In addition to his play on the court, Ryan Dunn has found success this season with a camera in his hand. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)
The University of Virginia men’s basketball team was on the verge of polishing off an overtime win over North Carolina State University when an ESPN camera panned to a sign that perfectly summed up the bedlam that was unfolding at John Paul Jones Arena.
“SLAM DUNN-K!” read the poster held by a delirious UVA student.
Ryan Dunn, a sophomore forward, was celebrating his emphatic dunk that sealed Virginia’s 59-53 victory on Jan. 24 by high-fiving courtside fans and waving his arms.
It was the clearest example yet of what Dunn enjoys most on the court, a feeling he said can’t be replicated by anything he does off the court.
Though it has competition.
“When I take a picture,” Dunn said, “and I come back and edit it and it looks good, I get really excited because I know I’m improving.”
Dunn, who on Monday was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Defensive Team, is an aspiring photographer. Along with big dunks, blocks and steals, Dunn has a developing album of snaps.
“I’ve had an interest since I was young,” Dunn said. “I always liked photography. I always enjoyed it. And it was just something that I wanted to pick up, but I never had the time to do, or I got distracted.
Dunn, seen here working alongside University Communication’s Emily Faith Morgan, has been a regular on the baseline at women’s basketball games this season. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
“But once I got older, I became fascinated with it.”
Photography has turned into Dunn’s favorite non-basketball-related hobby. During the last several months, he’s taken his camera – a Sony Alpha 7 III – on trips through Grounds, through different Charlottesville neighborhoods and even to the baseline of women’s basketball games at JPJ to work on his craft.
“Being able to see an image or see something in my head and in my eyes and being able to capture it,” Dunn said, “that’s what I like the most. It’s like art. It’s like a drawing for me. I’m not a good artist, so this is technically the art that I do.
“Just to be able to have an idea and try my best with the right angle and right software and make that piece of art come to life, I love that.”
Dunn took this photo through an opening of a signpost in Belmont. “I don’t know how I came up with it,” he said, “but I just wanted to see how it would look. I put my camera right in the middle of those circles and you could only see a little bit of the sky and everything else is black. I like the way that came out. I just felt it was a metaphor for how we see the world.”
Dunn’s photo adventures have often come alongside professionals such as University Communication’s Emily Faith Morgan.
“Ryan approaches photography the same way he approaches basketball,” Morgan said. “He is dedicated and passionate, and wants to know how he can grow and improve. He has a gift for visualizing the shots that he wants, and is determined to make them happen and make them work.
“He is critical of his work, because for him the fun is in the work it takes to achieve his goal.”
Dunn on Thursday night will be a prominent part of the third-seeded Cavaliers’ ACC Tournament quarterfinal game in Washington. In the meantime, enjoy some of his favorite photos from his collection.
May 2, 2024
