Tell us a little about you. Where are you from? What are you passionate about? What do you do when you are not photographing?

I am a fine art photographer currently based in San Francisco. I am originally from Santa Clarita, CA but moved to the city to study fine art photography at the Academy of Art University.

I am passionate about experiencing life and sharing it through art. I’m aware of every emotion I am feeling so I can capture it and share it, hoping to connect to others through my art.

When I am not photographing myself or nude friends, I am outside walking around or indoors watching films. I believe watching films help photographers understand putting emotions into the visual. For a simple shot in a film like “In the Mood for Love” that has an amazing composition can say so much without the words to guide you towards a feeling.

How did you get started in photography?

I thankfully fell into photography, first as a hobby but soon became a passion and a way of self-expression for me. I received an athletic scholarship for cross country and track from the Academy of Art University, and I chose to study photography because it sounded the most interesting to me. Years later, I am very happy I made that choice because this medium has shaped who I am today. I use photography as a way to understand myself. I have trouble verbally communicating how I feel and so I turn to photography to just document what I feel. It isn’t until after, I can start to see and understand what is really going on within.

Playing with light, color, and movement your self portraits are emotional and curious. What is your inspiration?

My biggest inspiration for self-portraits is Francesca Woodman and Nan Golding. Two very different styles but both very impactful. Francesca Woodman created this dark and intimate world within her images. I feel as if she really documented her emotions, often using motion blur. Her images carry this sadness you can feel within yourself as if we are getting an intimate view of her mind. For Nan Golding, her style was more documentary but just as intimate and emotional. Showing you more details that were easier to understand on the surface but challenges the viewers to take a real look into someone’s life.

Why self portraits? Why use yourself instead of a model?

I tend to photograph myself when I feel like I’m losing myself; when I’m forgetting who I am. It’s odd, but when I photograph models it is when I am trying to express how I feel but when I photograph myself it is in search for myself. I believe that we are all highly influenced by the people the social media we surround ourselves with. I have to remind myself of who I am and I go back to my “roots”, setting up my camera and self-timer creates a space that is totally free and allows me to be totally vulnerable.

Do you have any advice or tips for fellow photographers who want to take self portraits?

• Photograph yourself alone and make space for yourself. Move the furniture around, follow the natural light that is leaking into the room and set up your camera.
• Play with the space around you. Due to my small SF apartments, a lot of my self-portraits were in a corner next to a window. That confined corner let me be creative with the two walls around me. Challenging me to try new things for different shots.
• Use your wardrobe or not at all! I like to photograph myself with loose and flowy fabrics. This is another element for you to interact with and adds to the simple details of your image. Or use your body in various poses from different angles, don’t be afraid to get close to the camera.
• I usually put on some of my favorite records when shooting anything! When I am taking self-portraits I usually listen to slower music that helps me slow down and work through the process.

In the spirit of our new Challenge: On The Table, we sat down at the Chef’s Table to get a taste of White’s photography.
Tell us a little about yourself. What are you passionate about? What do you do?
I’m a Chef living in the Bay Area working in San Francisco. I’ve cooked all over the country for about 15 years. Napa Valley, San Francisco and New York City for the majority of the time in Michelin rated restaurants.
I’m passionate about food photography and styling. I look to Donna Hay’s style for open light and dark food photography.

How did you start in photography?

I originally started in Junior High. My father was big into photography and I naturally followed and picked up sports photography. My sister played every sport when she was in school and we had to tag along, so I started taking pictures of her games.
I stayed with it and it continued all the way to college where I thought I was going into Sports Photo Journalism. I was really good at photography, but it wasn’t a huge passion for me. During my sophomore year in college I decided to go to culinary school in Vermont.
Later on, in my career, I started to take pictures of my own food.

Any tips for photographing food?

Much like in the kitchen, we call it “mise en place:” to have everything in its place. When setting up shot I like to pre-game and get the shot ready and aperture dialed in before I bring out the principal ingredient.
Also to get some inspiration, I look up to Evan Sung, Daniel Kreiger, and Kelly Puleio. They’ve all shot my food before and I count them as great resources.




What is one of your favorite photos ever taken and why?I cannot choose a single image. I love my travel photography. I started traveling internationally 10 years ago and I’m hooked. Mostly Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Laos). I’ve made so many travel friends and have eaten some amazing street food.

Tell us a little about you. What are you passionate about? What do you do when you are not photographing?  What is your favorite color? You know, the important things.

I have been fascinated with the photography world since childhood, as my first memories are playing with my dad’s mechanic film photo camera, just making snaps with different shutter speeds and opening the back of the camera. I came in to being a full time photographer unexpectedly from science after deciding that I don’t want to do a PhD after completing a master program. It was a frightening decision, especially when people around you don’t understand. However I’ve made a right choice. Now I’m in the photo and video making world, developing a personal project connecting art and science.

My favourite color: All shades of blue, or better the color palette of the ocean and the color palette of the sky. They are always making me feel like magic.

Another passion of mine is movement in any forms, connection between mind and body and visual beauty of it. You can call it a lifestyle, but I’m sure it’s much deeper than that.

How did you get started in photography?

When I was 17, I took my first analog photos just was because I was curious about it. Then I’ve got a digital compact camera. It before social media, so I shared the photos only with my friends and in my live journal blog. At some point people start to reach me out to take photos for them and for different events. This is how it all started.

Your work has is bright and inviting, while still hanging out to the beauty of shadows. How did you develop your style? What inspires you?

I’m a visual person and hungry for movies and visual art. Color wise, of course, nature inspires me the most. Nothing could be more beautiful. I think I’m still in the process of developing my style and I would love to keep it as an ongoing process.

You have worked with us for a variety of buyers, such as Google, Canva, and Ubrands. Tell us about a  project (or two!) you enjoyed working on. Were there any surprises, successes, or struggles?

I liked the projects with Google Maps because I love to explore new places, locations, perspectives and the way to see new things within familiar streets. I love to be lost in some sense in the places, because then I can see a lot from different angles.

Do you have any advice or tips for fellow photographers?

Heh I need a lot of advice for myself. The only suggestion which I surely can share is: no matter what, keep on working.

Tell us a little about you. What are you passionate about? What do you do?  What’s your favorite food? You know, the important things.

Well my name is Pat Ryder and I’m a photographer and creative from Mississauga, Ontario and I’m passionate about a lot of things!  My day to day consists of anything from a couple photo shoots to watching a football match with friends, cooking with my mum, or getting together with other creatives to either make something cool or start brainstorming. I love working with people from across the creative spectrum, whether it’s food, music, fashion or cars, there is a creative element to the way all of them shape and define culture. I think that’s the best part about being a photographer, is the freedom to work within a wide range of subjects and still be able to express a certain level of storytelling. Speaking of food, I started working at a restaurant when I was 17 so food has played a big part of my life so far. It’s so important culturally and impactful on the world, so it’s easy to love and important to pay attention to. I feel like really good food is made with care and can take on its own means of expression. If I had to pick a favourite food I’d probably have to choose guacamole, I don’t have it very often but it’s a real treat I gotta say.

How did you get started in photography?

My interest in photography started back in university I think? I would always do the most for that perfect insta pic with my friends on our phones and I always enjoyed playing with the colours and editing after on vsco. I bought my first camera two years ago and I haven’t looked back since. With the help and guidance of some really amazing friends, I’ve started to develop my own style and begun to figure out what photography means to me. I’m really glad I tried something outside of my comfort zone and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. Another thing that furthered my love for photography was going out and getting an old film cam. Film is one of the coolest things about photography because of the nostalgia factor you get after getting a roll developed, nothing can replace that feeling. Film taught me to be more in the moment, it humbled me and continues to teach me to trust myself behind the camera.

You have a very distinct style in your personal work, playing a lot with shadows and color blocking. How did you develop your style? What inspires you?

First of all, thank you for saying that, I think it’s still a work in progress, but I feel like I’m slowly getting somewhere, so it means a lot.  As for how I developed it, I guess I’ve just been shooting as often as I can. The more you shoot the more you begin to pay attention to details that matter to you. Colours are a huge thing for me, I’ve always loved the way they complement one another and can create their own energy, especially when paired with some cool lighting. Shadows are another fun thing to pay attention to. I always tell myself to trust my shadows, but never too much. A lot like real life I suppose, it’s all about a finding that perfect balance. In terms of inspiration I think it happens when I’m actually shooting. It’s all about a moment or two and capturing them to tell a story. It can change from place to place and from person to person, it all depends on how it feels.

Congrats on recently completing 100 shoots for StudioNow! Tell us about a couple projects you enjoyed working on with us. Were there any surprises, successes, or struggles?

Honestly it’s been so much fun working with all the different types of food our amazing home has to offer. It’s really fun learning about and trying different dishes and getting to know a little bit more about the restaurant and the owners while I’m shooting. The commute can definitely be a killer but who’s isn’t? Plus most places like to feed me pretty well so I really can’t complain. One of my favourite restaurants that I worked with was Butter Chicken Roti on Queen West in Toronto. The owner, Abhishek, was really passionate about his food and wanted to make sure his food was represented in the best way possible. The presentation suited his restaurant perfectly and was able to communicate with people on the app in a creative way. It’s been a really rewarding opportunity, where I’ve been able to meet some really fantastic people and try some equally as fantastic food.

Do you have any advice or tips for fellow photographers?

Most definitely. Photography is so amazing because you can make whatever you want of it, as long as you’re happy. I think the most important thing I’ve learned over the last two years is to trust that you’re doing your best, being true to yourself and don’t spend the energy worrying about someone else’s negativity, when you can spend it on yourself or on someone’s positivity. Once you start doing your thing and making sure you’re happy with what you’re shooting, just continue to practice and challenge yourself as often as you can. You’re only going to get better and more comfortable.

Photo of Pat Ryder by: ADVANCED | Sean Pollock