We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Henderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I would’ve definitely started my photography business sooner than later. I originally started back in 2018 after some self reflecting and wanting a part-time hobby/passion. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve started back in college. Having way more opportunities to take pictures of friends, sporting events, and other campus events would have been easier. Attending class then shooting afterwards would have created more time to develop my own creative style and also document some life changes of not only mine, but my friends as well. I feel now it’s more important than ever to have recent pictures of loved ones, as you don’t know when their last breath will be.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started my business as a hobby, taking pictures of food mostly. It just so happen around the time I started photography, my friend started his meal prep business. He was my first official client. From there, his business grew and so did my passion for food photography. I had another friend who needed pictures for his online dating profile, and that’s how I got into portraits, lifestyle shoots, and now business brand shoots. Any friends who have asked if I can take this type of picture or that, most of the time, I had no experience, but said yes for the opportunity and experience. That has helped me grow into the photographer I am today. I mostly shoot food (iphone), products, people, and pets. Any time a client comes to me, they either have some idea of what they want to create or none at all, but it’s my job to figure out exactly what they want and execute it. I’m most proud of the growth of my work. You can tell the difference from my old instagram photos to my new ones. All the youtube videos of Manny Ortiz & Photo-Me-Ike are paying off lol.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

At first, I had no idea what a NFT was. I barely knew about bitcoin lol. But know, NFTs could be the future of Digital Art & Media. Still trying to grab the “virtual real estate” piece of it, but from the NFTs I’ve seen people create, technology will always advance and we as people always have to be open to learning more about it and from it. The latest cool thing is AIs creating Digital artwork and that’s what I’ve been reading mostly about.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Working full time has it’s perks. A promised check every two weeks and a basic budget allowed me to save up for my camera. Facebook marketplace is my favorite online store when looking for lenses and other photography gear. Being able to bargain with an individual on the price, but also setting a mental budget of how much you want to spend. I’ve missed out on some good deals, but also gained some really great equipment by waiting it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryanhmedia.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ryanhmedia
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryanhmedia
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/ryanhmedia

Image Credits
Ryan Henderson