Artist, professional photographer, multi-disciplinary photography tutor, and a critic. While the vast majority of photographers start their journey in full colour, Collins Ryàn (known internationally as "Collins Ryàn - L'artiste") emerged into the profession following and parallel to a Black and White artistic fine-art route. Against the common practice of many photographers, strong highlights and deep shadows never scared him in his art; on the contrary!
As an artist, over the past 2.5 decades, he has been using myriads of tools and materials to convey his ideas to private clients, harnessing the extreme dramatic contrast that Black-and-White art is naturally based on. He sees the world as a subject of dramatic lights and shadows. Over the years he also gradually adopted the work in colours. These days Collins Ryàn is known to be binding those B&W ideas also to his colourful photography Artworks.
In the capacity as a photography artist, his published work on the public domain is accompanied by written content. His short essays, songs, or plain illuminations of his feelings to draw the beholder’s attention to issues like Love vs. Hate, Peace vs. War, Nature Preservation, and Family Relationships – mentioning only a few. He believes that the quality of Artworks must overcome quantity and that the final product must convey deeper meanings, not merely be beautiful or appealing to the beholder.
Collins gives (both online and in-person) multilingual workshops, advice, and constructive criticism to other photographers coming from all proficiency levels. As an international photographer working as Global Brand Ambassador for Kenko, these days Collins Ryàn incorporating to his workshops all of the professional gear and tools that he does his work with. He emphasises how and why to apply a different perspective to the art, rather than being committed to following sometimes irrational rules from the photography books or other sources! In the capacity as a professional photographer, Collins specialises and gives his services in several photography genres: product, food, architecture, street, macro, and portraits.
For many years he worked as a clinician, fully dedicated to treating those in need, and studied in several master's degree routes both in New Zealand and overseas. Following a successful surgery of a life-threatening brain tumour, he is even more passionate about helping other people in need. Collins Ryàn has been giving his photography and artistic services secretly, once a month, to organisations and well-deserved individuals who give their time to help the community.
Speaking and learning several languages (he speaks in mixed accent) and having travelled to many continents and countries across the globe, he has the greatest love for his country New Zealand. Ryàn has been participating and leading a few international photography projects. Throughout 2019-2020 (probably also into 2021, due to the COVID-19) he leads along with Kenko, Hoya, and Tokina a long-haul international project to capture and share with the whole world the unique culture, nature, landscapes, and environment that this country is so famous for.
