Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Mayiras.
Hi Ryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Candid Studios started in a way that was honestly pretty unexpected. My background was originally in technology and digital design. I began taking digital design classes when I was about 14 years old, and my family has always been very tech-oriented, so computers, media, and creativity were a big part of my life growing up.
Before photography became my career, I owned and operated a computer and cell phone repair company called Alpine Tech while attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Around that same time, I started a YouTube channel and decided to invest in a professional camera to improve my videos. That camera purchase ended up changing the direction of my life.
While studying marketing, I began experimenting more seriously with photography and quickly fell in love with it. Friends began asking me to photograph engagement sessions and weddings, and I realized how meaningful it was to capture real moments that people would cherish for the rest of their lives. What began as a small side project gradually grew into something much bigger.
In 2021, I officially launched Candid Studios with the goal of building a team focused on authentic storytelling and high quality production. Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events, and from the beginning the vision was to create a company that could consistently deliver beautiful photography and cinematic videography while making the entire experience smooth and enjoyable for couples.
Over time, the company expanded beyond its original roots in Colorado. Today, Candid Studios provides photography and videography services across multiple markets in the United States, with teams operating throughout Colorado and Florida, including Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and West Palm Beach.
Our team has now captured hundreds of weddings and events, and what still excites me most is knowing that every celebration we document represents an incredibly important moment in someone’s life. Being trusted to preserve those memories is something we never take lightly.
At its core, Candid Studios is about telling real stories. Our goal is to capture genuine moments and create timeless visuals that couples and families will treasure for generations.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. In fact, building this company has been the hardest thing I have ever done by far. The wedding and events industry is incredibly demanding, and most people only see the final photos or videos without realizing how much work happens behind the scenes to make everything possible.
Every wedding is a once in a lifetime event, which means there is absolutely no room for mistakes. There are long days on your feet, constant travel, tight timelines, and a huge amount of pressure because couples are trusting you to capture one of the most important days of their lives. On top of that, running a company means managing clients, coordinating teams, building systems, handling marketing, editing content, solving problems, and constantly trying to improve the business.
For many years I have worked extremely long hours almost every day. Eighteen hour days are not unusual. When you are building something from the ground up, especially in a competitive industry, it requires an enormous level of dedication and persistence. Think about the hardest thing you have ever had to do and multiply that by ten. That is honestly what building a company like this can feel like at times.
There have been moments where the workload felt overwhelming, and there were definitely times where I questioned whether it was all worth it. If I am being completely honest, if I could go back in time and fully understand just how difficult the journey would be, I do not even know if I would do it again. But at the same time, seeing the impact our work has on couples and families makes the effort meaningful.
As Candid Studios grew, one of the biggest challenges was learning how to scale while maintaining quality. Weddings are deeply personal events, and protecting our reputation meant building a team of talented photographers and videographers who share the same standards and commitment to excellence.
The process of building and scaling the company also taught me a tremendous amount about systems, automation, marketing, and operations. After years of learning through experience, those lessons ultimately led me to start another venture called Savage Digital Solutions. The goal of Savage Digital Solutions is to help other businesses build stronger systems, scale more efficiently, and generate more revenue while keeping their overhead under control. In many ways it was inspired by everything I learned while building Candid Studios from the ground up.
Looking back, the challenges have been some of the most important parts of the journey. They forced me to work harder, think more strategically, and constantly evolve both creatively and as a business owner. Building something meaningful is never easy, but those difficult moments are often what shape the strongest companies and the most determined entrepreneurs.
As you know, we’re big fans of Candid Studios Photography & Videography. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Candid Studios Photography & Videography is a wedding and event media company focused on capturing authentic moments and telling real stories through photography and cinematic videography. While weddings are our primary focus, we also provide event coverage, portrait sessions, and commercial media production.
From the beginning, the vision for Candid Studios was to build something bigger than a single photographer or videographer. I wanted to create a company that combined strong creative storytelling with professional systems and infrastructure so that clients could receive both beautiful work and a smooth, reliable experience.
One of the things that sets our company apart is the way we combine creativity with technology. Over the past few years we have invested heavily in building internal systems that help us deliver a better experience for both our clients and our team. We have developed custom client portals where couples can manage their projects, review documents, communicate with our team, and access their media in a secure and organized way. On the production side, we have built internal tools that help our photographers, videographers, editors, and coordinators collaborate more efficiently throughout the entire process from booking to final delivery.
We have also begun integrating artificial intelligence into many parts of our workflow. AI-assisted editing and workflow automation help us streamline large volumes of media while maintaining a consistent visual style across our work. These tools allow our team to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time focusing on the creative side of storytelling and client experience.
Another major focus for us has been building strong training and support systems for our team. Because weddings are such important events, we take training and preparation very seriously. We provide structured onboarding, workflow training, and clear production standards so that every photographer and videographer on our team understands exactly how we operate and what level of quality our clients expect.
Candid Studios now operates across multiple markets throughout the United States, particularly in Colorado and Florida, including Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and West Palm Beach. Our team has captured hundreds of weddings and events, and every single one represents a meaningful moment for the people involved.
Brand wise, what I am most proud of is the reputation we have built. In an industry where trust is everything, consistency and reliability matter just as much as creativity. Our goal has always been to create a company that couples can feel confident trusting with one of the most important days of their lives.
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to authentic storytelling. We focus on capturing genuine moments and real emotion while creating timeless imagery that couples and families will be able to look back on for generations.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
One thing I would add is that while photography and videography are at the heart of what we do, a huge part of building Candid Studios has actually been about creating the systems and infrastructure that allow our team to operate at a high level consistently.
Over the past few years we have invested heavily in developing custom internal tools, client portals, and workflow systems that help manage everything from booking and planning to media delivery and long-term storage. Weddings generate an enormous amount of content and coordination, so building technology that supports our team has been incredibly important.
As the company grew, these challenges actually led me to begin developing several custom software applications designed specifically to support creative businesses like ours. These tools help manage project workflows, automate repetitive tasks, coordinate teams, organize media assets, and improve communication between clients and production teams.
That process ultimately inspired me to launch a new venture called Savage Digital Solutions (savagesolutions.io). The goal of Savage Digital Solutions is to help other businesses build better systems, leverage automation and AI tools, and scale their operations more efficiently. Many of the ideas behind that company came directly from the real-world challenges I experienced while building Candid Studios.
We have also begun integrating artificial intelligence into several areas of our workflow. AI-assisted editing tools help us process large volumes of photos and video more efficiently while still maintaining a consistent visual style. Automation systems also help manage communication, project tracking, and delivery timelines so our team can spend more time focusing on creativity and the client experience.
Another major priority for us has been training and building a strong team culture. Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events, and the responsibility of capturing those moments is something we take very seriously. Because of that, we invest a lot of time into training photographers, videographers, and editors so that every member of our team understands our workflow, standards, and expectations.
Looking forward, our goal is to continue improving both the creative and operational sides of the company. We want to keep building better tools, better training systems, and better experiences for our clients.
At the end of the day, the most rewarding part of this work is knowing that the moments we capture become part of a family’s history. Years from now, couples will look back at their wedding photos and videos and relive those memories, and being trusted with that responsibility is something we never take lightly.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography Coverage – Starting at $350 per hour
- Wedding Videography Coverage – Starting at $350 per hour
- Full Wedding Day Packages – Typically $2,800 to $6,500 depending on coverage and services
- Complimentary Engagement Session included with select wedding packages
- Custom packages available for weddings, events, portraits, and commercial media production
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.candidstudios.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candidstudiosphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candidstudiosphoto/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/candidstudios/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/candidstudiosphoto/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr78Zu_LRiZ0sJzCHCrPLZA
- Other: https://www.savagesolutions.io
