He grew up in Chicago, raised by social worker parents, and studied photojournalism at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication. After graduation in 2005, Ryan worked as a staff photographer at the Orange County Register until 2007 when he left the newspaper industry to return to Chicago and work as an independent photographer and tutor for low-income kids. While in Chicago, Ryan began a number of personal projects that he is continuing to pursue since moving to New Orleans at the end of 2011.