Such is the life of a budding artist in the age of social media

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When 103,000 people follow your work on Instagram, the world is flush with possibilities. "The past year is unlike anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams," Ryan Parrilla emailed from India, where he spent three weeks this summer on a photo expedition funded by Global Leadership Adventures. Before that, he found himself hovering above Manhattan in a helicopter chartered by Nike; one of those images appeared on a billboard in Herald Square. And in August, a collection of his images was exhibited in the lobby of the Royalton Hotel. 

Such is the life of a budding artist in the age of social media. Ryan is not a professional, but he has a lot of sway. He doesn't have a gallery to showcase his talent, but he does have a manager. And he occasionally earns a modest $500 to $3,000 per picture—all shot with a camera and lenses supplied by Canon. 

But it's not about making money at this point, said Dylan Hattem, who represents the teen. Ryan is more interested in opportunities to master his craft. 

He clearly has a special eye, though. "For me, a great picture requires patience, perfect lighting, a point in time that captures viewers' emotions and a calculated composition," he said. His rapidly expanding army of online admirers surely would agree.
-Chris Raymond