Ryland Hormel: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos

As a part of our series about “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos” I had the pleasure of interviewing Ryland Hormel.

Ryland Hormel is a photographer, designer and connector born and raised in San Francisco. He is on a mission to help people connect more deeply with themselves and others through experiences, resources and art. Ryland is the co-host of Live Better Retreats, has a published photography book titled When Do you Feel Free?, is currently producing a feature length documentary film and holds an MFA degree from CIIS. He lives on a boat in Sausalito with his dog Moose.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Both of my parents are artists. My Dad was a professional musician and Mom was an actress. There was always a creative spirit in the air growing up in our house and I always remember playing at the art table. However, I gravitated towards sports as my passion. It wasn’t til my senior year in college while I was playing soccer that I realized this passion had an expiration date due to a serious back injury I had suffered. Being someone that is driven by passion and enthusiasm, I knew I needed a new medium to express myself. The camera called to me and I ended up borrowing my moms old Nikon to play with while at school. I fell in love with the way the camera helped me see the world differently and all of a sudden everything became interesting and more vibrant. I had no clue it would lead to a profession and eventually a published book. I simply loved the craft and kept my passion activated as one thing led to another.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I got the opportunity to travel to Liberia with one of my best friends Darlington as he returned to his home country to see his family for the first time in over 15 years. Darlington was just starting a non-profit called Anything is Everything that gave back to the youth in Liberia and I got the opportunity to document his journey both in photo and video format. Aside from being there to support one of my best friends and witness a mother and child reconnect after so many years, I also realized the power of storytelling and how the camera is both a tool for connection and new experiences in my life. That trip changed my entire relationship with the camera and the way of which I would use it in my life.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I look back to my mistakes I am grateful for all of them. If I could give myself advice to my younger self it would be to embrace all of the mistakes and to not be hard on myself. I remember how much I would compare myself to other photographers and get in my own way. Eventually I adopted a growth mindset and saw every single moment as a gift to help me evolve to a new level.

I think back to how much my editing style has changed. My old, early day images make me laugh with how much I would saturate my images and just get a little too enthusiastic with all of the changes I would make in Lightroom. I am finally at a place where I feel like I have my “style” but I also know it is always going to be a work in progress and continue to evolve.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think what makes my work stand out is that I focus on how the camera connects me to the world and people. I trust that the final image will be a beautiful expression of my connection and process. Early on I was obsessed over how my images looked and it wasn’t until I was able to let that go and focus on the process when I began to finally be proud of my work. Film photography is the very mechanism that created this fundamental shift in my photography moving my focus from final image to process.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Keep thinking about and challenging WHY you are taking photos. Is it a passion? A profession? Or maybe it is both and you need to make sure both of those buckets stay full without compromising the other. Maybe you are just getting started and the passion is on full blast. Maybe it’s time to lean into the professional side and organize. It can be helpful to have a focused direction and build a solid digital structure/website which tells your story and is able to communicate with people effectively. Designing this side helps save yourself time and make your decisions highly focused and productive. Conversely if you are killing it professionally, maybe it’s time to take a personal sabbatical and work on a passion project. I think being able to eb and flow between these two buckets and try your best to never let one go on empty is a great way to stay mentally in the game with some type of longevity.

I think of burn out, generally as our body communicating to us that we need rest. And that is rest on all levels, not just sleep. The type of relaxation when we can just sit and look at the horizon or eat a meal without the need to consume from our phone. I think these are good indicators to being in a steady state of mind and present with our lives. I think burnout can feel like the opposite of this so I just look at it as a reminder to slow down and not let it get ahead of me.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Bret Gornik and Jason Loebig are my partners in our retreat company called Live Better. When we first met we would meet up and take photos of their work as personal trainers and coaches. This led to us traveling the world together working with brands and tourism boards. With their support and collaboration, for the first time the camera became a professional tool and we were able to use my creative skills to build out the story of our brand. Seven years later we are still running retreats and have now pushed my creative work onto others as I focus on a different style of photography and storytelling while still co-leading our retreats. I am incredibly grateful for all the ways they helped change my life and more than anything are just incredible friends and support systems for me.

Are you working on any exciting projects now?

My first book titled When Do you Feel Free? Voices Across America, was just published on July 4th of 2023. I traveled across America in my truck alongside my dog moose, interviewing people I met along the way about the word and concept of freedom. Meeting people from a variety of communities and walks of life, I connected this conversation by people sharing their handwritten perspective to the question — When do you feel free? In the book you will find people’s portraits paired next to their handwriting and I shot the entire collection on film.

Up next I have a few new book ideas and an artist grant program I am designing to help empower other artists to create long form passion projects and stories.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I try to use my growth as a way to support other artists and people in any way I can. One of my great passions in life is helping others achieve their dreams and believe in themselves. I mentioned that I lead wellness retreats where this is a central part of what we do. Aside from that I have taught a photography class at a high school, I have donated my time to non profits as both a creator and mentor to artists and am working on creating a program to fund artists’ passion projects. I do not see giving back as something I have to do or is a merit instead it is something that simply aligns with who I am and fills me up.

Can you share “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos”.

1. First, do not worry about the camera. Every camera has an ability to make a great image by what is inside the frame. In my opinion this is what makes a photo important and unique. Extra pixels, enhanced color etc…these are nice bonuses because they amplify what is already in the frame.
2. Study old photographers and images. Think about the limitations and how you can find inspiration through the works of others.
3. Simplify and develop a style not by how your images look rather by how you see and notice the world. Create a unique process/lifestyle with your photography and your images will be unique too.
4. Surround yourself with other photographers, mentors and inspiring people. Do this in both your physical and digital life. For example, really take notice and inventory on who you follow on instagram. Make sure you are consuming things that elevate you.
5. Practice and fall in love with the process. Get uncomfortable. Wake up and photograph the sunrise everyday for a month. Or go for what I call the Stop Reflex Walk where you wander around anywhere for an hour and only take a photo of something that absolutely stops you. Where it is so obvious you need to make that photo. You want to come home with no more than 10 photos, and it is ok if you come home with one or even none. This connects you with the best part of photography…a deeper access to the world.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I feel lucky to say that I am trying my best to do this with the company I run with Bret and Jason called Live Better. We try to help people live their best lives ever and connect more deeply with themselves. Oftentimes people, myself included, need environments where they can slow down, listen and connect. I think goodness comes from within. If we can support each other in filling our own cups, we can then give back to others with abundance.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

@RYHORMEL on Instagram

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

THANK YOU! I deeply appreciate the time and opportunity.