I first met Ric Lewis in 2023, when I personally handed him an onlythecurious card - the very one he later mentions in this interview. From that first moment, I was struck by his quiet grace, grounded energy, and the way he carries both confidence and calm in equal measure. Since then, I’ve had the joy of building a personal connection with Ric and his beautiful wife Kayla, whose presence and partnership enrich the work they share with the world.
It’s an honor to introduce them both as part of our very first Artist Spotlight feature of 2025! :)
Ric’s photography holds a rare kind of presence. His portraits don’t just capture a face, they hold a feeling.
“As creative artists, we are cheapening ourselves if all we use is words to express things we’re passionate about on social media. Use art too. It’s more powerful.”
- Ric’s words are a reminder of the responsibility and power we hold as visual storytellers, to say more with less, and to trust the language of art when words fall short.
In this conversation, we explore Ric’s journey behind the lens, his artistic philosophies, his love of subtlety, and how connection is at the heart of everything he creates.
Hi Ric! Tell me about yourself and your background, what do you love to do and how did you get started?
Well I’ve always been creative. When I was a kid I was really big into drawing. I would draw my favorite comic book characters everyday. Although I haven’t drawn as an adult. I would be terrible now.
I also would write poetry that would get placed in the school paper. I’m a musician and in 2012 I wrote and recorded my own rock album. I tracked each instrument and vocal part by myself in a home studio. Mixed and mastered all the tracks. It’s on iTunes and Spotify. But now that I’m older I don’t play as much.
I received a degree in Electronic Engineering with honors and I’m a Deans list recipient.
I’m married to a wonderful creative and designer herself, Kayla Douglas.
I got started in photography by accident. I started off in modeling in Atlanta Georgia. At the airport I was approached by a photographer for a bridal magazine and asked if I would be a “fake groom” for her. I agreed and even though it was my first time as a model I was instantly signed to an agency. I’ve been “fake married” about twenty times and published in multiple bridal magazines as a groom. I wanted to become a better model so logically I thought that learning photography would make me a better model. It would show me what the photographer sees and what they expect. So I went to a pawn shop and purchased an old Canon crop sensor camera. I think the model was an S1.
I started learning photography (to become a better model) and quickly fell in love with it as an artistic expression.
Your photographic style is so beautiful, distinctive and imaginative. What first drew you to photography as a creative medium and how would you describe your overall aesthetic?
Thank you so much. I’m always honored when others see value in my work. I briefly mentioned in my response above what made me pursue photography, however the moment that I learned it could be a creative medium is during a photoshoot early on. I had painted a model in black body paint. I asked her to slowly peel it off and go think of something negative and toxic in her life that she’s peeling away and shedding forever. She started crying while peeling the layers away and I stayed silent and allowed the moment to happen. I silently took pictures and realized that this just wasn’t a photo shoot. It was therapeutic and healing for her as well as a creative statement.
As far as my aesthetic I would say it’s a combination between Fine Art and Fashion. “Fine Fashion” if you will. My wife (Kayla Douglas Artistry) is an angel wings and gowns designer so a lot of what I do is photography for her fashion pieces that she can use on her website. However l, I prefer the “Fine Art” look so I try to find a balance between the two.
Can you walk me through your creative process for envisioning and executing a photoshoot?
Well lately I’ve been pulled in all directions from companies I’m an ambassador for. Also, Kayla has been designing so many items that my creative process has to revolve around whatever it is that she needs photographed. Or, if I design a new backdrop for Fine Art Dream Drops, I have to cater the photoshoot to that design. So lately, I haven’t been able to do my creative ideas.
However, when I do get a chance to do something for myself I draw creative inspiration from a handful of things. Song lyrics are a big creative inspiration for me. I drive a lot so I end up listening to a lot of music daily. I allow my mind to wander and in my mind's eye I can envision entire music videos for the song lyrics. Those “minds eye” images often wind up being creative inspiration for my photography sessions. If I ever learned videography, I’d probably be the go to guy for music videos because I feel like there’s a movie literally going on in my mind and I can see it clearly. I’m very fortunate to have that ability.
I also use emotions as creative inspiration. In our early days Kayla and I did a whole session on Fear, Anxiety, Worthlessness, Rejection, Depression, and even suicidal thoughts.
I use a lot of world current affairs as creative inspiration. I can sit here and post my political views, or thoughts on human rights, or ideology all day long and it will do no good whatsoever. However, if I can put those thoughts into a creative piece that evokes emotion from the viewer, that’s accomplishing something.
As creative artists, we are cheapening ourselves if all we use is words to express things we’re passionate about on social media. Use art too. It’s more powerful.
An example of this is a few years ago when women's rights and abortion was being voted on. I saw a bunch of posts that were either black or white. No grey. Having a close friend in my life who had an abortion because of medical reasons, I knew that there was plenty of “grey” in life. I wanted to make a piece for her. A piece about abortion. Not a statement, not saying if it’s right or wrong or blah, blah, blah. Just a piece about her experience. Needless to say no model or subject wanted to be a part of it. I get it. It’s a tough subject. So I had to make a composite from old maternity photos, replacing the face, hair, to make my own subject. I was so nervous about posting the piece because, what say do I have in it? Am I allowed to even have feelings about this subject? In the end, I shared it anyway, for my friend. I wanted to express the way her story made me feel and I wanted to express the torment she had to bear in being questioned in her decision by her loved ones.
I’m glad I posted because so many women messaged me and said the image made them cry. That they had been in that position before and the image encapsulates what they felt and what they went through. A few of the models even messaged me privately apologizing and said that after they saw the image, they wished they would have agreed to the concept. Was it pretty? No. It’s a hard image. It’s ugly. But it makes a statement and invokes emotion. Art isn’t always pretty.
I also have a few images on human trafficking. I have a ton of ideas in my notes app that I’m waiting to execute or waiting for the budget needed to execute the idea. But my first step is writing the idea down, adding ideas down, sourcing items needed, and planning lighting.
How do you approach collaborating with your subjects? What’s important to you in building trust and capturing genuine emotion?
I’m very fortunate that most of the people that I work with already know of me or Kayla or both. They normally reach out to us expressing interest to work with us. That starts us off on good footing. They’re already excited and already have an expectation of an amazing experience. However, we do have people that are nervous sometimes. Even professionals. In that case we normally joke around with them a lot. I have a few cheesy “dad jokes” that I’ll use or Kayla does her goofy Tina Twerk lol. Either way, we try to get the subject to laugh and feel comfortable. I’ll even start them in seated poses if they’re nervous. That seems less intimidating for them.
If there’s a certain emotion that I want them to express in the face, I’ll ask them to go to a time when they felt (insert emotion here). I’ll ask them to think about that situation and their face normally goes right to the expression that I was looking for.
I see you’ve used some of our color grading tools before. What drew you to incorporate these into your workflow, and have they opened up any new creative possibilities in your work compared to what you could do previously?
I started using Only The Curious actions from the 2023 Portrait Masters Conference. I received a card that had a code for one free action. The image on the card was hauntingly beautiful. That, and the name caught my attention. I downloaded my free action, applied it to an image and was blown away. I felt like it was a missing piece that my work needed. I didn’t do much color grading before. I tried but didn’t like anything that I came up with. But I loved the Only The Curious color grades. I loved that I could open the layer stack and reduce opacity or brush off certain colors or tones and have full control over the color grade. I quickly went online and bought more. People also started commenting on how much my work improved. Honestly, nothing changed in my workflow other than adding the color grading actions in at the end.
Was there a particular photo that you captured that made you think that you found your style?
There’s an image of Kayla wearing a floral corset and a floral headpiece that she designed specifically for a backdrop that I designed. I changed a step in how I do my skin retouch. I remember that photo was an instant success. So many people commented and shared it. A few companies reached out to me about an ambassadorship after that image. It was also my favorite image at the time. That’s when I knew I found my style.
What has been your favorite personal or commissioned project to work on so far in your career and why?
Honestly it was something as simple as taking pictures of my brother and our family when Kayla and I were visiting for the holidays. My family knew I liked photography but I felt like they didn’t know why it was so important to me. My brother reluctantly agreed to let me take his portrait. When he looked at the back of the camera he said, “Ok. Now I get it.” And started suggesting different outfits he could put on for different styles. He’s big into sports and politics. I’m big into creativity and music. It was the first time I felt like he truly understood why this outlet was so important to me. Afterward I photographed the rest of our family. It’s something so important. We are but a breath. Dust in the wind. Capturing my loved ones now, while I can, will help preserve the memory of them after we are all gone.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in a creative field?
Stay humble and grateful for being able to do something that you love to do. There are already too many egos in this industry. We are not heart surgeons. We are not saving people’s lives daily. Why the ego?
Can you share five essential items that you include in your photography gear bag?
-Expodisc by Expoimaging for perfect white balance. It’s important to have a good base for white balance before you start your color grade.
-My Spider Holster. I don’t like to have my camera hanging from my neck. My Spider Holster places the camera weight on my hip instead of my neck. It makes it convenient for me to be hands free when I need to be. I’m adjusting lights, hair, props, and the set a lot in a session. Being hands free while still having my camera attached to me is important.
-My Viltrox 40mm 2.5 has become my new favorite lens. It’s super budget friendly but insanely sharp. I have a few lenses that cost around $1000 or more but Viltrox beats them in sharpness every time.
-Batteries. I keep about 6 extra batteries in my bag at all times for obvious reasons.
-Osmo Pocket. I’m terrible at capturing behind the scenes. With the Osmo Pocket I can just place it on a stand and program it to track me in the studio. Makes BTS easy.
Thank you Ric for sharing your time, story, and creative spirit with us. We can’t wait to see how your work continues to unfold, inspire, and expand!
If you’d like to experience Ric’s work in person, be sure to check out his upcoming events, workshops, and exhibitions - you can follow along via his socials. Please check the links below for the latest updates -
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Kayla's Artistry Website
WORKSHOPS & RETREATS
Scotland | Portugal | Upcoming events
