Meet Ryan Taylor of Cincinnati, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Taylor.

Hi Ryan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Art has always influenced my life, whether it be a stunning painting at a gallery, an iconic movie or a memorable piece of music. Ever since a young age, I would take up many interests just to experiment and create something of my own.

On one particular day in kindergarten, my art teacher mentioned to the class that photography is a lot of fun and something we should consider pursuing later on in high school. I didn’t think much of this comment as I went through the years of academia, until my sophomore year was about to begin.

The year was 2012, and that moment came full circle for me as I chose to enroll in Photography I and II electives for the full year.

I began photography class by shooting exclusively on film and engaging in the darkroom process. I would develop prints of my assignments and then learn to cut matboard to mount to the photographs. As you can imagine, the assignments covered a diverse range of subject matter; people, still life, landscapes, a photo series and more.

The second semester of the year was when I began digital photography, and found the results to be much more of my speed and style. Post processing was now done on the computer and I would use all kinds of wacky and zany filters or effects on the images. Nothing was held back as I let my imagination and creativity wild and limitless. I was hooked!

Soon after these classes, I was gifted my first camera for Christmas. A Canon Rebel T3 with an 18-55mm kit lens and some other bundled gear. I found myself riding my bike near and far (this was before I learned how to drive a car) as I searched for whatever would be suitable for an image.

Upon graduating high school, I took a gap year to work full time at a grocery store. Unsure of my future academics or career prospects, this left me with more time to engage in hobbies and other interests. More and more often I was visiting local parks and trails, the camera as my companion on these travels.

As expected, my interest in nature grew as I photographed the things around me. The early days are where everything was new and exciting and different. The eagerness to see things through the viewfinder and lens became my motivation. I was hungry for capturing subjects on camera and learning more about them later.

After several years of steady growth in my skills as a photographer and as a citizen naturalist, my lived experiences and studying of books and field guides allowed me to plan photo outings and trips more effortlessly Being able to witness the seasons in Ohio year after year gave me confidence to find a new bird species, a waterfall or a certain type of wildflower.

I have been very fortunate to have met many photographers and artists of all disciplines over the years. These have resulted in collaborations such as a photography podcast that went on for several years and going on trips or outings with groups. I wouldn’t be who I am today without their conversations and exchanging of ideas along the way. This passion isn’t a zero sum game, we are all here to lift each other up as creators.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My desire to grow my passion into a business started when I made a substantial push in 2019 by having my first solo exhibition. In that same year is where I hosted a booth at about a dozen local art fairs and festivals. I then started having a social media presence across several major platforms, uploaded YouTube videos and wrote on a blog.

As we all know, 2020 happened and my plans for the near future fell completely flat. With all this extra time is where I went out in the field and had quite possibly my most prolific year of taking images, all while social distancing.

In 2021 I felt more or less “back to normal” as I did two years prior, with festival season in full swing and artist receptions happening more regularly again. My time spent hiking out in nature was also still going strong, and on the weekends are when I would host gallery openings and/or participate in local art fairs.

After several years of countless art galleries, cooperatives, consignment shops and festivals, I burnt myself out really badly. In 2022 was when I realized that my friendships, relationships and the rest of my life was essentially being tossed aside for photography and my business was all I’ve known lately. As a sole proprietor, everything fell on me to get done and I had my “hands” (read: photographic prints) in so many different places at the same time. This whole situation that I’ve created became a lot to juggle and ultimately exhausted me.

I attribute this struggle to running away from several problems in my personal life, such as a breakup from a toxic relationship, and working a day job that I wasn’t truly passionate about. Working tirelessly day and night on my craft after working my full time job was consuming me whole. The idea of “hustle culture” was still pretty big at the time and left an imbalance on my mental health.

That same year, I sold practically all of my camera gear on a whim and then bought one camera, a Nikon P1000 super telephoto zoom with which I still own. This was my attempt to hopefully kickstart my interest once again and help keeps this passion alive. At the same time as this period, I slowly drew back on my commitments to what I could handle in terms of business. At the risk of sounding dramatic, this was my way of “burning it all down” and starting over again.

It was also around this time that I met my current girlfriend while I was staying in Cincinnati for an intensive certification course, and through dating long distance an hour away and eventually becoming exclusive is where I found some more balance in my life instead of working all the time. Since spring 2024 we have since moved in together and share the house with Marley the dog which was a nice change of pace in my life. This change was very positive and helped in caring for someone or something other than my career.

I could go on and on of course, but this is some of the main points in the timeline. For every portfolio worthy image I put on my website, there is hundreds of absolute duds that go into the trash bin. The ‘Delete’ button becomes your best friend in a way.

As I write this in my newly arranged office space, I look around and see how far I’ve come and what’s to hold for the future. It feels great to have my passion for producing imagery and art to be intact and to do things on my own terms now.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I primarily focus on outdoor fine art photography, most often in the nature. While other photographers may specialize in a certain subject or group ie: birds, landscapes, or macro, I tend to follow my muse with whatever interests me or whatever may come my way.

While some of my biggest inspirations may choose one discipline to capture, I tend to find that having a diverse portfolio helps in not pigeon-holing ones’ work. This helps keep creativity fresh and to switch up different lenses and compositional techniques based on what my camera and I are focused on.

There are so many variables that influence what I happen to be photographing on any given day; the weather/lighting, the season, my overall mood and so much more too. So to sum it up in a way, I guess my specialty is nature photography overall.

The “fine art” aspect of my work comes from the moment after capturing the image in which I edit and print them out. A photograph does not feel fully realized and complete until the paper makes contact with the ink, solidifying the two-dimensional picture in a three-dimensional world. Although I print my favorite images for my own enjoyment and to hang around the house, I much prefer hanging them up in public spaces for the general public. My resume is quite expansive as I have done medical hospitals, state courthouses, country clubs, coffee shops and sold to other photographers of course.

At the risk of pandering to or romanticizing nature, I am most proud of the wildlife and habitats that endure despite human alteration or destruction. One thing I have seen is that despite the wealthy and rich corporations and people who may not care for our planet, there is still so many incredible grassroots organizations and others who stand up for and are stewards to our Mother Earth. It’s a very beautiful thing to witness and something I take with me everywhere. Ethics and conservation are very important to me, even more than identifying as a photographer. These morals inform my life immensely and remind me of the impact I have on the environment not just when out in the field but in everyday life.

What sets me apart from other creatives is that I almost exclusively focus on the state of Ohio. I have grown to love the buckeye state as it is home and where I’ve lived all my life. There are so many breathtaking state parks, nature preserves and native flora/fauna to witness all year. That being said, I have traveled internationally to Ontario, Canada and several other states such as Michigan and Tennessee for photography trips. However, Ohio is still my favorite state by a wide margin in terms of cost of living and the amount of nature among us.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
In Cincinnati, I love the myriad of parks and trails that you don’t see too often surrounding a larger city. This surprised me upon moving to the area, there’s more than meets the eye!

I’m originally from Dayton, and have to give a shoutout to several galleries and places such as Front Street near downtown and Village Artisans in nearby Yellow Springs. Those two in particular are memorable and full of talented and hardworking creatives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ryanltaylor.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanltaylorphoto
• Other: https://www.ryanltaylor.blog/