I was very fortunate to spend an afternoon with mallakhamb performers at Gurukulam Shiksha this past March. Read further to learn the definition of mallakhamb and see photos of these amazing athletes. Mallakhamb is a very demanding sport practiced in India. The name itself means “Wrestling – Pole” and many consider it a precursor to...
Meet Ice, a teen Thai Scout and Muay Thai fighter in Nong Khai, Thailand. Nong Khai is the northernmost of the Isan region of Thailand. It is situated on the Mekong River which at this point is the border between Thailand and Laos. Ice is 13 years old and in addition to being a Scout...
A few months ago I was having an online discussion with my cousin in a rather rural part of Alabama about doing a portrait shoot of her 9 and 11 year old children at an abandoned school in another rural part of Alabama not far from their home. As always I asked questions about the...
Meet my cousin who volunteered as a model for the Focus on Feet project. We shot this in a lovely AirBnB cottage situated on the bayou in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We had so much fun with this project and am glad to include her beautiful feet in this series! ...
While on a free walking tour by Beyond Colombia, photographer Christopher Ryan found this interesting abandoned housing complex. It was not part of the tour, but the guide graciously pointed out, because Christopher had inquired about such places. She said that it was her understanding that it was the first apartment building built in Bogotá....
Noe is a teen Muay Thai fighter living in Bangkok, Thailand. He is 14 years old and as you can see dedicates a lot of work to keeping in great shape. He loves to pose for photos and show off his six pack. We did this shoot in an area near Bangkok called Minburi. I...
Intimate bonding between an individual parent and child is a vital part of early development. It’s rare that these moments are captured on film. However, photographer Christopher Ryan’s “Parent and Child Intimacy” series, we see these glimpses of joyful, fun moments in a spirit of unity between a parent and child. Originally my concept...
Asian teen feet photoshoot for my “Focus on Feet” series with an Asian teenager in New York City. His ethnicity is mixed Korean and Bhutanese. As you can see he has inherited the best of both worlds and he was an absolute pleasure to work with. The images were shot on location at Rockaway Beach...
Abandoned boats, planes, amusement parks, hotels… It is all fair game for Youth and Urban Decay. I can find something that works almost anywhere, including a small Belizean island in the Caribbean. Caye Caulker is a small coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. It is easily accessible by a quick...
If you did not start at the beginning please go back to the introduction. Death of a Boy Thrilled with their kill, Jack’s followers are blind to reason. After Jack tells them to get Simon out he also tells them to “take care of him” and that he will handle any consequences. The other’s have...