Ryan grew up in the palm of Michigan’s mitten and studied biology at Michigan State University, Northern Central Michigan College and Colorado State University. After starting his fourth year of school he decided to take a break to backpack the Appalachian Trail. It is often joked that hiking the Appalachian Trail will “ruin” one’s life and for Ryan, that was the case. After 4 months of nothing but hiking, eating, sleeping and taking pictures, he wanted more. The freedom and adventure he’d experienced walking in the Appalachians was addictive and he would spend many of the following years seeking similar experiences.

After the next winter working as an instructor at a rock climbing gym and saving his pennies, he spent months the next summer cycle touring the mid-west and back country kayaking and canoeing. The following years followed similar tracts: work hard half the year and save everything then take off on another trip in the wilderness.

Never afraid of odd jobs, Ryan has found himself working as a wildland firefighter, snow cat operator, carpenter, high-rise window cleaner, inventor and photographer among many other things.

Through all the long trips and interesting employment, he has always maintained a passion for photography. Well before every cell phone had a camera built in, Ryan would seldom be found without his weatherproof 35mm Olympus.

 

Ryan lived the last decade in San Diego, the first few years taking advantage of the perfect climate to run marathons, triathlons and Ironman. In 2011 he moved full time onto a sailboat in the San Diego bay. Being on the water in Southern California there were never shortages of beautiful days or fascinating marine scenery to photograph. In the spring of 2016 he got the chance to do a 10k open water swim with friends in Sweden and later that fall took six weeks to hike and photograph the high Sierra section of the Pacific Crest Trail.

After selling his home/sailboat in 2017, he got a one way ticket to Mexico to spend what he imagined would be a few weeks sailing with and photographing friends in the Sea of Cortez. Four months later he returned to the U.S. having shot hundreds of Gb of photos and video with his drones (one having found its way into the ocean). He is a licensed commercial drone pilot which allows him to shoot areal photos and videos for his clients.

Ryan now lives in Northern Michigan and works as a photographer and inventor. There he is virtually never found without a camera or drone within arm’s reach.