Hydra. Then I wondered what I might see in distant places. I mowed lawns in the summer and shoveled driveways in the winter to buy a telescope. When I found Saturn with its rings in the night sky, I ran into the house to get my father, but by the time we returned the planet had slipped away. It was beautiful, but it was also an amazing moment of perspective I'll never forget. 

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A high school camera club formed in my senior year. Some friends encouraged me to join. I had a microscope and a telescope and there were special fittings available to mount a camera to them, so I planned to record some of the extraordinary things I was seeing, including things I was discovering on my nature walks. When I tried to join, I was told the club was full with six students all sharing one camera. That was disappointing, but on the positive side, I took two semesters of mechanical drawing that year and learned to use linear perspective to create a sense of depth and three dimensional space on a flat piece of paper. That training placed me further along the learning curve with respect to composition and design when I bought a camera a few years later.

 

I bought my first camera in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. I didn't know then that it would be a life changing event.​

 

I chose a Minolta SRT~101with a 50mm 1.4 lens, driven by the belief that great lenses are key to capturing sharp images. Self - taught from camera magazines, particularily CAMERA, a Swiss publication that showcased the work of fine art photographers, I experimented with techniques like framing, design [especially the arrangement of the spaces and objects within my frame], linear and aerial perspective and depth of field effects. Photography became a personal exploration, a way to merge my thoughts and emotions with the world around me. My camera wasn't just a tool; it was a vehicle for documenting and interpreting the people, places and things I encountered. It became a way to reflect and learn ~ not just about the world, but also about myself.

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​Photography excited me and I wanted to learn more, so after returning from Japan, I completed advanced courses in photography from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications/Journalism at Syracuse University. Within these two schools of photography, I was able to hone my skills in both fine art and photojournalism. After graduating, my career advanced quickly. I taught for the State University of New York at the Tompkins/ Cortland Campus as an Adjunct Professor of Photography in the Fine Art Department. I began to photograph in the New England area on several road trips and exhibited my fine art photography across the US and Canada. A year later I became the Director of PhotoVisions, a fine art photography gallery in NY. During my tenure, I curated eight fine art photography exhibitions. Shortly thereafter, I met with the Director of the Everson Museum of Art in NY to show him my recently completed series of new color photography. At the conclusion of our meeting he invited me to exhibit my series of twenty hand printed color photographs at the museum. At the conclusion of the exhibit a few of my photographs entered the Everson Museum collection.

 

I was using 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras for much of my fine art work, so it felt very natural to begin freelancing as an architectural photographer. I quickly became known for my high quality work not only in fine art and architecture, but in product and advertising photography. Within a year I opened my first photography studio. I also provided portrait and fashion photography services there. Working as a full time professional advertising photographer influenced my fine art photography. It can be seen in my early transition to color film and printing for my fine art photography that was de rigueur for advertising photography at the time. As a student at Syracuse University, I learned to process and print color film and photographs, so I moved my Simmon Omega and Beseler 4x5 enlargers and color print processor from my spare room at home to my studio to maintain the highest quality possible for all my projects. Hand printing my own color prints seemed quite natural for me. I've always been sensitive to the way color affects emotion and mood.

 

Encouraged by success in working with advertising agencies representing local businesses, I moved to the West Coast to open an advertising photography studio in Irvine, California to serve national and international clients. I won several awards for advertising photography from ADDOC, the Art Directors and Designers of Orange County at their annual awards ceremonies. With a strong portfolio of portrait and fashion photographs from New York, I also worked with Los Angeles and Orange County talent agencies to enhance their models professional portfolios.

 

As much as I enjoyed my career in advertising photography, working with teams consisting of art directors, stylists and set designers to fulfill assignments, my fine art photography gave me something very special ~ the artistic freedom to express my personal reactions and feelings to the people, places and things I've experienced in my life. Regarding my way of working [my attitude] as a fine art photographer ~ I am mindful and work without preconceptions. I value discovery, learning and finding meaning in the ordinary, everyday things that trigger emotion.

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I live in Huntington Beach, California. I'm out with my digital camera almost every day. My top priority as a fine art photographer is to keep an open agenda toward subject matter and maintain a relaxed, mindful state of attention. Fine art photography has always been a perfect fit and an all encompassing passion for me. There are over 300 photographs on this site and I post new fine art photographs frequently. I hope you enjoy viewing the photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them.

 

A partial client list of advertising photography accounts include the following: Allergan, Apple Macintosh, Avis, Beatrice Hunt-Wesson, Bentley Mills, Breyers, Coca Cola, Del Mar Avionics, FireTrac, F.X. Matt Brewing Co, ICN Pharmaceuticals, Ingram Micro, Knudsen, Lawry's, Marathon Inc, Northrup Grumman, Philips Electronics, Quantum Health Resources, Ocean Pacific Swimwear, Orange Coast Magazine, Taco Bell, and TRW.

 

I hold BA ( Psychology ) and  MS ( Counseling ) degrees from Syracuse University.