Ryan Wimsatt
Q What do you do?
“I am an early career commercial photographer, content strategist, and creative director. ”
I have a LOVE and focus for photography in the lifestyle, luxury, and fashion spaces, but my interests and expertise expand all over.
I want to use my camera and my elevated aesthetic to drive marketing strategies that captivate consumers and provide wholistic, premium flavors to stories and products.
My absolute favorite part of what I do is capture photos in different locations with different people based on a complex/collaborated vision. I gather a lot of inspiration from people, whether it be cool people cool people on Instagram and Pinterest or people I see in passing. I also draw inspiration from the world and issues around me - on a more social artist tip!
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I went to college; hands-down my biggest crucible for gaining the experience and the confidence I needed in my creative vision and style. I graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Economics, with a goal of going to business school to learn marketing.
I know this sounds super analytical, and in many ways, it was as I studied ruthlessly throughout undergrad on formulas and math. But all the while, I was working with my campus fashion magazine in many capacities from spread photographer to eventually becoming the Editor-in-Chief. Between learning the editorial cadence and taking a few photography classes as electives, I continued to hone my photographic skills during school.
As a photographer on campus, I developed my style and my vision of what I believed was my uniqueness. I got my hands dirty with photoshop and I learned from and worked with fellow creatives. Conversely, as an economics major, I studied the mathematical approaches to the business firm and consumer behavior that acts as 'market notecards' whenever I work with clients.
My most powerful asset so far has been marrying my left brain and right brain together for brands and projects to create work that is communicative and strategic, yet beautiful and captivating.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I’ve been working without any assistance my entire photographic career. As of recent, I have worked as a PA for shoots with Vogue, Google, Warner Brothers, Vanity Fair and learned just how much work and manpower goes into creating just one good image, even before the image is brought into editing software.
All my work has been very freelance and raw quite frankly. I haven’t gotten super fancy with photoshop, I don’t have the best lighting equipment or facilities, I don't work with makeup artists, stylists, or producers, I don’t even retouch many of what I would consider being my best photos. But I come to the job with my camera and my vision and try my best to make magic, and I have the absolute best time. I spend a lot of brainpower thinking of what I can do once I have the production really fuel my ideas.
At one point I felt like I was too much of a purist, and I needed to ditch the whole ‘walk around the area and see what you like’ attitude. But then I saw Annie Leibovitz do just that for a Variety Fair advertisement and I quickly realized that my no method is low bar in photogrpahy. You make art any way you feel.
Q What are you working on right now?
Right now I am working on upgrading my portfolio, applying for jobs for this year and business school for next fall, and recently looking to work with model agencies as a test shoot photographer. I’m not too certain how to get my foot in the door with publications and brands yet, but I’ve been doing my research and I really want to start shooting more public work.
I just completed a summer internship with a creative strategy consulting firm where I learned about asset management. I loved working with a creative team to strategize and create assets for companies. That has been an amazing corporate experience in understanding the background behind creativity and how it lives and breathes in the real world.
I am also still a contract PA and that, for the past year coming this September, has provided me with some of the best experiences I have had so far in this industry. As a PA, I now have so much knowledge about the process of commercial photography, what set life looks like, the behaviors and responsibilities of the multiple departments on a shoot, and I appreciate all the time and detail it takes to make premium visual assets. I absolutely love it!
Q What’s your style?
Ugh, I feel like that is such a difficult question considering it varies depending on the shoot I am doing. I will say that as a black gay man I am interested in highlighting misrepresented communities. This ultimately translates into allowing my photography to be truthful in presenting the variety of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members in beauty, in fashion, in haute couture, whatever space.
Outside of that, photography is about light. Light is the power behind photography and my style is about capturing and manipulating natural light to highlight my subjects in emotive ways. In terms of subject, I love editorial portraiture, the type of stuff you can see in a magazine or on a GUESS billboard, or in the department store you shop in.
Here is a link to a Pinterest board (a platform I am obsessed with) of some of my best photos.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Personally, I would like to become more proficient in photoshop and graphic manipulation. If someone had told me earlier that graphic design is going to be something I would want to do in this line of work, what a difference that would’ve made. I’m so interested in creating different types of assets from start to finish, including typography, canvas sizes, and other graphic elements clients often ask for that photographers don’t do. So I would love to work on those skills to become more well-rounded in those creative abilities.
Outside of that, I want to go to business school to learn about marketing more formally. I understand how flexible and ever-changing marketing is with the advent of social media, but I still find importance in learning about the traditional and how we have modernized marketing in multiple industries. I challenge myself to translate that knowledge into my artistry and see what can come of it.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Cold Emailing! Putting myself out there! Applying! Asking if someone wants photos!. I am a Leo and I admit my anxious attachment style makes me believe my presence isn’t necessary at times. I am working on that! Especially as a creative, I HAVE to believe I am necessary and required, and that my vision can hold the weight of the project.
Getting jobs as a photographer and not a marketing strategist frustrates me as well. I wish I could go on LinkedIn and find a campaign photographer listing like I was taught to expect, but that platform isn’t the place for my line of work. This is why I am making a profile on ilovecreatives, because I think this can make a big difference and alleviate some of that frustration.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Apply for jobs and send emails. Once I get the opportunity I can handle a lot of the communication. This probably says SO MUCH about me.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Don’t be afraid to approach people with ideas.
I give myself some grace because I was in school until recently, and I didn’t have the bandwidth to really reach to shoot public work. But now that I am done, I wish I gained some practice being rejected, getting constructive feedback on my work, on the management and process of shooting published photos; I would’ve told myself to try early to be more prepared now.
Nonetheless, we are here now and I am putting my best foot forward in many different pools of photography work, and I am not afraid.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
NFT experts. Is this a worthwhile revenue stream for a photo agency? Hehe.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
We are looking to work with interesting brands with bold creative visions.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal job would be shooting campaign photography GOLF WANG. Capturing the colorful pieces in a golden sun near a lake with some backdrops, reflectors, and maybe some outdoor flash. I think my mind is much more conceptual and then it works backward to get all the practical requirements to make the concept real. I love the idea of traveling to shoot. I don’t go too far now, at least not outside my city, but flying to a location to shoot would be a dream, which is why the GOLF WANG lake shoot idea is such a dream of mine.
I also think my ideal job is a team job. Definitely not the sole creative mind in the room. I love collaboration and intellectualizing the art to really make the photos more than just a commercial asset but a statement on its own. In the past, I have worked with creative directors and owners about melting multiple visions together to create good work.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Email or DM on my IG.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Mark Leibowitz and Matt Sayles (both Stanford alum that have helped me get this far and have continued to show interest in my success)
Tyler Mitchel, Deon Hinton, Quil Lemons, Ro.Lexx, Micaiah Carter, Grant Legan…
The list goes on but these are photographers that are young and making it happen which is truly inspiring. They have such a unique and creative vision. Also, I just stare at their photos for hours on some days, so they have to be given their flowers.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Ditch Instagram and go to Pinterest.
This member profile was originally published in Septemeber 2021