5 - Amanda Schweizer submits Robin Ryan

Canadian photographer Robin Ryan has produced work from all over the world.  He has traveled throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and South Korea in search of the perfect image.  With Geography as one of my degree focus areas, I was naturally intrigued by this young man's extensive travels and artistic eye.  According to his website, it appears that most of his work is untitled.  The only hint of a title is when you view the image info on the site.  We can assume interpretation is up to the viewer.

What first drew me to Robin's work was his nighttime photos published on a night photography tips website.  I recently discovered the joy of nighttime photos for myself and appreciate how he composed these photos, taking color, foreground, and background into consideration.  Here are a few samples of his nighttime photos:

 

 One of the few titled pieces, The Runner, is an initially deceiving image

in that the person in the foreground seems to be captured in motion.  

Any photographer knows the exposure time would have been long, therefore

the person should be blurry.  It takes a few seconds to realize the 

runner is actually a statue.  Very clever.  Also, the colors reflected in the water

create another interesting focal point.

  

 This untitled image of a city at night depicts the serene night

scene in the calmness of the water reflecting the city lights.  

The subtle hues add to the calmness, and the detail revealed by

lights under the bridge give the viewer something to study.

 

 In "A Painted Ship Upon A Painted Ocean, " the lights on the covered 

dock create an ethereal glow.  The warm hues invite the sailors home.

While perusing Robin's website to study his other work, I ran across a few black and white photos I found very entertaining.  Though neither one is titled, it appears they depict a busy modern world where no one interacts with each other.

 This stairwell piece is unusual and interesting in that

we are viewing people from a "compromising" position,

yet the frosted glass maintains privacy and anonymity.

Few people take the time to view the world from a 

different angle like this.

This image is one of my favorites.  The busy motion

combined with the calmly waiting subjects depicts how,

in confined spaces like a mall, humans mimic the frenetic

characteristics of bees in a hive.  Each one has a job to do

and work at different speeds.

Images from Robin Ryan Photography website:  http://www.robinryan.ca/