Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah Rynders.
Hi Micah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got my first camera when I was 12. I was about to go to Mexico with my family and I wanted to be able to capture memories. I kept shooting photos after that trip and realized I was naturally good at it. I remember being proud of my own photos when I was a middle schooler.
Fast forward to college and a friend of mine showed me some travel videos in the early years of social media and YouTubers blowing up. I thought they were so cool and I was about to spend my summer in the mountains of Colorado with my friend who had a GoPro. We decided we’d shoot videos of our time in Colorado and then I’d make a video out of the clips. I loved it. It was such a fun way to share highlights of my summer with my friends back home. It was also my own way of making music videos. I fell in love with capturing my experiences and putting them to some music, sharing the beauty and emotions I experienced with the world.
Sharing beauty, telling stories, bringing viewers into real life experiences and connecting them with the emotions there. That’s my north star when it comes to my camera work.
How I got to where I am today is basically just seeking out opportunities to follow my north star, mixed with a bunch of favorable connections and help from a lot of people!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I still struggle with imposter syndrome to this day. My work is so tied to my heart and feels so personal to me, it’s been tied in directly with my personal growth journey as a human. I’ve spent many many shoots in fear and doubt. I’ve gone back and forth between full time freelancing and putting the camera down entirely. The money has been inconsistent, I’ve had to learn how to say no to projects that are not aligned with my north star, and it’s scary to turn down money and opportunities. I also feel like I’m still developing my niche as well as my craft, and I’m a decade in. The whole thing feels crazy all the time.
One of the biggest struggles was when Covid hit. I was living in Los Angeles and was about to begin shooting a project that would take me to 4 continents and earn me the most money I’d ever made annually, in half a year. We were 10 days away from beginning when the shutdowns began. The whole project died for me and I was out of work. Wild times.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer and video maker. I don’t know what I’m known for, but I love shooting portraits, lifestyle photos, and travel photos. In video, my style is highly visual, documentary style. I want to either capture real life stories and experiences and share them with the world, or create beautiful and cool music videos simply for the sake of creating art and for those who appreciate such media.
There’s not a singular video or photo that comes to mind when I am asked what am I most proud of. I am proud of myself for being an open channel for ideas to flow through and be birthed out into the world. When I’m in my creative bag, it feels like I cease to exist as myself and am a receiver of pure energy. I’m proud of myself for allowing this. It feels entirely bigger than me.
What sets me apart from others is that this isn’t about making photos or videos at all. It’s about appreciating life. Beauty. Connecting with each other, with nature, with ourselves. I’m not here to give you flashy, trendy, or viral. I barely care about capturing anything, to be honest. I’m here to remind you of how vast and amazing life is, from big things to tiny things, all the time, all around us, everywhere. In the everlasting present moment. It’s completely paradoxical to the whole crux of what a camera is, but hey, such is life. If you’ve ever seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you understand.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising about me could be that I plan to sail around the world one day.
Pricing:
- Portrait sessions starting at $400
- Single outdoor headshots for $100
- Video pricing is project specific
- I will also always create for free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.micahrynders.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micahrynders
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahrynders
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@micahrynders?si=GW-e6PwDW2-Tu44V
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/0vKWBz5PHFiR5ystsjwEa2?si=ed55779d8d774259
Image Credits
Micah Rynders
