Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Unger.
Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was an artsy kid in high school and enjoyed creating drawings with charcoal, set building and performing in school plays, and playing guitar in the hallways with friends. Skateboarding went hand in hand with art; I would take videos of my friends while we skateboarded and edited them. I had more fun making the videos than the actual skateboarding. It was always exciting to decide how I would put all of the video clips together in an exciting way that would tell a story of all of the shenanigans we got into, lol!
My first camera was an early 1980s Minolta x-700 that used to be my grandfather’s. I first used it at the Paramount Center for the Arts for a teen art night. They had many classes in pottery, drawing, painting, photography, etc. It was a great way to dip your toes into many different areas to find out what you like.
I went to college at St. Cloud State University for Graphic Design and purchased a basic DSLR camera to document my finished projects. But this soon became a major part of my life and happened unconsciously. I wasn’t trying for any real goal. My friends and I were in bands, and I would take pictures of us at practice or other friends’ bands performing, which was a great low-pressure way to start; you never even had to ask anyone to pose. Documenting everything became a passion for me. I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and eventually got a job as a graphic designer. After my 9-5, I occasionally got asked to shoot family photos, engagements, live events, and even a brief stint shooting professional wrestling.
Besides shooting photos, I also shoot videos for real estate, weddings, and events. And this always brings me back to the early 2000s, when I was capturing my friends and having fun. One day, I noticed an ad for a photographer position for the St. Cloud Area School District, and even though I didn’t have an actual portfolio ready, I threw my hat in the ring to see what would happen. I got that job, which was a great learning experience. After about 4 years of working there and working many personal photography jobs on the side, I decided I had found enough work that I was passionate about to justify leaving the district. I added a studio space to our house with my good friend and neighbor, so I can now store all of my equipment nicely and have a perfect editing nook
Something that anyone will quickly learn about me is that I have a love for anything vintage; even my toaster is from the 1940s. I fix up old bikes, motorcycles, boats, etc. Eventually, after years of only shooting digital images, I got back into film photography, which was much more profound than ever before. Before I knew what happened, I had many cameras from the early 1900s to today. I’ve even learned how to cut and coat glass plates with photo emulsion for use with my oldest camera. So now I have this deep love of vintage cameras, but there really aren’t that many people shooting them around me to bounce ideas off and inspire me, or so I thought. I found a camera meetup group with many other camera dorks like me in Minneapolis. I had so much fun at the first meeting that I created a Facebook group for a St. Cloud camera meetup to gauge interest. People came out of the woodwork, and now we try to meet once a month to shoot photos, talk shop, and have a beer.
I just began shooting paid work with my film cameras a few years ago, including at a Harry Potter-style wedding in a castle in Texas. There is a certain magic about shooting film. One of the pieces is that people are less self-conscious when they have their image captured with it, which helps capture a more intimate moment. There are also only so many shots on a roll of film, and subjects usually are more conscious of making the most out of the session. Oh yeah, and then there’s the way each film interprets color differently, the grain, the dust specs, the accidental double exposure. It’s all so human. I have yet to shoot a whole wedding entirely on film, but maybe I’ll find a client this year who would love to give it a shot!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of my clients have all been referrals, and luckily, I have not had any bridezillas or anything catastrophic happen, but building a business from the ground up was daunting for someone who knew almost nothing about the small business world. It’s been a lot of learning, but it’s also gratifying when you finally settle on a logo, build your website, and figure out your taxes, lol!
We’ve been impressed with 87 Lumens, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
I own 87 Lumens, which is my photography and videography business. I shoot just about everything: bands, portraits, real estate, weddings, engagements, family photos, industrial, marathons, etc. Something that makes me unique is my love for using vintage equipment when I can and being a one-stop shop for some situations because I shoot photos and videos and can even work with clients to create logos and other design work. I am most proud of my vintage aesthetic, which I like to add when the opportunity arises. I want readers to know about my love for the creative process and capturing lasting memories.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is falling into what you love doing all day, finding people who resonate with that, and supporting what you are passionate about. That’s the best feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.87Lumens.com
Image Credits
The photo of me standing next to the large format camera was taken by Nikki Vogel of Simple Folk Media.
