Header photo: Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

Ryan-D is a hobbyist photographer based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, with more than 3 years of experience.  

After sharing his shoot (featuring model Ashleigh Rae at AURAphotographic) with the PurplePort community, Ryan generously gave us his time for a quick interview, where he shared how these fabulous images were created, the inspirations behind the shoot, how it was planned, the camera gear he used, and much more.

In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

In a world full of colors, choose the simplicity of a white shirt. by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

SHARE A SHOOT with Ryan-D

How did you come up with the concept? Did anything inspire you?

I had previously met Ashleigh on another group studio day. I knew then that I had to arrange for us to work together again, and I'm so glad we did! 

I'm a big fan of the work of Peter Coulson, Nathan Elson and, of course, Sean Archer. There's just something about the simplicity of their work that has always resonated with me and is something that I love to convey in my work. 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out. by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

What did you do to plan the shoot?

I always have some moodboards saved where I collect images that I like, and I often think about how I can go about not only replicating them (lighting/direction/mood) but how I can put my own stamp on them. 

I pulled a lot of these images out and put them into a moodboard for Ashleigh and shared them with Ashleigh. What was awesome here was everything that I had put together is a style that Ashleigh loves to do so it just made the whole day even more fun! 

Other than that there wasn't much else with the planning side of things, much like my photos I tend to keep as much as I can simple and straightforward. In my shoots, I'm often known for 'winging it' as I love that kind of approach. I mean, I have a general idea of what I want to achieve, but the method of getting that in camera will always be achieved by finding the right way to work together! Something that I find isn't really natural for me to plan out.

Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us. by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

How did you arrange the shoot?

As we both follow each other on socials and PurplePort, I reached out to Ashleigh to see if she was interested in working together. I was over the moon when Ashleigh said she wanted to. We were both so excited to get to work. It really was amazing.

Creativity arises from our ability to see things from many different angles by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

What was it like shooting at that location?

In truth, I haven't done many 'solo' shoots where it's just me, a model and our ideas, so I was really nervous. I have always struggled a lot with the dreaded 'Imposter Syndrome' and worried about not being able to capture my visions. I'm so pleased that I managed to push these feelings deep down and plan everything as I'm so happy with the results. 

Having been at the studio (AURAphotographic) before and meeting the amazing owner, Emily, I already knew my way around the studio and felt at ease knowing that if I needed anything at all, I could just ask! I mean, what more can you ask for? 

The studio has so many options from the amazing infinity curve and inspiring window light to amazing sets that are made up. The options were endless. For example, some of my favourite images are the ones with the two triangle blocks (none of these were in our moodboards). As I was shooting away, I looked at these and said to Ashleigh, "I have an idea", and it went from there!

In a world full of trends, I want to remain a classic by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

Tell us about the gear you used.

For this shoot, I used my Sony A7IV, a 35mm lens, and a 50 mm lens.

I have always loved my prime lenses, as they naturally make you move around to get the images you want, and I find that really helps with creativity.

Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

What's your favourite image from the shoot?

Oh, this is really hard to answer. I have so many, but I think the image below is the one that I love the most. The pose, the lighting, and just everything were on point.

Image by photographer Ryan-D with model Ashleigh Rae taken at AURAphotographic

Thank you, Ryan-D, for sharing your creativity, experience and images with us. We loved learning all about your photoshoot with model Ashleigh Rae at AURAphotographic!

We hope you all loved it, too. Don't forget to check out the links below to see more of Ryan-D's work!

Here's where you can find more of Ryan-D's work

PurplePort: Ryan-D

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