In 2003, at the age of 25, McGinley was one of the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was also named Photographer of the Year in 2003 by American Photo Magazine. In 2007 McGinley was awarded the Young Photographer Infinity Award by the International Center of Photography.
Since 2004, Ryan McGinley's style evolved from documenting his friends in real-life situations towards creating settings where the situations he envisions can be documented. McGinley shoots 35mm film and makes his photographs using Yashica T4s and Leica R8s. McGinley has drawn much inspiration from the film by Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven.
In an April 2010 article in Vice Magazine, photographer Ryan McGinley identified Gilles Larrain as one of his early influences with his book Idols (1973).