5 out of 5 stars and 27 reviews
5
(27)WNC, NC Piedmont, Upstate SC, East Tenn, Blue Ridge Mtns
About this vendor
With a background in photography, Documentary Studies and Anthropology, I have learned photographic techniques and concepts through various projects, graduate education and continue to explore the artistic sensibility and the technological advances surrounding the photographic world.
After photographing 100's of weddings in the Asheville and surrounding area, I have crafted my techniques and philosophy to provide couples with the best experience possible. I support ALL love and welcome anyone to hire me as their photographer.
I am a lover of nature and travel. I maintain physical and mental excellence through daily workout and meditation. Hiking, biking, playing disc golf and surf fishing are hobbies I feel very passionate about. I love my family and feel blessed to have them in my life. Photography is my life!
EDUCATION
• M.A. - Photography/Documentary Studies (Western Carolina University)
• B.A. - Cultural Anthropology and Art History (Appalachian State University)
EXPERIENCE
• Ryan Bumgarner Photography - Owner/Operator (since 2001)
• NC Photobox - Owner (since 2012)
• Seventy-Twodpi, LLC. - Web Developer/Graphic Artist
• Wake Forest University - Field Technician (Contract Archaeologist)
• Museum of Anthropology (WFU) - Curator
• Asheville Art Museum - Visitor Service Coordinator
PUBLICATIONS
Wedding Wire, theKnot, Southern Bride, NC Wedding Pages, WNC Home and Garden, Soirees Southern Events, Martha Stewart Weddings, HGTV Dream Home Giveaway, and many more!
The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte North Carolina gave me the opportunity to document some of North Carolina's finest potteries and it was at this point I knew photography would be my profession. Six months later I had documented over thirty potteries and had photographed over 7000 pieces of pottery in the permanent collection. Since then I have photographed 100's of weddings and have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest businesses in Western North Carolina. I have also performed documentary work for the Anthropology Dept. of Wake Forest University, the Asheville Art Museum, and the NC Democratic Party (shadowed Bill Clinton for 4 hours!)
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on camera is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”
— Aaron Siskind
Details
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Boudoir
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Vintage
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2013 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
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5
out of 5.027 reviews
Ryan was the easiest person to work with ever!! He is extremely talented and yet also flexible. He came to our house for bridesmaid pictures and worked the whole day with us. I hig...
hly recommend him for a special event!
The whole day, I felt like throwing up until I got to the aisle. As soon as I saw my husband, that feeling went away - Ryan got that exact moment on camera. Our first look? He capt...
ured my husband's stunned expression and the way he looked at me. There are DOZENS of moments like that in our photos. Ryan has a gift for capturing those moments and expressions that really matter.
On top of that he is SO. CHARMING. He was absolutely a delight to work with, is excellent at what he does, and did some incredible action photos that I want to frame!
Ryan was our complete standout of the night! He was relaxed but had great energy. He worked so well with my hype team aka my sisters and allowed for all the little changes and adju...
stments while constantly keeping an eye for the perfect light or breeze and captured the moment! He was responsive to the specific shot requests we had and turned out a huge album of photos for us! It’s impossible to pick a favorite. Ryan laughs easy and does what he needs to do to get the shot! We never noticed him to be “in the way” but can tell from our photos that he was constantly moving around throughout the night. 10/10 recommend.
Ryan is very laidback and worked with both our time frame and our budget after we were forced to postpone our 2020 wedding.
You want to have fun on our special day and Ryan is a perfect choice to make that happen.
Ryan was amazing from start to finish. He communicated with me SO well. He got such wonderful pictures of our whole day & captured each guest in such a wonderful light. He was so p...
rompt too. I had my pics waiting for me by the end of my honeymoon. I can't sing his praises enough!
My husband and I were married December 8, 2018 in Asheville and were so incredibly blessed and fortunate to have Ryan as our photographer!!
Ryan took my bridals at Magnolia Inn i...
n Hot Springs, NC as I wanted a more Victorian mountain feel to the pictures. The inn is as his suggestion and completely blew me away! I couldn’t be happier with the bridals!
The wedding day came and, ladies, the pictures Ryan captured are breathtaking! Not only does he have artistic ability, but he is also easy to talk to, easy and a pleasure to work with, and made my day less stressful just by being there, making everyone smile.
I couldn’t recommend a better photographer to ensure your wedding photos will be ones adored and talked about for years to come!
Thank you Ryan!!! AND thank you for the wonderful workout pictures of Derek and the groomsmen in the hotel gym! Priceless and amazing!
Ryan did such an amazing job on our wedding day! Everyone kept raving about how great he was and the pictures we have prove that. From our booking, he has been great at communicati...
ng with us and made the whole experience enjoyable! Thanks Ryan!
Ryan was recommended to us by our venue owners and we could not have been more thankful that he was!
Before the wedding, Ryan walked us through the wedding photography process, he...
communicated extensively with us and answered all of the questions we had. His packages are affordable and well worth every penny spent! We very much enjoyed working with him- he made us excited for our wedding! And the photos are absolutely perfect. Clean, beautiful, professionally shot- we’ve been looking over them almost every day now!
As far as the wedding went, Ryan is an EXCELLENT photographer and his second shooter was as too! The team got all the shots we could have wanted with friends and family (scripted shots, so to speak) and the best candids we have ever seen during the reception. They blend into the party! They danced with us and got wonderful pictures on the dance floor- the kind of pictures that are sure to spark memories and smiles for years to come! Ryan’s HAND-BUILT photo-booth was top notch too! He replenishes his prop supply after every halloween and boy did he have some good ones for us to use! While guests got their pictures printed (like a classic photobooth), we got all of the digital copies that night!
Ryan was one of our favorite vendors for our wedding! With my fiancé living in Illinois & I live in Florida, I thought it might be a challenge to plan everything. Ryan saw my visio...
n & made it come to fruition. He was very professional & very easy to talk to. All of our guests raved about how personable Ryan was throughout the night of our wedding. We had several children as guests & Ryan just rolled with it. He captured all the little moments of our guests that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Not only did we receive our photos in less than a week, but we loved every single shot that Ryan took. Thank you Ryan💗💗💗
Ryan did the photography for our wedding, and he was absolutely wonderful to work with! He was relaxed, kind, and professional, and made the photography process for our special day...
easy and stress-free! With everything else going on, we really appreciated his flexibility and calm, easy-going demeanor. We got our photos back from him so fast, and we love every one! He really captured the essence of our friends, family, and the wonderful time everyone was having! We also loved the photo booth he provided. All of our guests had a great time, and we have a lot of fun, amazing pictures to treasure! Would HIGHLY recommend him! Thank you Ryan for everything!!
Ryan was so great! He went above and beyond our expectations for the engagement shoot, even pushing to have some photos despite rain, and he was great with wedding photos! My famil...
y loved him and he was really fun to have taking photos at the wedding, I would definitely recommend him in the future.
Ryan is an amazing photographer with a great eye - all of our wedding photos are gorgeous and really captured the feel of the day! Equally as important, he has such a warm and laid...
back personality. We had a blast with him on the dance floor! I'm normally pretty awkward in front of a camera, but he helped me feel at ease and let my guard down. He was directive enough to wrangle my bridal party for group photos when needed, but unobtrusive enough to capture some great candids. The value and experience he offers in comparison to other vendors in the area is unbeatable. I highly recommend anyone looking for a wedding photographer - I promise, you will not regret it! Thanks again for everything, Ryan!
Ryan was great photographer!
Ryan and his team were phenomenal! He was very relaxed and made the picture process fun and quick (based on our preference!) The pictures turned out beautifully and everything I wa...
nted captured was there. He was always around at the reception when I wanted a photo taken but was never in the way. The photo booth was also a huge hit with our guests and well worth it!
Ryan did an amazing job with our wedding pictures. There are so many great shots we're having a hard time picking our favorites! We had some ideas about some silly pics and Ryan d...
id a great job capturing all of them. His attention to detail and suggestions made for beautiful memories that we'll be able to share for a lifetime.
Absolutely the perfect photographer for our day. He took notice of all the details we worked so hard on and made sure to represent them in the photos; the children in our wedding p...
arty were on a mangled nap schedule and he managed to bring their best out on camera. Overall Ryan was an invaluable calming presence and kept things running smoothly and beautifully. Great sense of humor and brought out the best in our guests. Highly recommend!
Because we live in Seoul, South Korea full time, we planned our entire Asheville, NC wedding from there. As a result, clear communication was of the utmost importance to us in our ...
vendors. Ryan responded clearly and fairly timely (a few times it took longer than expected - but then again I live in Korea where "bali bali" or "hurry hurry" is the norm!). We reserved his services as well as the 3 hour photo booth option he offers after viewing his photos online. In addition, he was very accommodating as he offered us a discount on his package because we would not be requiring the engagement photo pictures.
We met Ryan for the first time on the wedding day for pre-ceremony photos. He was polite, professional and ever so patient. I loved his laid-back demeanor which helped to counterbalance any nerves the bride & groom were feeling. I also loved that he gave direction to us when we were taking pictures - stand there, look to the side, etc. - as otherwise I wouldn't really know what to do (!).
He provided us a link to a bunch of the edited photos within a week (super speedy!) and eventually we were mailed a USB drive with a photo dump of all of the pictures he took on the day including all of the photo booth pictures that our guests took. All of his pictures turned out AMAZING!
We couldn't have been happier with Ryan's services! Honestly, you will not regret booking him so if you're on the fence, go for it! Ryan was the perfect choice! :)
I am so happy that I stumbled upon Ryan to be our photographer! Not only were his photos absolutely stunning, we barely noticed him taking them! He was great in directing all of us...
around the light and our venue which was a huge help when we were all feeling too scattered and excited. He also got our photos back to us so quickly. I've heard of other photographers taking several weeks. Ryan is such a pro and delivered breathtaking photos without it taking up our whole night. Our favorite part though was all the action shots he got on the dance floor! He really captured the energy of our wedding. I can't stop looking through all of them!
I cannot speak more highly of Ryan - I would recommend him to every bride and groom I know (and I've only seen one photo thus far!). We didn't do engagement photos, and we only com...
municated on the phone and via email, so I was a little nervous having a somewhat-stranger take part of a very intimate day. But I swear, from the moment he introduced himself, I was immediately put at ease and so comfortable with him. (Though, even on the phone and via email as we were coordinating, Ryan was easy to chat with and fun to work with.)
Ryan is obviously incredibly knowledgable - giving me easy tips for posture and hand placement in photos, and so great with a variety of types of photos. He was laid back and a great choreographer for some of the more staged photos - giving advice and telling us where and how to stand without being overbearing. My family doesn't love tons of photos, but Ryan just made everything seem laid back, fun, easy, and exciting. During the ceremony and reception, I barely noticed he was there, but somehow he was always around and easy to find when requested for a particular photo.
Even after only seeing one picture so far, I am so thrilled we worked with Ryan on our wedding day. I'd give him 10 stars if I could!
Ryan was AMAZING! He was so easy to work with and a blast to be around. He fit in very well at the wedding with my family and friends. I got comments from so many of the guests a...
bout how great he was! You won't find a better photographer to work with in this area!
My wedding was on a Thursday so Ryan gave us a great deal that included our whole wedding day, plus an engagement session or bridal portrait session. He arrived on time and got all...
the little details we were looking for. He was very professional and captured lots of emotion in his pictures. The pictures came back quick and were great quality! He sends you a CD with all your photos and you have full and complete rights to them!
We felt really lucky to have Ryan shoot our engagement, bridal, and wedding pictures. He captured some special moments with amazing photos. Neither my husband nor myself are enti...
rely comfortable in front of the camera and he put us both, as well as all of our guests, at ease. It was like having another friend there who happened to do wonders with a camera. Also, we got our pictures back very quickly! The only thing I would say is that during the busy season, it sometimes takes him a little bit to get back with you. But with all of our appointments and on our wedding day he was prompt and responsive.
Ryan was fabulous! His personality and professional manner was great. Loved all his pictures. My husband and I could not have been more happy with the service he provided. All m...
y guests raved about him after the wedding, saying how much fun he was (getting people to pose for photos) and how nice he was. He respected the intimate nature of our ceremony and was not in our face getting pictures but was still able to capture the "love of the whole night". I would 100% recommend Ryan as a wedding photographer!
Ryan did an amazing job! We loved working with him!
Ryan is wonderful to work with! Very professional and fun at the same time! It felt like he was one of our friends at the wedding...he fit in so well! We love our wedding/reception...
photos!!
He is AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!! He also gave us a winter rate which made it really below what I had budgeted. Ryan has a couple different packages to pick from and they are all we...
ll worth it and I think a really good deal. He is so nice and really personalized everything he did. He took 500 pictures and was able to get them uploaded to a share site in a week and a half. I loved how he did some in color and some black/white. One thing that I really appreciated is that he gives a complimentary engagement/bridal portrait session. Since we are from out of town and couldn't make it up there for one of those he actually did a photo shoot w us in our gown and tux the day after the wedding at different unique locations. I would suggest that everyone has him as their photographer!!! He is absolutely the best to work with and has a really creative eye.
Ryan is a wonderful photographer, his pricing is very fair, and he is a really nice person.
I loved working with Ryan. I hate getting my picture taken and I am very self conscious. Ryan was great and making me feel at ease and with a friend. He took wonderful pictures ...
and I really enjoyed working with him.
Contact
WNC, NC Piedmont, Upstate SC, East Tenn, Blue Ridge Mtns
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