Focus

i like it, was never a suitable critique. it was my first formal interaction with photography, and my instructor, mr. bill hendricks, sought out a deeper response from all his students.

most of us were in the same boat; we saw a photograph somewhere and were drawn in deeper. something intrigued us about what we saw, we knew we liked it, we didn't know why, and we wanted to create the same thing. in response, we signed up for a black & white photo class at the local community college.

we still didn't know what we were in for.

fortunately, our prof rocked! and, over the course of that semester we dove into aperture & shutter speed, we meticulously digested basic daylight exposure [aka BDE], but most importantly we learned why certain images seemed to capture our gaze, while the rest faded into the background of our memories.

to prove a point, take a moment to find a photo somewhere... anywhere... right now... okay, if you like the image, chances are, it is composed well, and your eye first landed on the brightest and sharpest part of the photo. now there are of course, exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking our eyes seek contrast; something sharp against something blurry, something bright against something dark. and we like it. contrast helps us focus. and having a strong and singular focal point seems to almost always be preferred over an overly cluttered and staged image.

our lives are not much different.

and, though it pains me to share, i quite often find myself biting off more than i can chew. whether it be over-stating what i might accomplish in a single day, or chasing every rabbit trail i think might lead to greater success, i can be rather zealous in my pursuits, much to the same end as a good [not great] photograph that seems to lack intention.

fortunately that is not the end of the story. because, what i do feel strong at, and i would urge you to pursue the same, is an ability to re-set, re-compose, and fire again. perfection is never the goal - excellence is.

my name is gabriel ryan davis. i am a wedding photographer. i love my job. and i choose to pursue THAT with excellence. how might you do the same? what areas are you focusing on that are simply distracting from what you could be great at? trimming the excess is risky business, but my hunch is, the risk is worth it.

and because a photo blog post isn't complete without a photo, here's a little diddy taken by fellow mammoth men michael chantastic.

Porcelain Carlie - Maternity Photography with Carlie

i know carlie behind the veil.

you see the tweets - the iPhone belly photos. you see the zany video blogs - the wacky dance moves.

you see her strength. you see her flawless beauty. you see her resounding sensibility. you see what she wants you to see.

i see all that, too. but i also have the privilege of knowing carlie renee davis in between those things. i see it all. and i love it. i love her.

so, earlier this week, with the birth of our son just around the corner, i asked to photograph my wife. she accepted, and the following is what we created. behind the veil, i wanted to show the frail, the fragile, the porcelain... that is my bride and she is beautiful.

Indian Wedding Photography - Santa Barbara, California

i grabbed a cup of coffee at peets, jumped back in my car, and cranked the volume for the rest of my drive up the coast. kings of leon shot out of my speakers, and i shifted focus to the task at hand.

this past weekend, i had the pleasure of joining dane sanders for three days of shooting, beginning with a mehndi ceremony on thursday, an indian wedding on friday, and a stellar western ceremony on saturday. the couple was incredible, the details were fabulous, and the party's were each 100% rock star!!

i can't begin to express how stoked i was to have been asked to take part of such an epic wedding, all of which, was craftfully pieced together by the incredible lisa vorce. for the rest of the details, check dane's blog...




victor yields his sword, during the baraatis.





gia flashing her indian wedding bling [aka bangles].

no detail was spared on day 2...

...or day 3.

Cabo San Lucas Wedding Photography - Jenelle and Byron

jenelle & byron know how to turn up the heat.

if you remember their engagement shoot, which wasn't too long ago, jenelle & byron had no qualms about rolling around in the surf and going for broke, and all for the love of the shoot. so, when carlie & i landed in cabo san lucas mexico, for their destination wedding, we had no doubt that jenelle & byron would bring it.

after an early morning dip in the pool, carlie & i made our way to jenelle's room at the riu palace in cabo to capture a few detail shots, as the day began. when we entered the getting-ready-room, jenelle flashed that signature smile, and carlie/lincoln and i, were made to feel like special guests immediately. after the brief reunion subsided, i grabbed jenelle's stellar christian louboutin heels and her custom dress, for a few shots, before the first look.

the rest of the day rolled out on point, while i had the pleasure of snapping a moment here, a detail there, and grabbing a "marry me mojito" in between.

i have to thank the restaurant sunset da mona lisa for providing the exceptional backdrop to jenelle & byron's cliff-side ceremony and reception. and, muchos gracias to the lovely luba & illeana from romantic cabo weddings for being the best wedding coordinators south of the border!!

and, of course, to jenelle & byron... you two are perfect for each other. not only are you perfect for each other, but you are both so blessed to have, what you do, in each other. thanks for bringing us in close enough to capture you and your story.

enjoy.



























jenelle sent me this photo yesterday and i just loved it! melina did jenelle's make-up and it was absolutely stunning!!!

Lincoln's Room

so i have finally decided what i want to do with lincolns room!! i have been so excited to decorate his room, the only problem was with all the previous ideas i had i knew i would change my mind later on and regret most of my design decisions. so i kept on looking and kept on brainstorming. anthropologie, urban outfitters and etsy were all my sources for inspiration. and i am so excited to share all my ideas with you!!

here is our color scheme. a little risky, but very fun!!!


and here is some art that i am going to have made in gray and the other mustard yellow. they are made by sugarloop on etsy.





and this is the mobile we are getting except of butterflies she is making one with owls!!! it's made by the incredibly talented royalbuffet. i can't wait to see it!!!



and one last thing to show you is the lamp. oh how i love the lamp. i'm going to put a bright solid red shade on it! it's from urban outfitters.



so thats some of it!! i'll post more photos once the room in finished which will hopefully be in the next 2 months.

Taken Back

my left eye-lid peeled open at the touch of sunlight creeping in through the window of vern & jeff's 1974 winnebago, and i slowly rose, attempting to live every moment of the day for exactly what it was; nothing more, and definitely nothing less.

it was the day i would marry the girl of my dreams. so, i stepped out of the rv, overlooking our little camp-site, and enjoyed the ideal of a luxury hobo breakfast: campsite breakfast burritos.

from that camp-side breakfast, to hitting traffic on the way to the beach, to the first look i will never forgot, to the red velvet cupcakes, to the reception, to the midnight run to cvs in suit & dress to pick up a small fan, i enjoyed each bit. i savored each experience to anchor the weight of what would happen that day. i never wanted to forget, but more importantly, i wanted to live well that day.

and now that two years [and a day] have passed, i can tell you i have learned much. i have learned how much more i love my bride, than i ever thought i could. i have learned how much i don't have it all together. i have learned that i have much more to learn.

but, i have also found, with no excuse, that i have given myself license to shy away from the type of life that i embraced that day, two years and one day ago. so, today, i re-commit myself to you, carlie renee davis. i vow to love you, in the truest and the most artful sense; to accept you & to create passion. i vow to serve you & lead our family. and in it all, i vow to savor each moment, of each day, to anchor the blessing of our commitment two years ago. and when i fail [which i vow will be often], i pray for your forgiveness.

you take me back to myself. thank you. happy anniversary.

Laguna Beach Engagement Photography - Sarah and Jeremy

but you're not even my boyfriend she exclaimed, quickly followed by the acceptance of his proposal.

as you might have guessed, sarah & jeremy's engagement was not of the traditional order of events; but then again, who said love has to be in order.

they met, dated, and broke-up. however, after the break-up, jeremy realized sarah was his soul mate, and pieced together his plan to propose. and, at the crescendo of the evening, jeremy dropped to one knee, sarah made the aforementioned remark, and then accepted his proposal.

sarah & jeremy's story is one that gives hope to true love; love that knows no boundaries. not to mention, sarah & jeremy are one of the raddest couples to grace the gabriel ryan photo blog.

sarah, thank you for saying yes. jeremy, thank you for being awesome. we can't wait for your wedding this fall...

side note: i just realized this is our 200th post. so, help us celebrate our bi-centnennial-ith post, and tell us what you think by dropping a comment below :)