Notes From the Home Office
News from Philadelphia editorial, advertising, and corporate photographer Ryan Donnell

Be forewarned that I might get a little sappy here. I’ve been known to do so.
The March issue of Philadelphia Magazine marks the end of a small epoch for me. Since November of 2005, I’ve been given the honor of making the opening photograph of the calendar section in Philadelphia Magazine. I haven’t made every [...]

Photo by Chris Hamilton. Sweetwater, Texas, rattlesnake round-up. ca. I-Have-No-Idea.
WARNING: This is long and rambling. And this is the NY Times article that spawned the rant.
11-years ago, my first job in photography was as a part-time photographer at the Arlington Morning News in Texas, a small suburban paper owned by the Belo Corp., which also [...]

So my talented younger brother, Colin, was in town last month. He was touring with the Broadway show Wicked. (He was playing Fiyero for all those who actually know the show.) It was great having him in town, since we haven’t lived in the same town for any length of time since I was in [...]

So here’s the latest installment of the Assistant’s Corner. Thanks guys:

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NY Times Opinion Video on Photo Retouching
The NY Times has a decent read today by Steven Erlanger about a French lawmaker, Valérie Boyer, who has:
…created a small furor [in France] and abroad with her latest proposal: a draft law that would require all digitally altered photographs of people used in advertising be labeled as retouched.
As [...]

Ryan (left) + Ryan (right)
We’re a handsome pair, no? No? You’re right.
Just wanted to let anyone paying attention to this space that I’ll be traveling to Chicago and Madison, WI, from tomorrow, the 10th through July 15. If you have any photographic needs from one of those places, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. [...]

Thanks to Colin Lenton for pointing me to it.
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One thing that’s missing from digital photography: Mystery Rolls. These are the forgotten rolls. The half-shot rolls, re-wound midway through because you needed a different ISO. Or maybe a personal roll you shot of your dog that you’d stick on your desk and promise yourself to take to the lab later, after your nap.
For years, [...]

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So I got back to back emails today from two friends and colleagues. They both got me thinking about images and the way two images work together and how, often, the end goal of creating an image is to trigger memories and emotions in my audience.
The first email came from my buddy Chip Somodevilla, a [...]