ryan.j.drewes

In December, a young gentlemen had asked me if I had hopped freight trains after perusing my railroad photography captures. While the thought of it crosses my mind from time to time, I just haven’t grown the cojones to do it. While it would make for one hell of a creative adventure, the idea of legal problems, or even death due to negligence, outweigh (at least for now), the chances of a successful excursion. As February approaches, I’m slowly beginning to shift from hibernating, to actively creating once again. A recent trip to Livingston, Montana, brought me as close as I could be to these powerful machines, without having to trade in my sanity, for the insanity. A new blog post is up, my first since September, and I’ll have it linked in my story feed. Enjoy the ride! 🚂
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New blog post is up. My first once since September. Enjoy! 🚂

"What's more freeing than the thought of hopping on a freight train and traveling across the United States of America? Recently I took my camera down to Livingston, Montana for a project that I've been wanting to work on for some time."

Livingston to Bozeman by Train | Train Photography Prints | Railroad Photography The cities of Livingston and Bozeman are separated by 25 miles, but in between lay the Bozeman Pass | Railroad Photography | Livingston Train Depot

Out here hangin’ with old man Jack Frost, on this blustery winter morning. With origins in ancient norse mythology, Jack Frost represents the icy beauty and bitter dangers of winter. Balancing the dualities of life, mmmm, warms my heart to the core! ❄️
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Some of us bleed our heart and soul onto these stupid little squares, yet for some reason Instagram would rather push the content of some girl with her ti***es flopping around, or even pretending to give some guy head. It drives me mad at times, but this is the world we live in, and I’m just a pawn to Instagrams game. I digress though! Recently we had a cold snap in Montana, where I awoke to the thermometer reading -33 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve been asked before what it feels like? Honestly, as long as the wind ain’t blowing it’s tolerable. Of course I don’t recommend being outside for too long, but it’s certainly an experience that will toughen one up. The biggest affect I feel is in my lungs, as breathing in through the mouth you feel a burning sensation from within. The photo above was taken on day two of the snap, as the temperature rang in at a balmy -9 degrees. Believe me when I say, you can feel the difference between -33 and -9!! As the sun ascended behind me, I waited patiently in the comforts of my heated truck. She’d eventually cast her first light of the day, draping the majestic mountain of Lone Peak in her radiant beauty. 🏔️
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An angel sung to me, as I laid my head in between her lap. She caressed my arm, as my eyes gently closed. As her melody softly played, darkness engulfed me. I lay, motionless, in a sweet surrender. Consciousness regained, I opened my eyes to snow falling against a late evening sky. The cold and bitter air would once again touch my skin, the long movements invoking stored emotions. One more day dreaming of your touch, one more day dreaming of your gaze, one more day dreaming of your whisper, yet another day realizing, it was nothing but a dream.
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For two years, yoga was an afterthought. Life just got in the way and I never made time for it! Three weeks ago I started going again: 1.) Because I wanted to be around people, and 2.) I needed the motivation to get back in to stretching. The yin practice has a way of moving things around internally. You reach a pleasant high shortly after, sometimes followed by grief and sorrow a few hours later. I have so much to be thankful for out here, even if it at times, my thoughts would like to tell me otherwise. ✍🏻
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4 new framed photos up on my Etsy site 📸:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ryanjdrewes?ref=shop_sugg_market§ion_id=40188892

16,071 rises of the sun … 16,071 sunsets … 44 raw and unfiltered years … Somewhere between the ages of 24 and 36, life kicked me in the n**s, multiple times. Hell, let’s do it again at 39, just for the fun of it! Yet here we are, proudly, still kicking and screaming. Single and surviving, in a world I don’t belong in. Heart torn and tattered, heart stitched and battered. Those grey hairs, beautiful colors, a reminder of what awaits. Memories of what was! 44 years from now I’ll be 88, who will remain? Who will be there to say, “damn kid, I’m so fu***ng proud of you!” A cabin in the forest. Smoke bellows from a chimney. A dog barks, a record plays, ma belle chante, snowflakes fall. A youthful presence, amongst the aged misfits. Days linger, months turn, and years pass! Wait, wait, continue to wait. Your time will come my friend. Just continue to be patient. 32,142 rises of the sun … 32,142 sunsets … 88 raw and unfiltered years … Who still remains? Whom do I get to call home? La vie en rose … 🎂
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Now through the end of January you can find my art along with fellow Big Sky Artist Collective member Delaney Coveno at Wild Joe’s Coffee shop, located at 18 West Main St. in Bozeman, Montana. She was nice enough to participate with me, as I wasn’t quite sure if I had enough material in stock to cover all the wall space. Turns out the collaboration will work out just great, as her local animal photography blends well with my landscape captures of the west. Two east coasters finding their way into a Montana coffee shop, I guess stranger things have occurred. Now seriously go and buy our stuff, and treat yourself to a coffee while you’re at it!! 📸 ☕️

Welcoming in the new year with a free photo giveaway. Like the post and be entered into a drawing to win a free 12x18 photigraphy print of your choice off of my website. Best of luck. Entries will be combined with my Instagram post as well.

https://www.ryanjdrewes.com/

This is the point on social media where we all get to see the “new year, new me” posts. Six weeks later, some of ya’ll will revert back to everything you said you were going to change. Harsh I know, but facts are facts. What if I told you it took me 8 years to get to where I’m at today, and instead of proclaiming one big change, I took baby steps towards them. I had an ex once tell me, that she liked me better when I ate crap, drank alcohol, and didn’t give a s**t about anything. I laughed in the moment, but sometimes I think about that statement. While it said more about her than me at the time, I think back to those days, and how much messier my life really was. Sure I had a business, more financial freedom, and much much more of a social life, but the illusion was that I had my s**t together. Fact is, I never really did. So I sought help from a therapist shortly after my breakup, eventually quit booze, spent a winter in Arizona, wrote two books, moved to Montana, adopted a dog, began selling my photography, and have finally gotten my financial issues/worries under control, all while living a very minimalist lifestyle. Far from rich monetarily, but wealthier when it comes to life experiences. While I’m still a few years out from where I want to be, there’s no quick fix to the problems that you currently face. You either want to change them, or you don’t! There’s plenty of motivational chatter on Instagram, and plenty of people trying to sell you their bulls**t on how to change your life, but the only person who can fix you is you. So go ahead, proclaim new year, new me, I’ll root silently from afar, but be prepared for the one of the hardest challenges you’re ever going to face.
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What a difference a year makes! As I’m writing this, the snow is finally falling, with at least 5 inches on the ground. Last year, we were already buried under multiple feet. There’s something about living out here that pushes you past your comfort zone. The weather, your surroundings, the fact that you’re no longer at the top of the food chain, all factor in to day to day life. Why did I end up here? Looking back now, it all makes sense. 🐻💫
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Decembers free giveaway. All likes will be entered into the drawing!!! 🎅🏻

I got tired of writing about my past so much, that I turned to capturing my present. Poetry and prose locked away, till some other beautiful day. My muse and my love, still awaiting our fate! I’ll write for you, I’ll write to you, and I’ll keep waiting till you appear! Have you? Will you? Alcohol replaced by photographs, heartbreak and deception traded in for words, a strangled life revived, in this state I now call my home. I made my life better, but now it’s so quiet. I got so tired of hearing about what an inspiration that I was, that I decided to inspire myself in ways that kept me moving forward. Don’t be me, you don’t want to be me, you’ll figure it out, someday, one day, if you really want to. This social media platform that I used to slave for, no longer interests me. I see though it’s silly little game. Look at me, look at us, look how perfect life is! How trashy and attention seeking can one be? Who am I kidding, I still play that game from time to time, maybe jealous of others, or maybe calling it as it is. The truth hurts, even on the most bitter of nights. These words, where did they come from? Quiet night, silent night, cold and frosty night. When silence replaces the noise, and the mind wanders to those places where your words flicker like an ember. You can try to interpret these letters and these words, but you’ll never know. I’m not sure that I even know. The truth is, the harmonious life I sought and continue to strive for, lay in the midst of the most frozen and turbulent waters, you’ll ever need to swim through. ✍🏻
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I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving Day. This upcoming weekend, I'll be running a Thanksgiving Day weekend sale on both my website and Etsy shop (11/24-11/27). All photography print products on my website will be 25% off using code THANKS2023 at checkout, while you can receive 20% off on all items over at my Etsy shop.

https://www.ryanjdrewes.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ryanjdrewes

“And all I loved, I loved alone” Edgar Alan Poe ✍🏻
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In 1876 the streets of Deadwood, South Dakota, would’ve been filled with gamblers, booze hounds, prostitution, guns, and outlaws. Fast forward to 2023 and much of it still remains, however, for a grungy boy and his leopard colored dog, they strutted into town that evening seeking a warm room and four walls to call their own. The warmth of a woman would’ve been nice as well, but we took what we could get. So lemon tea, a peanut butter sandwich, and a soaking hot shower would have to suffice. As for the dog, well, she had her own bed to lay her travellin’ weary head upon.
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My original plan was to travel the 440 mile stretch of route 14 through the state of South Dakota. Designated in 1926 as one of the original cross country highways, it extends from Chicago, Illinois to Yellowstone National Park west of Cody, Wyoming. In Hayes, South Dakota, route 14 begins to head south for a bit, before continuing on westward. Thanks to a bit of zoning out, I had missed the turnoff, and about two hours later had come to the realization that I was no longer on route 14, but on highway 34. OOPS!! So here are some photos from the first 244 miles of that stretch of road. My two favorite being: 1.) the dying sunflowers representing the change of season, and 2.) the American flag and tractor, representing a country, I’m extremely grateful to be living in. 🇺🇸
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Two new barn wood framed photos listed for sale on my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ryanjdrewes?section_id=40188892

Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes! Also the land of abandoned homesteads. It was a dreary drive north, and this dilapidated property had caught my eye. I pulled over to capture its essence. Who lived here, what went on inside those walls that are now so silent? Stories of yesteryears, encapsulated within the country highways of l’étoile du nord.
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November Giveaway ... ❄️❄️❄️ 4 pack of greeting cards that are part of the seasonal card exhibit at the Big Sky Artists Collective Studio. All likes will be entered. 🥶

Fun little project I did while back east. Check it out below: 👇🏻

Jersey Shore Local Photography,Nikon D5100,snapseed,Photoshop Express

Nerd alert!!! ⚾️ For 85 years, a structure of significant importance surrounded this photographic capture. If you remember the old Yankee Stadium, there was a large NY painted on the grass behind home plate. If it were still there today, I’d be standing on it. I have many fond memories of a place that no longer exists physically, but linger on in the sights and sounds that surrounded me. Fun fact: I spent a morning in the Bronx County Courthouse (center right), which used to tower over the right field bleachers, for scalping tickets outside the stadium. The charges wound up being thrown out thanks to some shady lawyer sniffing around for a quick pay day. I miss that place (not the courthouse), and I think a lot of others will agree.
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Winter approaches! Matted prints, wood frames, books, stickers and more will still be available in my store during the season of slumber and reflection:

ryanjdrewes - Etsy Shop Fine Art Landscape Photography, Poetry Prints, Stickers by ryanjdrewes located in Big Sky, Montana.

Who’s the man behind the lens? You’re looking at his shadow! Tell me what bothers you more? Doing the things you never wanted to do, or not doing the things you’ve always wanted to do? Life is short, and as I age it’s picking up at an unprecedented speed. But in the snap of a finger, it can all be taken away. While I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I do know what today has presented me. I took the chance, and have never looked back! 💫
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Sunrise in New Jersey! I’ve seen my fair share of them. Luckily the weather is still conducive to shorts and a sweatshirt, because I’ve spent some very early mornings along the ocean with frozen fingers trying to capture it. So many memories come flooding back when I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the ocean. My roots will always begin here, along the Atlantic Ocean, but they now extend 2200 miles to the west. It’s been fun visiting Jersey, but I can’t wait to get back home. 🏔️
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A barn with an American flag on it? Not something I was expecting to see in New Jersey, but northwestern jersey has a special vibe to it. A world within its own! The Appalachian region of New Jersey has a rustic feel to it, probably one of the reasons I feel drawn to it every time I come back east.
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The sun descended in the forest, as I welcomed New Jersey into my presence. No longer having to worry about a grizzly bear ripping my face off, I was able to remain present to my surroundings. The leaves fell graciously, as an ever so familiar autumn, hummed her gentle tune.
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It’s gotten to the point, that I’ve driven across this country more times than I can remember. While four and half days sounds like a lot, it passes by pretty quickly. Each drive I tend to find something new to photograph, and this time, a dirt road off the interstate would lead me to a small rural hamlet in South Dakota. With a deep blue sky as the background, I had to get a little creative with my captures, because I found them to be a little meh. You could spend a lifetime exploring the backroads of America, and that little side trip will lead me to a pretty neat adventure when I return home in just a few short weeks. 📸
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Honk honk for freedom!! It’s been a while since I’ve thought about my experience of the truckers convoy in both 🇨🇦 and 🇺🇸. This photo brings up conversation from time to time at my shows. I met a man this weekend who participated in the event and rolled through Belgrade, Montana with tears in his eyes. He shared with me his personal photos from the convoy. Another man bought this photo framed, as gift for his father who is a trucker in Alaska. I’ve always told myself that trucking would be my backup plan, if this creative endeavor flames out. Yet people seem to dig what I’m doing, so for the time being, I continue to capture the world differently. Thank you to everyone who supported me over this past summer, you’re words and support mean more to me than you’ll ever know. 📸❤️
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