We recently connected with Ryando Smithman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryando, thanks for joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

I grew up with only my mother to raise me, and despite everything we went through, she always supported me in my doing whatever I enjoyed doing as long as it made me happy, and told me that I will do things when the time is right. That may sound cliché, but to not have parents lording over, telling me that I should go to college or I should be married by a certain age gave me a degree of freedom to pursue what interested me, to take chances on things that might not work out, but are worth chancing just for the experience alone.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Photography has always been something I’ve done, spending my adult life in the age of smartphones, but didn’t start really taking more seriously until about 6 years ago when I and my then girlfriend took a vacation to the island of Puerto Rico. Such a beautiful place can only inspire such a desire. Over the ensuing years, I would take my camera on many of my own adventures, from ultramarathons to rafting to mountaineering, showing people pursuing those enterprises to their extreme ends. In more recent years, with my extensive traveling, I’ve found myself enjoying the energy of being on the streets in foreign places, and that has led me to appreciate the streets of both my hometown in Pennsylvania and my adopted hometown in Colorado. I hope to show these places as they are now for future generations and for those of us still around in 50 years to cry out “I remember that place!”.

Currently I am putting together a photobook of my extensive travels through Guatemala and am in the early stages of another regarding documenting the streets of my hometown of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Besides those more personal endeavors, I’ve shot numerous ultramarathons, rafting events, yoga retreats, and mountaineering adventures. Have camera, will travel, I say.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Not being afraid to be told no. I’ve heard it plenty in my life, and generally, it is the worst thing someone can say, which isn’t too bad. Let it roll off and keep moving.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

You don’t have to be perfect, you just need to show up and do your best. Many times how a client feels coming out of something far outweighs that which someone else less personable can do better. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t fine tune our craft though. Always seek improvement, but always remain humble.

Contact Info:

• Website: Ryandosmithman.smugmug.com
• Instagram: On_the_west_side_of_nowhere
• Other: [email protected] for all business inquiries.