Rinzi is one of those few great guys online you should reach out to. Whether its him pushing himself for making greater photographs, or talking about photography or the best spots to eat in L.A. Rinzi was relatively new to photography during this interview in 2011. Since then he has gone in to teach workshops, receive partnership with Samsung and inspire others with his images. Behind The Lens with my friend Rinzi Ruiz.

How did you get into photography and what made you dive into street photography as a whole?

Hey, Justin, thanks for the opportunity to do this interview and a “Hello” to all the fellow photographers and readers of your blog. As far back as I can remember there was always a camera in the house for family events and vacations trips and I always enjoyed taking photos. It wasn’t very technical so basically just an affordable point and shoot camera and whatever film was available and my mom would develop them from Thrifty’s or someplace like that. Just about two years ago now I really got into it and realized how passionate I was about it. It was partly in search of something to counter a life focused on work and the negative aspects that come with it. I shot with a simple point and shoot camera for a while, went out and shot whatever I saw while I was out and read through a lot of websites about photography and bought books about photography. Learning the limitations of having a point and shoot I saved up for a DSLR and things really changed from there. During my research on photography and all the gear I came upon some info on street photography and it just spoke to me. It took what I did on my past vacations, photos with family and friends and brought it to a different level and way of seeing things. I was attracted to its raw nature, it’s ease and difficulty, its way of presenting real life as I see it, its ability to express what I see, and the fact that I could do it pretty much anywhere. It relaxed me and gave me back a way of utilizing my creativity. Street photography is my meditation. It’s made me see things differently and it’s made me a happier person.

Are there any projects you are working on at the moment?

Well, in the last few months it’s called project learning. I know I’m fairly new to photography so I’m trying to learn more and more about it. There are so many different aspects of photography to experience and to try to master. What I’ve learned up until now I shared with my friends when we got together and on photo walks and they’ve said they learn from me during those times so it encouraged me to continue to share and teach so, March 10th and 11th, I instructed the Los Angeles Street Photography Workshop with Bellamy Hunt. Preparing for and making it happen was quite a project and I’m happy to say it was a huge success. There’s that trip to Tokyo last year that I haven’t finished editing and processing yet. I shoot a lot and shot so much the last 4 months of last year that I’m also editing through all of those. Letting my photos marinate for a while gives me a different perspective of them when I see them again. It’s also interesting and rewarding to see my progression from the beginning of the year towards the end of the year of 2011. I’m planning a trip to New York to photograph it and see it in a different way. I should be flying out there in April if things fall into place.

Why do you shoot in black and white and what inspires you?

The reason I shoot black and white is an evolutionary but simple thing for me. It started off due to the fact that many of the street photographs I learned from were in black and white. I found color to have too many variables and I like to simplify things so just working with black and white and working with tones seemed more simple to me. It wasn’t as simple as I had thought but my eyes are learning and are more comfortable with it. Sometimes color can distract from a photo too so again with me it was just simplifying. It’s definitely timeless in its look and gives a different mood than color does. For me it seems like a cleaner presentation in general. Then I realized that it feels me, fits me, my style, and even my wardrobe.

I find inspiration from different things beginning with my passion for photography. I really enjoy it so I like to do it as often as I can. The right photograph can inspire me and push me to be out shooting so I go though the various photo sites or flip through one of the books I have. At times it’s an idea or theme that I keep in mind and keep an eye for when I’m out shooting. It’s real life so I won’t always get what I planned for but that’s another thing that inspires me. It’s a challenge for my senses and my abilities. With that comes the selfish desire to capture ‘that’ photo, the one where everything just comes together, it has meaning, it touches people, and the one that defines me. Above all that other people inspire me. My family and close friends who are so supportive of what I’m doing inspire me most. Fellow photography enthusiasts inspire me from my friends I walk the streets with (and eat a lot with) to everyone I’ve met virtually and personally around the world. Just the thought of all of this is inspiring me.

You recently conducted a workshop with Bellamy Hunt how did that go and what was it like for you?

It was truly a great experience for me. I’m so grateful to Bellamy for sharing the experience, to all who supported and to all that attended. Bellamy coming out from Tokyo was awesome. I met him in Tokyo at Eric Kim’s workshop last year so it was a delight to see him again. The guys at Simple Studio Lighting hosted the workshop so a huge thanks to Todd Hatakeyama and his team for everything. What I wanted most was that the folks attending the workshop would really learn something. For my part I wanted to share what I had learned, what I struggled through and experienced first hand. I went for a more hands on style and we shot a lot on the streets along with stopping for instruction but also spent some time indoors going through material. The folks were gracious and positive in their feedback about the weekend workshop. They relayed to me that they learned a lot from the workshop, from the instructors, from the material, the photo walks, and from each other. They’ve all left as new friends who will no doubt encourage each other, critique each other, and learn more from each other as they share their photos, experiences, and while they’re out shooting. The next workshop’s date isn’t set just yet but will likely be sometime in May. I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to meeting new street photography enthusiasts.

Describe Street Zen and where you got the idea?

Through the years people would comment about me being ‘zen’ or ‘zen-like’ and the word stuck in my head. I do meditate and try to stay open to enlightenment and found some in my entire experience as photographer walking the streets. It’s made me a happier person than I was and made realizations in life that have true deep meaning for me. I think most people can relate to this aspect of finding some sort of peace or relaxation while out on a photo walk. People can relate to learning just a little more about themselves, the environment we all live in and a bit more about humanity if you’re really paying attention. So I found Zen while on the streets so that’s where Street Zen came from.

What would you recommend to any street photographer?
First and foremost, always have a camera on you. I’m kidding but also serious. I’ve failed at this on occasion but not anymore. I now fail at sometimes not brining extra batteries! To folks just getting into street photography I’d recommend spending a lot of time out on the street and shooting a lot. It’s where all the learning takes place. Take a lot of pictures and practice. Most of the photos will be bad but there’s just as much to learn about what you did wrong as there is to what you did right. Reading about it and memorizing quotes will only help so much so it’s all about getting out and doing it. Learn from others and learn how you see. Along with photography classes take art classes as well. To all street photographers I’d just say do it for you and because you love to do it.

What do you shoot with?

Yes, it’s gear time. Let me just say that gear really doesn’t matter because it’s the camera with you that is the best one but for me some gear really does help depending on what I want out of my photos and the vision I have so it’s also the other saying that it’s the photographer and not the gear. The Fujifilm X100 gets the majority of usage since it is small and I don’t have to carry around a bag if I don’t want to. It also seems to get less attention than the Nikon D90 and my Kelly Moore camera boy bag with lenses. The shutter sound is just so quiet too. With the D90 I’d carry around a 24mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, and 85mm 1.4, sometimes a 35mm 1.8 and leave another at home. I have found it nice to work with just one focal length on the X100 and I can almost gauge the scene with my eyes so I know about what I’m getting before taking the shot. A lot of work still on this aspect for me to be able to get really get it though. Fujifilm’s IQ is great and I really like working with the RAW files. I’m eagerly waiting for the Xpro-1’s release and have it preordered with the 35mm 1.4 lens. I can’t wait to have it and take it out. I’ll post some photos as soon as I can.