Five Days of our Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Five days of our blood sweat and tears... this was one of the most challenging shoots I've done. I can definitely say there is no way this could have been done with out the tremendous efforts of everyone involved. There were up to 30 people working on this shoot at any given time. Everyone involved was giving everything they had to get this project done. We worked 18 hour days in some of the worst weather conditions I have shot in. I remember seeing people sleeping in between shoots, one moment that sticks out in my head is someone standing straight up in a blizzard sleeping. That is dedication. I wonder what could drive some one to work this hard? I don’t think it was in hopes they would win a contest. I think it was because they believed in the project and believed in me. I could never explain the way that feels. There is no way you could ever thank someone for that kind of dedication. This was a contest that was put on by Transworld snowboarding mag that in involved four different snowboard brands. They wanted us to produce a creative photo and video project. I wanted to do a project that we could not lose no matter who the winner was. What I mean is we did a project about the environment which is one of the most important issues I could think of. The environment is the thing that makes it possible for us to be able to snowboard. I shot this in a way that was very different from other environmental projects. This is a futuristic dream-like look at what it could be like if we continue down the road we are doing on now. Any time I get an opportunity to do something using photography or video I try to put a message in it. That is the art I feel like we live in a world were people just do mindless things and call it art. A few years ago I decided to use the gifts I had been given to do things like this. I want to make a positive impact on the world. This is one example of how I’m going to do it. This is something that can’t be judged by people that have their own personal agendas. The bigger picture is the message not what place you end up on a list of first second and third. Life is not about that and either is art. I just hope that the message will reach people and the will go on to do positive things themselves.

If you want you can download the projects from i tunes for $5. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTVSeason?id=323385719&

Sorry its not free, that's the way I like to do things. The photos can be seen in Transworld Snowboarding's first issue of 09.

Forum SNowboarding Team Shoot Out Video Teaser Trailer | Transworld Snowboarding

Forum SNowboarding Team Shoot Out Video Teaser Trailer | Transworld Snowboarding

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Forum SNowboarding Team Shoot Out Video Teaser Trailer | Transworld Snowboarding

Forum SNowboarding Team Shoot Out Video Teaser Trailer | Transworld Snowboarding

Shared via AddThis

Man VS. Wild

I was looking through my hard drive to day for some photos and came across this one of a bear with it’s mouth around a guys neck. I forgot about these ones I had shot on the vans job. We were shooting the vans campaign with animals and we asked the trainer if he could wrestle with the bear like he did in the movies. He said no problem. They started and it was way more that we expected. When the bear had his mouth around his neck we started tripping out. We did know if we should help him or run. My lighting guy grabbed a light stand and was getting it ready to do some thing with it. Right about then things calmed back down. The crazy thing about this bear is 3 months later it killed a trainer while they were training it for a movie doing something like this. Thats the thing about these kinds of animals is they do not even know the own strength. It was an accident the bear was not trying to heart the guy he just didn’t no how power full he was. On this shoot they treated all the animals with respect and care for them very well. But a the end of the day the are still wild anmils. It just reminded me of how power full this bear was. I don’t think I will be shooting with wild animals any time soon.

Taking a mental vacation

I love this street (.N. Olvera St Los Angeles, CA 90012) Whenever I find my self needing a mental vacation I always end up here. LA can get stressful so you have to find spots like these to get away from it. The best part is you feel like you’re on a vacation in Mexico. ” Olvera Street is in the oldest part of and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town.

Having started as a short lane, Wine Street, it was extended and renamed in honor of Agustín Olvera, a prominent local judge, in 1877. There are 27 historic buildings lining Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe, the Pelanconi House and the Sepulveda House. In 1930, it was converted to a colorful Mexican marketplace. If you ever end up in LA you have to make a trip here. Pelanconi House has the best Mexican food ever!

Transworld Shoot Out

It always amazes me how one small change can make you see things in a whole new light. Like in this image with the buildings. You can see these same buildings everyday, and in a moment, with the sun sinking behind them, and the sky lights up with different colors, it becomes a beautiful moment that makes you see it in a different way. Once you change the light, it changes your perspective on the same thing you were looking at, that’s why I like sunsets.

This is also true with life. A few years ago I made a decision to use my photography to spread light on to subjects that people would normally, not pay that much attention to. I have just completed my third, major project using this concept. It’s a project about the environment, that will be featured in, Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, and will be seen on MTV. It was a contest that, Transworld hosted, using 4 snowboard brands, involving photography and video. I could have just done a typical snowboard project, but I chose to include a topic that was essential to the sport of snowboarding. The environment and nature is what make this sport possible. If we keep destroying the earth at the rate we are now, we will not be able to enjoy simple thinks like, nature and snowboarding. This I an example of how we can use the thing we have to do every day, and add some light to make a difference in the world. This concept can be applied to anything, even if it is just a kind gesture. Things like this will spread, and the next thing you know, people will start doing nice things for each other. Try this, it works!!!!

Kandee Johnson Photo Shoot

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot we did for, Kandee Johnson's, new web site. I had more fun on this shoot, than I have had on a shoot in a long time. When Kandee came on the the set for this shoot, the whole room lit up with this amazing energy. Her energy really shows in the photos and people are going to be stoked when they see the photos.

I had my friend, John Alvino, who has an incredible vision, art direct this shoot. We also had, Mark McClanahan's brilliant lighting skills. I would definitely say this shoot was a success.

Multiple Exposure Film Project

These are photos I shot for a multiple exposure film project last summer. This project was a really fun one for me. Let me explain how I did this shoot. I went around Los Angles and shot photos of all these different backgrounds on film. I drew picture of what I shot and rewound the film to shoot later. Next I set up a studio shoot with my friends Lisa Sheldon & Saori Renteria so that I could shoot them on the same rolls of film that I shot the backgrounds on. I used the pictures to guide me as to where to place them in the frame. I remember they were asking me what I was shooting and it was so hard to explain. I did not even know if it was going to work. I think they were tripping out a little bit. The reason I shoot on film and did not just do it in Photoshop was because film reacts differently to layers than Photoshop does. Film will layer by color from light to dark. For example a blinding will be behind the person and on top of them base on the colors in it. You will also get things that you never expected. With Photoshop I would have just ended up making every thing look perfect. The beauty of film is you get mistakes and those mistakes have been some of my best photos. This was just a test, we could have done it way better, but when you don’t have a budget it makes things hard. I would love to do this for a mag or a client one day. Could you imagine what it would of look like if I had shot it on a 4/5 camera? There are some more of these images on my website if you want to see more. Ianruhter.com Look under multiple exposure projects.

Editing The TWS Team Shoot Out

This year I did a photo/video project for Transworld and ESPN. This project was something I had wanted to do for some time now. I had this vision of shooting photos and directing at the same time. It started when I shot the Vans job with all the animals. We were shooting a print campaign and I kept thinking if I were to set up motion cameras and I give a little more direction I could film a commercial at the same time. That is basically what I did for this project. We shot the TWS/ESPN project in April, and three months later Lawrence Lim and myself just wrapped up the job. Lawrence was one of the DP on this job. We had been working on editing the video for a few weeks and I realized how crazy editing could get. Editing gives the project life. It is a task that will test anyone's patience. I’m stoked we're done. I will post it when the project is released .