Del Ryder

Curiosity and Discovery

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​Seeing and discovering things for myself is freedom. As a child, I enjoyed hiking through forests and wading through swamps just to see what was there. By age twelve, I had a microscope and discovered several Hydra in a single drop of swamp water. Amazing experiences like that triggered another kind of wonder: like, what would I see in distant places? So, I saved my money, bought a telescope and viewed most of our planets, several constellations and the craters on our moon. I learned to pay attention and be patient because doing so led to discovery. I observed some interesting things early in my life and couldn't wait to show others what I had seen. I needed a camera.

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First Steps toward Photography

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In my senior year, a few friends encouraged me to join a newly formed high school camera club. My microscope and  telescope could be fitted with a camera, so I planned to use the club's camera to record some of the extraordinary things I was seeing, including things I was discovering on my nature walks. Unfortunately, the club was full so I missed an opportunity to learn how to use a camera. That was disappointing, but on the positive side, I took two semesters of mechanical drawing (drafting) that year and learned to use linear perspective to create depth and three dimensional space on a flat piece of paper. That training shaped how I would use composition in my photography a few years later.

 

First Camera

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I bought a Minolta SRT~101with a 50mm 1.4 lens at the Navy Exchange in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. I didn't know it at the time, but buying that camera changed my life. So did traveling around the world with the Navy taking pictures.​

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Early Influence - "Camera" Magazine 

 

The Swiss magazine (CAMERA) showcased the work of established fine art photographers and was my first source for learning how to use my camera. It inspired me to experiment with framing, design [especially the arrangement of the objects and spaces within my frame], linear and aerial perspective and depth of field effects. Photography quickly became more than a hobby.

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Focus on Art and Documentary Photography in New York

 

​Photography was exciting and I wanted to learn more. After returning from service, I completed advanced courses in photography from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications  and Journalism at Syracuse University. Within those two schools of photography, I was able to hone my skills in both art photography and photojournalism. With new skills, 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 throughout the New England area on several road trips and exhibited my art photography in New York and Canada. A year later I became the Director of PhotoVisions, a fine art photography gallery. During my tenure, I curated eight photography exhibitions. Shortly thereafter, I met with the Director of the Everson Museum of Art in NY to show him a 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 close of the exhibit a few of my photographs from that series entered the Everson Museum's permanent collection.

 

Fine Art and Advertising Photography

 

I was using 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras for much of my art work, so it felt very natural to begin freelancing as an architectural photographer. I quickly became known for high quality work not only in fine art and architecture, but in advertising photography. Advertising relies mainly on color photography and as a student at Syracuse University, I  learned to process color film and print color photographs. After gaining several new advertising accounts, I opened my first photography studio. To make things more efficient, I moved my Simmon Omega and Beseler 4x5 enlargers and color print processors from my home into the new studio space. Personally developing and hand printing my own color work was very natural for me and the only way to maintain the highest quality possible for all my projects. I've always been very attuned to the way color affects emotion and mood.

 

The Move to Southern California

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Encouraged by success in working with advertising agencies representing local businesses in NY, I relocated my photography studio to the West Coast and opened a studio in Irvine, California specializing in advertising photography to serve national and international clients. I won several awards for photography from ADDOC, the Art Directors and Designers of Orange County at their annual awards ceremonies. With a strong portfolio of fashion photographs and fine art photography from NY, I also worked with Los Angeles and Orange County talent agencies to help build their models professional portfolios. 

 

Artistic Freedom and the Pursuit of Meaning

 

I enjoyed the fast paced, collaborative world of advertising photography as a career for several years, working with teams consisting of art directors, set designers, food stylists and hair and make-up artists. At the same time, I remained committed to developing my fine art work because it offered something very special... complete artistic freedom. And that freedom included working without preconceptions* especially with regard to my selection of images. I'm attuned to images that evoke emotion and resonate with me as a feeling. Fine art photography has fostered personal exploration and a way to merge my thoughts and emotions with the world around me. I hope you enjoy viewing these photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them.

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I live in Huntington Beach, California and I'm out with my digital camera nearly every day. Photography is a perfect fit and an all encompassing passion for me. There are over 300 jpeg renditions of my photographs displayed here and I post new fine art photographs regularly. I continue to exhibit fine art photographs in Southern California art galleries. A high resolution digital file well printed at 300 dpi and enlarged to 20 x 24 inches or more is something very special to see on a wall.

 

Advertising Accounts, Photography Journals and Publications 

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A partial client list of advertising photography accounts I've held 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. Publications and journals  that have published my fine art photography include Afterimage, a magazine published by The Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, N.Y. and Studio Photography and Design Magazine.

 

Education

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​* Zen Training and Practice ( Zazen ) Japan and U.S.

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