Backyard.

Eric. Denver. © Ryan Schierling

The Colorado River.

River. Denver. © Ryan Schierling

13 Seconds Under Water.

Gary. Austin, Texas. © Ryan Schierling

My favorite food groups are brown and white.

(L) Brisket, sausage, slaw and potato salad at Uncle Billy's barbecue. (R) ATM outside Stubb's barbecue. Austin, Texas. © Ryan Schierling

et Al.

Al. © Ryan Schierling

Al, formerly bearded, is the keeper of the mailbox, builder of aviation models and Wisconsin bringer-backer of the aristocrat of candy bars - Oaks Melty Bars. 

Influences: William Anthony

William Anthony. © Ryan Schierling

I came across his music photography when he was donating time to local radio station KEXP, and we sent a few emails to and fro before meeting for stiff drinks at Moon Temple back in 2004. Since then, we've collaborated (along with Bradley Hanson) on "3 Punks," a project documenting one night in the all-ages punk scene at The Vera Project, which was followed by a commission from Bumbershoot organizer One Reel to shoot the festival's 35th anniversary in the same style. The result was "End of Summer," a gallery show with more than 8,000 viewers over three days of Bumbershoot the following year.

Bill's honest portraiture and subtle lighting have certainly been an influence, pushing me from an old-school photojournalist's detached observational style to one more personal and refined. Too many portrait photographers rely primarily on location and equipment to make images, forgetting that the most important part of the equation is their connection to the subject. And if they can't, or won't, give enough of themselves to make that connection, it's not a portrait. It's just one more technically accurate, sterile representation of what that person looked like at that given point in time. Bill makes connections, and his photographs are testament.

Check out his newest project, 90021, which is a fresh look at his new neighborhood in L.A.

I am glad to have crossed his path, proud to call him a friend and I am truly honored to be the best man in his upcoming wedding to Finnish supermodel and professional tennis player Pamela "Bjorn" Sunnarborg.

Influences: Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze, 1988. Wichita, Kansas. © Ryan Schierling

Everyone's going nuts about the movie trailer that was released today for the Spike Jonze-directed Warner Bros. movie "Where The Wild Things Are," and I can't blame them. I'm a little excited myself. 

First of all, the book was a dog-eared favorite when I was a kid. Secondly, it's no secret I'm a fan of Spike Jonze. He was one of the reasons I picked up a camera in the first place, and that goes back to his work with Freestylin' Magazine in the late 1980's. It seems like a lifetime ago.

Letter, 1988. 

Since K got over me.

© Ryan Schierling

According to Wikipedia, the letter G was introduced in the Old Latin period as a variant of C to distinguish Latin voiced velar /g/ from voiceless /k/ around 230 BC. At this time, K had fallen out of favor, and C, which had formerly expressed both /g/ and /k/ before open vowels, had come to express /k/ in all environments.

Suburbia.

From the upcoming "We Don't Live There Anymore (but we sometimes visit)," a collaboration with E. Heins. © Ryan Schierling

3600 Kelvin, Neopan 1600.

It doesn't really matter, does it? (L) Valgene, monorail. (R) Jane, lower Queen Anne. © Ryan Schierling