As Creative Sources’ Grand Poobah of Visual Communications, Rion does more than wrangle photons onto a camera sensor. From the time way back when film and paper were integral to the image-making process, he has been obsessed with innovating new ways of creating stunning content that touts his clients’ skills and advances their brands. Rion has teamed with colleagues and clients as a creator of award-winning content, strategist, problem-solver, coach, and sometimes therapist. He has presented educational seminars on visual communications to varied SMPS forums, and to AIA Georgia and South Atlantic Regional conferences. His photography interprets our clients’ design stories with mastery of effectual imagery. Since we’re Atlanta architectural photographers, the world’s busiest airport allows efficient connections to client projects.
So you know he’s legit, Rion is an experienced, internationally published, architectural and interior photographer and videographer. He is a lifetime member of the American Society of Media Photographers, and was on the founding team of the Architectural Photographers Specialty Group. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree from the School of Arts & Sciences and expanded his knowledge through Harvard University’s Continuing Education Program. Rion is often engaged with public speaking in his Advanced Toastmasters Club, where he is coached by the best. He has presented to numerous audiences, including AIA, SMPS, and others.
Personal Q&A
Everyone wants to be special…..well, until they actually experience it. Alas, I have been subjected to the fickle whims of uniqueness since the moment of my birth. A visionary before her time, my mother decided that simply naming me “Ryan” was a bit passé. Why not go with something big…..something cosmic….like “Orion” the constellation! Knock off a superfluous vowel at the front…..and thus, Rion Rizzo was born. Now, I can’t say she was wrong. While Ryan is the 46th most popular name of all time, Rion tracks at a sensible number 33,810 on that same list. I suppose she just didn’t account for the less advantageous effects of having a name spelled so uniquely.
From elementary school attendance-takers to baristas in various coffee establishments, I have been called more versions of my name, some heretofore unheard of outside of primordial chanting, than I can remember. Truly, it’s a testament to the ingenuity of the human spirit that so many interpretations can be made from four simple letters. Ron, Reeon, Brian, Rino, Iron, Ralph(?), Brain, Orin, etc. In these moments, when my name is warped into guttural sounds, I can’t help but wonder, “would my life have been easier if I had been named Ryan Rizzo not Rion Rizzo? Can two vowels truly change the course of a life so completely?”
I know what you’re thinking. “Surely you jest, Rion. You would never trade your name for a version whose spelling is so popular, that those who bear it outnumber the entire population of Djibouti!” In this, I suppose you are correct. We Rions are a proud few, our ranks barely enough to match the population of Christmas Island. I could never trade this for the anonymity that a top 50 name may offer, no matter its comforts. No, it was never my lot to be a Ryan.
Yet, I do implore you, the next time you open a Google tab, seeking to discover the most accomplished architectural photographer this side of the Mississippi, remember it is I, Rion, whom you truly seek. Type the name Rion Rizzo into the search bar, and find yourself right here, amongst a website of visually-appealing photography, a friendly face, and a welcome respite from all the other more questionable corners of cyberspace.
Or, roll the dice. Type in Ryan Rizzo and perhaps you will still find this website, this bastion of safety in the churning waters of the internet. After all, search engines are getting very refined. Take heed though, for if this is your choice, I cannot guarantee where your journey will take you. So please, if you value the safety of your creative vision, search for Rion Rizzo.
Easy. One of my paternal forebears, David Riccio (Rizzio), had the esteemed title of Secretary and Confidant to Mary, Queen of Scots. See details of his untimely demise in 1566 in front of the queen at Mary Queen of Scots. Perhaps, a future Netflix series?
Maternal side: 13th generation descendant of Pocahontas.
I can Juggle. I’ve juggled all kinds of stuff. Beanbags, cigar boxes, torches…
Paperboy at age 12. For you youngsters out there, that’s back when there were actual printed newspapers, delivered to your house, by a person. Even then I was distributing information through media.