Meet a Member: Ryan Sanderson

Photo: Ryan Sanderson

BY RYAN SANDERSON

Tell us a little about yourself. Family? Where do you live and work?

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, now residing on the south side of town with my wife, Elizabeth, and my four your old son, Ryan. I am a family medicine physician for a local health network, and also have the role of regional medical director for my organization.

What got you interested in birds and birding?

I was always interested in nature growing up and had several pet birds (Pinky the African Grey and Ringo the Indian Ring-necked Parakeet), but really got interested in birding while taking several classes with Dr. Roger Sweets at the University of Indianapolis. I got interested in photography around the same time, and since the two angles of the hobby coalesced, I’ve been hooked!

What do you find most interesting about photographing birds?

Bird photography is an ever-evolving journey, one that has changed many times in the twenty or so years that I’ve done it. The technology available today is so far beyond what my wildest dreams would have been even ten years ago. There is always an opportunity to get a better photo. Even if the birding is slow, the chance to improve upon an image of any given species is what really seems to keep me going.

Can you share some of your recent involvement with Indiana Audubon?

I am now in my third year as the chair of the Indiana Bird Records Committee. While much of the work has been clerical, I have been pretty happy with the directions the committee is going now that eBird has essentially become the de facto way to share and store bird records. I’ve also happily shared lots of my photos with IAS for any purposes they’ve requested.

Besides birding, what other past times or interests do you have?

There’s nothing better than spending time with my wife and my son. It’s been particularly rewarding to watch my son grow and learn and start to understand the world. He’s become particularly interested in the solar system so we’ve been contemplating buying a dedicated telescope to see things a bit better. Believe it or not, my son taught me quite a few things about the solar system, including the names of the dwarf planets Hamea and Make Make!

Editor’s Note: Explore Ryan’s top photo uploads on the Macaulay Library, all captured in Indiana.

This Q&A originally ran in the April–May 2024 print edition of The Cardinal.