The Beauty of Courageous Vulnerability: Taking a Deep Breath with Ryan Muirhead

There is a special spell in Ryan Muirhead’s photography. Engaging with his work makes you hold your breath and pause before moving on to the next image.

Photography is far from being a job for Ryan, although he masters it. Growing up religious but leaving that part behind, photography has become more than a documenting process for him. It is what he does to get a better sense of who he is, of what life is, of what it is to be a feeling and a thinking human. It shouldn’t be easy; he likes photography to challenge him as a person.

Ryan is focused entirely on the emotional encounter with his subjects, challenging himself to explore fearlessly and deeply the rich canvas of life (and death). Pain and vulnerability are old friends for Ryan, perhaps even his greatest power, tools, materials, and methodology. But no drama in employing them. Knowing what he calls the “difficult stuff” of life intimately, Ryan’s shootings rework them delicately and skillfully into a gentle, sincere, and striking beauty.