Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Littlefield. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

In 2011 I went to Shreveport, LA to become a Visual Effects Artist for motion feature films, but after a few years I decided to pick up a camera for myself, take everything I learned and start shooting on my own.

I only wish I had taken this route years prior. As a kid I remember taking the standard school and sports photos every year, and I can picture a few times where as a family we brought along the old yellow disposable film cameras to get developed at our local Walgreens drug store. I didn’t like smiling in photos, and the few times someone had a camera for special occasions I remember not wanting to be in them. So now when family breaks open old boxes and photos albums we don’t have much with myself and my immediate family.

As I grew older I wanted to have those memories documented, and of course we can’t rewind time to do it again. It really hit me hard when I lost my grandfather who I was very close with and I was tasked with gathering images for his memorial. By putting everything together it made me realize that every photo I have taken over the years for other people are now documented moments in time that will never be taken away from them. Photos that will inspire stories that may have been lost and forgotten until the images were viewed again at parties, holidays, or memorials. I wish I had these memories of myself and family when we were younger, and I am doing my best to ensure that my daughter and this current generation has everything covered to pass along to the next generation.

I capture everything from business headshots, senior portraits, dating profile photos, maternity photos, branding images and more… but each genre shows a different side of someone at a different point in their lives. You can start to carve out someone’s personality and get an idea of who they are by seeing the many sides of them. I am glad I can do this for people and only wish I had begun to do it sooner.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started in the art field as a Visual Effects Artist in the film Industry. I worked for World Wide FX along with Millennium Films in Shreveport Louisiana on about 9 movies, but the most popular were Expendables 3, Olympus Has Fallen, and Texas Chainsaw 3D.

During this endeavor I had family fall ill and needed help, plus I began dating my wife so I decided to move back home to San Antonio, TX. This way I could be closer to family when needed and I began a small family of my own. Although I enjoyed working on films, I took what I learned from the VFX community, picked up a camera for myself and never looked back.

In my work, I love to display dramatic imagery by shaping light and creating timeless pieces of art for my clients. My portraits have a luxurious feel to them, but I also offer professional imagery for business headshots, branding photos, fashion portraits, and more…

I have an intense passion and dedication for any activity I pursue in life, whether it be professionally or as a hobby, and I carry this trait into my photography work. I do my best to set myself aside from your everyday photographer and offer a look that makes the client stand out and draw the attention of the viewer.

It makes me proud to know years later I still have clients using my images as representation for their businesses, social media profiles, acting resumes, and not only that, but have large scale prints in their homes for all to see upon entering their residence.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

What’s most rewarding for me is a mixed bag, because one important thing as a photographer is having the memories I created be cherished by all the people I worked with. On the other hand generally speaking as an artist or creative, the fact that I can support myself by doing something that is different on a daily basis, doesn’t always feel like a job, has free expression, and many times out of the comfort of my own home just reminds me of how lucky I am sometimes.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

At first while learning photography I had to pick up many side jobs that didn’t pay well and started doing photo editing full time to help with bills. It took many weekends of extra side work along with a full time job and thousands of hours of practice and studying before I was able to comfortably start producing a product that I could call professional. Then you have to become lucky enough to have people learn who you are and start the booking process. This is a very long and slow pain staking process that at many times make you want to give up. You truly have to love what you do to stick with it or else it can drive you down rather quickly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryanlimagery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan_l_imagery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanL.Imagery
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-littlefield-5b4abb68/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ryan_L_Imagery
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RyanLImagery/videos