Back in May I got to second shoot for the amazing Sarah Jayne. Sarah and I know each other through a photography community located in the Boston Area that serves one mission: Community over competition. It's a place we all go to when we have a question, need an extra hand on the wedding day or need a second shooter when our normal team is busy. I love to help out other local photographers. In this industry, things are constantly changing which means, I have to constantly keep learning. Working with other photographers has taught me so much over these past few years. I've promised myself that even if I'm busy (which I totally am), whenever somebody needs a helping hand, I'll always be there for them!

Here's a snippet of the wedding Sarah and I photographed together.

Meet: Rebecca & Ryan
Cheers!

Mel knew of my name through a bunch of mutual friends. Although she was a senior at Somerset High, a school that I don't photograph often, she knew of the name "Ryan DeVoll" when thinking about her senior portraits. It's crazy to me to see how far I've come with seniors. To doing exclusively at Durfee High to now photographing seniors all over MA, it's awesome. 

She rocked her session at Horseneck Beach a few weeks ago. Now that the summer is officially over, I probably wont have the chance to go back here until next year. On that note - Goodbye summer, hello FALL! 

Merideth and I met about a month ago. We quickly grew to like each other over our obsession with J.Crew, coffee, city spaces, and last but not least Kiel James Patrick (if you haven't checked out KJP, DO IT! They're a local bracelet company in RI) She was the perfect senior to kick off this year's senior portraits. Here are a few from our session together.

I had a blast and love taking senior portraits! If you're still looking for someone to photograph yours, don't hesitate to contact me :)

With love,
Ryan

This post has taken me awhile to blog. These past two months have been crazy busy. I've been bombarded by editing, shooting and catching up with life at home but I'm finally ready to tell you about my amazing trip to Italy. A lot of you have been emailing me saying things like "We can't wait to see the photos! We can't wait to hear all about it! We're so excited!" Well, here's your chance. I spent an amazing two weeks in Italy with my friend Alessandro and his family. Overall, it was an absolute amazing experience and I can't wait to go back. 

Before I dive into the trip itself, I just want to say a few things about my dream to travel over seas. Growing up, my family didn't have the privilege to travel much. When we said we were going to travel, that meant going into Providence or going up to Boston. That was the extent of it. I remember one time we went to Six Flags. It was two hours away and we ended up staying the night there in this dingy motel. We thought that was traveling. Being a big dreamer, I always dreamed that we would one day travel across seas together. That I would be able to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, see the Colosseum in Rome and visit my dream country, Ireland.  However, my family didn't come from money. We weren't considered "poor" but we weren't considered rich either. Traveling two hours away was expensive enough, we could never afford a flight, a cruise, or even gas money to travel anywhere else. After 9/11, my family was even more afraid to travel. To this day my mom, grandmother, and my sister have never been on a plane, boat or even a train. I wanted to tell you this for one specific reason...Keep following your dreams. I came from nothing and was just able to travel across the world for the first time. It was only because a lot of dedication, hard work, positive energy and prayer that it was able to happen. I know what your thinking "Ryan, I have dedication, I work hard, and I'm positive but money is the issue!" Trust me, I know how you feel. My advice? Keep working hard, keep being dedicated and keep thinking positive. When Alessandro invited me to stay with him and his family in Italy, I looked at my bank account and said "there is no way." A few weeks later, I logged back in and had just enough for the flight - down to the exact penny. I took a leap of faith and said "God, you're in control" and booked the flight. I was worried about paying my rent that month, my utility bills and everything else but somehow, I had enough for all of that and more. I truly believe it was a gift from God. I've always prayed my dreams would come true and they're finally starting to. So, keep praying, keep giving, keep positive, keep driving, and keep working hard. It'll all pay off. Never give up because someone told you no or you can't. Prove them all wrong and follow your dreams. 

With love,
Ryan

These mountains are all over Sicily. Their crazy right?!

After breakfast the first morning, I met Roberto. He's been selling fish downtown for 20 years. It's how he makes his living and he loves it. I asked him if I could grab his portrait and he smiled and said, of course!

Kelsey told me to take a photo of one of those cafès that we saw when looking up Italy. You know, the ones that are in the middle of the street with the little chairs, umbrellas and coffee? Here you go Kels!

This is Alessandro. He's marring my dear friend, Isabelle very soon. Without him my trip wouldn't have been possible. He pushed me to book the flight and then he welcomed me into his home and his family without thinking twice. I am so blessed to know him and his amazing family.

This was interesting to me. In Italy, there are no dryers. Everyone hangs their clothes out to dry on their porch! Saving electricity and better yet, now their clothes wont shrink! 

After visiting the "old city" we snuck into this beautiful church. We had no idea there was a service going on though!

The next day, Alessandro's Aunt, Uncle and cousins invited us to visit a private beach that they were members of. It was beautiful.

This is what I miss most from Italy. The coffee. At first, I found out that they call their espresso drinks (latès and cappuccinos) coffee, so I had to explain to them that in America we have coffee and then we have espresso drinks. They were so confused haha! Needless to say, their espresso was amazing. At first, I couldn't drink it. It was so strong and dark but after a few shots of it, I was fine. I would have about 4-5 shots a day (which is normal). Boy, I miss that.

I miss this family a lot. They spent a lot of time with us, cooked amazing meals and we all ate a lot of gelato together.

The following day we went to my favorite city out of the whole trip: Cefalu. The city was beautiful.

When we were in the city we found this kids jumping of the road into the water. After watching for awhile, we were able to grab one of the older kids and ask him if we could grab a few shots of him and maybe a portrait or two. He was excited and didn't hesitate a bit!

The sunset was so perfect that night that I had to give Ale his own little photoshoot.

After exploring Cefalu, the next day Alessandro, his friend Roberto and I headed to Viva Maria. We rented a little boat for the day and explored everything around Sicily on water. This was probably the highlight of the trip. The photos I took this day are some of my favorite. 

We met these ladies on the boat who wanted some privacy. However, once they found out I was an american photographer, they welcomed us, and even gave us some of their pizza!

I couldn't take all the photos! I had to be in a few!

Somehow they convinced me to jump off this cliff. I know it's hard to see but that's me up there!

After we docked the boat, we found this group of older gentlemen sitting outside a garage. Come to find out, they were boat makers. I couldn't resist asking to take their photos. The character in their faces just told a story... 

When researching Sicily, I found this place known as Alcantara - The photos speak for themselfs. This water was 32 degrees fahrenheit and I braved it to take these awesome photos. Just for you.

Alessandro's dad was so generous the whole entire time i was there. This place was over 2 hours away and he didn't mind driving us there at all. He didn't even go in the water and enjoy it! He was just happy that his son and his friend was happy :)

Speaking of Ale's dad, I should mention and thank him and Ale's mom here. They were beyond kind to me. They treated me like family and never once make me feel left out of any conversation they had (which it's easy to feel that way when your in a country and don't speak the language). When Alessandro told me that they've never taken professional photos together, we knew what the perfect gift for them might be...They are just too cute and oh so stylish!

On one of my last days there we took a mini cruise to all the different islands around Sicily with Alessandro's church group: In Cristo. These guys were a blast!

Somehow, I even met a guy with an Awakening hat on (nope! It wasn't mine!) 

And that's it folks! I had such a blast in Sicily. Would I do it again? Of course. This time, I'd bring a few friends along with me to experience it all for the first time again. The country is beautiful, the people have golden hearts and the food is to die for. If you're thinking about going to Sicily, GO. It's amazing.

To my Sicilian friends: (Ai miei amici siciliane:)

Grazie per aver reso il mio viaggio così speciale e memorabile. Voi tutti mi trattati come famiglia con un sacco di amore. Spero vi sia piaciuto guardare indietro a queste foto e ricordare tutto il divertimento che abbiamo avuto insieme! Spero di visitare tutto il giorno presto e forse uno, avrete l'occasione di visitare qui. Le mie porte sono sempre aperte per chi vuole soggiornare. Anche se, forse si dovrà fare tutto il cucinare! Vi amo tutti e vi ringrazio ancora una volta.
Con affetto,
Ryan

I've known Dennys & Yassara for almost 10 years now. I can't even believe it's been that long. I met them way back when I was in middle school and was friends with Yassara's sister - Isabelle. Isabelle invited me to her church one night and that's how I came to know Jesus. It's a bigger story than that but, this family has been like a second to my own. They've taught me to be stronger, they've helped me become more humble and make better choices. Dennys specifically has always felt like a "spiritual dad" in a way. He used to lead the youth at the church we all started out at. I look up to him and Yassara as a couple. Their love is pure, strong, and everlasting. I was there at their wedding, I photographed them for an anniversary session in the fall a few years back and now they're on their next chapter in life and I am honored to be photographing them yet again. It's clients like this that make me happy to be a photographer. They won't go to anyone else, they don't feel comfortable with anyone else and they trust me 100% with capturing their story. 

I love these images. I've never done a Maternity session before but I absolutely love the way this came out. 

Congratulations Dennys & Yassara. I can't wait to meet baby Ethan! 

This has been a wedding I've been looking forward to for over a year now. John & Shelly met me awhile ago when I was taking Shelly's daughter (Tara) senior portraits. Tara and I knew each other from high school. We were actually in the same Spanish class my junior year and her freshman year! We became close friends quickly after talking to one another constantly. It was so much fun to photograph her senior portraits and honestly an honor to photograph Shelly & John's wedding. These two felt like family the whole time. Their wedding came out beautiful and perfect in every way!

Cheers to you guys! I can't wait to show you the rest of these. This may be my favorite wedding this year...shhhhh!

The night even ended with a beautiful lantern send-off!

Special thanks to the vendors who made this day come true!

Venue: Chamberlain Farms
Cake: Continent Bakery
DJ: DJ Surf & Fletch
Florist: Pomfret Florist
Hair & Makeup: Ledoux & Company
Suits: Men's Wearhouse 

I met Victoria way back when I was still attending Hallmark Institute of Photography. At that time, she was a hair stylist at a local salon and we had worked together on a few projects for her portfolio and for mine. Fast forward 4 years later, I received an email from her and I couldn't have been more excited because she not only was a client of mine in the past, but a friend. 

Steven & her are a bunch of fun. I couldn't tell you how many times I cracked up laughing doing their formals. There's two are goofballs and I love it.  Their wedding came out beautiful considering that Topstone hasn't done a wedding in over 10 years. You would have never noticed. All the floral arrangements and decor Victoria and her family came together and made. So yes, it's totally possible. The dress and vail was even handmade by her grandmother. These ladies have some skill let me tell you.

Congratulations you two. Love you both!

Thanks again to Topstone Golf Course in Ct for making this a beautiful day for Steven & Victoria!

Lidina & Hamilton

Lidina and Hamilton's story is one that's sure to make your heart melt. Hamilton was a US Army solider, currently stationed in Iraq. After their engagement, Hamilton was deployed back to Iraq quickly and didn't have a chance to plan anything with his sweet new bride. However, that didn't stop Lidina. She quickly jumped on board, and planned everything out while keeping in touch with Hamilton each week. A story of true love. "Distance isn't a problem" Lidina told me. I then told her that distance makes the heart grow fonder anyway and that anytime she'll get to spend with Hamilton will be cherished forever. I was so excited to be apart of this couples story. Who wouldn't want to be apart of a "Dear John" love story? When Lidina found a photographer for their big day, Hamilton was stoked. He knew the importance of photographs of your life being a solider. I knew instantly that this was a couple I couldn't wait to get to know more.

Their wedding was beautiful. From the beautiful ceremony at St. Mary's Cathedral to photos in Newport, RI and then finally ending at their amazing reception at Independence Harbor (which was also the venue my aunt got married at when I was super young! I still remember it though!) I'm not sure who could ever top how much fun we had and how beautiful these photos are.

Congratulations you two! 

A big special thank you to all those vendors and people who made this beautiful day come true! Personally, I have to thank my second shooter and best friend, Casey Wright for helping me out on this one. I love the way her and I captured this day in a documentary style feeling. 
Church: St. Mary's Cathedral
Venue: Independence Harbor