It takes just the right backdrop for the subject of a photo to pop. In the case of a vintage blue car, photographer Ryan Koopmans (@ryan.koopmans) found a wall mural to be the perfect juxtaposition. “I do have a tendency to prioritize graphic backgrounds and billboards, illustrations and artwork and advertisements that already exist in the real world,” says Ryan. “And I like to play with that relationship so it all sort of becomes like a set or a stage that the characters are unfolding on.” His other priority is height. Whenever Ryan arrives in a city — either for a commissioned assignment or personal photo project — he finds the highest vantage point, like a construction crane or a rooftop restaurant that might allow him access. From these high perspectives, he tries to shoot down the middle of the slope at a 45-degree angle, often excluding the horizon line so “it becomes more like an abstract compressed pattern and repetition of the city below.” Ryan adds, “It’s constantly a focus on getting to an ideal kind of height that is lower than an airplane but higher than what most people would see their city from.”
Photo by @ryan.koopmans