Meet Ryan Greger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Greger.

Ryan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up with a passion for all things cars. Before I could even walk, I would sit for hours spinning the wheels of toy cars, and by the time I was three, I was identifying cars at night by their taillights – my mom always jokes that my first word was “Volvo,” and while I don’t think it actually was, it probably wasn’t too far off! I was constantly reading automotive magazines or websites, absorbing as much information as I could about all things cars. That passion continued to develop and grow throughout my youth.

It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school, though, that I was introduced to photography. I took an introductory photography class and instantly fell in love with capturing subjects through my own lens. Also that year, my dad and I began attending the local “Cars & Coffee” every Saturday morning. I’m from Portland, Oregon, so the car scene was far less crazy than it is here in Southern California, but I still looked forward to waking up early every Saturday morning – and it takes a LOT for me to want to wake up early! I eventually began bringing my camera to the shows and really enjoyed capturing the oft-overlooked details of the cars that showed up, like intricate taillight designs or dew drops around the badges.

I continued to develop my photography throughout high school, taking a few more photo classes, and continued attending cars and coffee with my camera in hand. At this point, though, I still didn’t know anything about editing, and it was all just for fun. In 2013, my dad and I began attending Car Week in Monterey, a weeklong car extravaganza featuring the world’s most exclusive and interesting cars of all varieties. Classics, modern supercars, quirky and obscure vehicles all converge on the Monterey Peninsula every August. This quickly became the week I looked forward to most each year.

In 2016, when I began attending college at Chapman University in Orange County, I knew I was in for a treat with the car scene. Having seen photos of various shows in the area on Instagram, I was excited to finally be able to participate in what can only be described as the most vibrant car culture in the world. The first show I went to was Aliso Cars & Coffee, and it was like heaven on earth. McLarens, Lamborghinis, and more were everywhere, barely even getting a second glance – it was like nothing I had ever seen outside of Car Week. Of course, I still had my camera in hand, but I was only using the photos for myself – they weren’t being posted anywhere.

Finally, in July of 2017, I decided to create an Instagram, @rmg.autos, to post my work. Quite honestly, I wasn’t very good, and I didn’t even tell anyone about the account for several months because I thought it was weird that I had it. I posted fairly consistently for several months after, improving significantly along the way, and in January of 2018, I had amassed around 300 followers. That was when things really hit a turning point. I suddenly began getting 300+ likes on posts, with likes often surpassing the number of followers I had. I was confused by this, but the recognition was very validating. So, I kept shooting, kept posting every day, and in March I won a photography contest with O’Gara Coach, an exotic car dealership in Beverly Hills. I was able to do a private photoshoot with a McLaren 720S, and it was a dream. The next month, I won another contest with O’Gara’s San Diego location, which eventually culminated in my dream photoshoot a few months later – more on that in a bit.

By May of 2018, after a massive car show called Cars & Copters, I hit the magic 1,000 followers number and was seeing around 600 or more likes on every post. By Car Week 2018 that August, I had 4,000 followers and a brand new camera setup. My engagement and growth exploded, and I was seeing over 4,000 likes on posts. I was spending my weekends hanging out in Newport Beach, attending car shows and hoping for a surprise appearance of a rare hypercar, which happens more often in Newport Beach than almost anywhere else in the world.

In September of that year, my prize for the second O’Gara contest finally came to fruition: I was awarded an exclusive photoshoot at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe with a blue Porsche 918 Spyder, one of only 918 in the world and a member of what’s known as the “holy trinity” of hypercars; truly the ultimate performance machine and achingly beautiful. This photoshoot led to a huge amount of growth, as well as my photos being reposted by the official Porsche Instagram account. By the end of the year, I hit 25,000 followers – fairly unprecedented growth. But, most importantly, I was making lots of great friends and connections along the way. The support was amazing, and the people were even better. It was around this point that I created an LLC, Ryan Greger Photography.

A few months later, in early 2019, I was handed the keys to a $360,000 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera for a day in February, and my 21-year-old self was in disbelief. The growth continued. By September of that year, I hit a huge milestone: 50,000 Instagram followers. Truly, I never anticipated the account getting any attention at all, let alone at that level. It was awesome sharing my work and being able to inspire people in their own photography. Somehow, I seemed to have become someone that other automotive photographers looked to, and that was (and is) mind-blowing.

This actually led to my dream internship that fall, as well. I was able to work as a marketing intern for Aston Martin of the Americas in Irvine, and it was an absolute dream come true. The team was amazing, I learned a ton, and I was working at one of my all-time favorite brands.

That October, my increasing visibility led to what is perhaps my coolest and most memorable photoshoot: a road trip through Death Valley with famous and highly respected car-YouTuber Tim Burton, aka Shmee150, with his stunning Ford GT. And in addition to Porsche, my photography has now been featured on the official Bugatti, Aston Martin, Lotus, and Rimac social media accounts.

Things were looking great in the beginning of this year, but as we all know 2020 had its own plans. I ended up home in Portland for several months, unable to capture much new automotive content. However, I was able to take the opportunity to get back into landscape photography and was able to fly down to LA for a few photoshoots, one of which involved the most incredible Porsche collection I’ve ever seen. That shoot was featured in the latest Autostrada magazine.

Now, I’m employed full-time at CarParts.com – a direct result of winning that first photography contest with O’Gara, as the person running that contest is the one who hired me at CarParts.com – and have moved to Culver City. I’m really enjoying being back in the area after so many months away and am thrilled to be consistently shooting cars again.

Truly, though, the biggest blessing of my automotive photography has been the people I’ve met along the way. From other enthusiasts and photographers to exotic car owners, I’ve been able to get to know some truly incredible people. The car community is very special, especially in Southern California, and I’m extremely grateful to be part of it.

That’s got to be one of the coolest, most exciting stories we’ve heard in a long time.  Thank you so much for going into so much detail from how it all started with just an IG account and then how you grew your audience overtime and turned a hobby into such a successful career.  Looking back, would you say it’s been a fairly smooth road?
Overall, the road has been pretty hiccup-free, but there have certainly been a few obstacles. It was sometimes challenging to stay motivated, especially when I was first starting out. Posting daily is a lot more work than people think, especially when it involves spending several hours editing photos while also balancing a full-time college student’s workload and on-campus involvement.

Another challenge, and something that takes constant work, is building connections with car owners who are interested in hiring me for private photoshoots. Taking photos at car shows is always fun and a great time to catch up with friends, but private photoshoots offer much better shooting conditions and more unique opportunities.

I think staying positive and persevering even when I didn’t want to really helped me develop my photography and myself as a person as well. Once I eventually told my friends about my automotive photography, they were extremely supportive, and that definitely helped me find motivation to keep going.

Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
I do automotive photography, specializing in exotic or rare cars from classic Porsches to all-new Bugattis and everything in between. Fortunately, here in Southern California the car scene is extremely vibrant and diverse, and there’s always something new to be shooting.

I think what I’m known for and what really sets me apart from others is my ability to envision and then capture details and frame shots with foreground objects. As I mentioned earlier, details were always a focus of mine. While many people focus on capturing a car in its entirety, I want my photosets to tell the car’s story, showcasing details from unique angles and looking at things with a different eye. I also love to create depth in my photos by adding an object in the foreground, be it another car, a tree, or even caution tape. Further, as I developed my editing style, I learned how to better highlight different aspects of cars and their designs.

My editing style is another differentiating factor, and I’ve been inspired by several photographers, particularly Zach Brehl and Alex Penfold. I strive to edit in a way that isn’t too flashy but rather creates an enhanced realism as if to make the car seem like it’s about to pop out of your phone screen. I’ve always wanted my photos to look as realistic as possible, which is why it took me so long to actually start getting deeper into the editing process. I think I’ve found a good balance at this point, but my editing style is always evolving as I learn new things and am put in different situations.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion. I would not be anywhere close to where I am today if I wasn’t passionate about both cars and photography. My passion is what kept me going, what drove me to wake up at 6am on a Saturday to drive to West Hollywood for a car show, and what continues to push me forward today. And I think that passion is something that is key in all walks of life – if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, it’s a lot harder to stay motivated in the long-term.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryangreger.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmg.autos/

Image Credit:
Ryan Greger

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