Join us for the gallery opening of "Living Venice, Italy"!
March 4 | 11 a.m.–noon | The Union, Taylor Down Under

Meet Ryan Sauer, a senior biology major at JMU. He’s excited to share his gallery, “Living Venice, Italy,” which captures scenes from Venice and other cities across Italy. 

Ryan grew up around cameras, developing comfort with photography by watching his dad document their outdoor adventures. His first personal experience behind the lens came near his high school graduation, when he started shooting on a Canon SL3, which he described as a “beginner camera.” When he arrived at JMU, he quickly got involved with campus organizations that gave him opportunities to build his photography skills. He doesn’t focus on one specific style, saying, “I really found a passion for capturing a range of photos. So you’ll see even in this gallery, it’s not just people or just landscapes — it’s a little bit of everything.” 

Ryan’s biology major isn’t typically associated with photography, but he has found it to be a valuable creative outlet. He hadn’t noticed any overlap between his major and his hobby until last semester, when he took a microscopy class that covered the theory and practice of using microscopes. “It was really interesting. The overlap was that they’re both cameras and they both collect light, and that’s all that cameras are, a tool to collect light. Everything that we’re talking about aperture, contrast, resolution, all of those things are shared between the two sciences, which is really neat.” 

Ryan’s trip to Venice was part of a study abroad program and his first major trip with his camera. His philosophy on photographing the trip was simple: he took pictures of what interested him and what he felt told stories. “This was my first real big trip that I took with this new camera. I really just captured what I saw. I think that’s very cliché, but I had practice doing it with other cameras and other situations before. This was a time where I really got to shoot what I wanted to, and I really tried to get some interesting shots that almost told stories.” 

Ryan hopes his collection will encourage others to try something new, sharing how the show represents a season of growth for him. “It represents a time that I got out of my comfort zone and tried something new. I really enjoyed my time there, and I enjoyed being able to tell stories through my photography.” 

View the full collection here