Ryaphotos, Gainesville

Skilled shutterbug Rya aspires to join the lofty ranks of photosmiths such as Jade Albert and Annie Leibovitz through the natural light and natural smiles captured in her artistic portraiture. Her relaxed approach to shoots has landed her work in Home Magazine, and her winsome way with children—a demographic that usually responds to cameras by screaming until their lenses shatter—has yielded commercial images for youth surfwear and dental services. No matter her subject, Rya captures candid poses, drawing out family dynamics and catching the hopefulness of graduating seniors. After shoots, she retouches images and creates online galleries that clients can browse to order enough prints to wallpaper a dining room.