Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney and Ryan Kroll.
Sydney and Ryan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My husband and I are an Oahu based wedding and portrait photography team. We met in our New England hometown and were friends in high school. We began a long-distance relationship in 2011 when I moved away and finished high school in Texas. After I finished my bachelor’s degree, my husband joined the Marines, and once we learned he was going to be stationed in Hawaii, I bought a one-way ticket to elope with my high school sweetheart. Now, my husband is deployed, and I am living back in Dallas-Fort Worth. We have always found value in our artistic sides and knew we wanted to start a creative business together since we began dating! I was gifted a camera at my college graduation, and Ryan followed shortly after with buying an old Canon on eBay, and the rest is history.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I would like to start with saying Ryan and I are blessed with parents who are both happily married, his parents being married for 30 years and mine for 27. My grandparents were the king and queen of their prom and were married for over 50 years. My dad married the girl next door. We are high school sweethearts ourselves and had the chance to write letters to one another while Ryan was in boot camp. We were kind of destined to be hopeless romantics! Because of our value in marriage, love, and family, we know the importance of capturing memories that become heirlooms to a family. Regardless of it being an elopement or wedding, we want to capture the classic poses typical of a wedding but more importantly, the raw and authentic emotion that sheds light on the personality and life of the biggest day in a couple’s lives. We want to capture photos for our clients that tell their story but also showcase their day in a beautiful and artistic way.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Something that has resonated with me lately is the importance of connecting with others in your community. I used to hear the phrase “community over competition” and not fully understand it. I wasn’t against the notion because I understood how important networking was, but I did not fully grasp the entire meaning behind it. Now, the concept is clear as day to me! If you love what you do and create for others, you should be confident in the service you sell and not fear the competition of others. You should instead appreciate the passion of others and how you can lift one another up! It helps you reach, it can help you score referrals and gives you referral options for clients you are unavailable for, and it can help you find incredible friendships. I think the takeaway is that to succeed and find others in the industry who you enjoy and connect with is to give more than you get and to not be afraid of being a little vulnerable. How else will you grow?!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Because Ryan is in the military, we are based out of both Oahu and Texas! This life may not be for everyone, but we welcome it because we love to travel, so we like to express that we will travel to clients no matter where their special day is! You can find our work on our website and support us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have friends or family that you know are recently engaged that you believe would like our style and approach, feel free to send them our way!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sydneyandryan.com
- Email: sydney@sydneyandryan.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sydneyandryankroll
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sydneyandryankroll
Image Credit:
Sydney and Ryan Kroll; Jessi Field Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
