Meet Ryan Lips | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Lips and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Finding a unique style that’s singular to me was always important. My creative process is honestly an audience of one. I am trying to please my own eye first with my photography and the hope is that others will see the same value that I see. By taking that approach, I’m able to stay true to the style that pleases me even though it – of course – can evolve over time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The primary focus of my photography is centered around a red chair. It’s a series I started nearly a decade ago that has grown and evolved over the years.

The most difficult things to create in a photograph are a sense of scale and a way to intimately connect with the viewer. Scale is always difficult to convey without a human sized element in view. With the Red Chair Project, every photograph has a relatable element of scale.

Perhaps nothing is more important in a photograph than creating a sense of intimacy. The Red Chair Project is an attempt to do just that. The chair’s story is one of childhood memories, loss and redemption. It was in my bedroom growing up as a young boy – a visual staple of my youth. As an adult, I left the chair behind only to believe for years that it had been lost in the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Years after, I discovered the chair hadn’t been lost but had been stored away. Upon its recovery, I knew instantly I wanted to incorporate it prominently into my photography.

This is the result.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife plays an integral role in the success of my photography. Outside of the expected support a spouse can provide, she has a keen sense of my artistic style and gives me incredibly valuable feedback on my finished pieces in a way that ensures I don’t have any blind spots in my work. She also sees things in some of my work that I often undervalue. That insight has propelled me forward when I may have been left behind if left to my own devices.

Website: https://www.ryanlips.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan.lips/