John Ryan: Portrait

When I think of the big moments in my life - graduations, birthdays, my wedding - there were always a slew of friends from high school there. I'm not quite sure what it is (we frequently joke they put something in the water in our hometown) but there is something about knowing someone from a time when you wore braces and went to prom that just means they really know you somehow. Today I count among my closest friends people I met in high school, in middle school, even some from preschool.

John Ryan is one of those friends "from home." Even his name is homage to the length of time I've known him. He always went by Ryan, his middle name, in high school. Somehow, in college it became easier for him to go by his real first name but for those of us who had spent four years or more calling him "Ryan" the transition to "John" has taken considerable time. As a compromise, I call him John Ryan or JRR.

Our conversations are always peppered with "Hey, do you remember when..." and "Man, that one time..." So for me the challenge of this portrait session was all about showing the duality of knowing someone and capturing that in the images, yet still trying to do something new. We worked together on the concept and logistics of the shoot. I think the results are fun and fantastic.

John, Ryan, JRR, Ry Rob... by whatever name I am glad to call you friend. Thanks for letting me experiment and take your picture!