In episode one, Picture Perfect visits Stefan Ruiz at his studio in Brooklyn, New York where we talk about hoarding, portraiture, and his career as one of the best photographers around. We then go on assignment with him to Monterrey, Mexico, where an urban subculture of “Cholombianos” are so inspired by the Colombian style and culture that passes through town that they’ll do anything to mimic it.

Stefan Ruiz was born in San Francisco, and studied painting and sculpture at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the Accademia di Belle Arti (Venice, Italy). He took up photography while in West Africa, documenting Islam’s influence on traditional West African art. He taught art at San Quentin State Prison from 1992-1998, and began to work professionally as a photographer in 1994. He has worked editorially for magazines including Colors (for whom he was Creative Director, 2003-04), The NY Times Magazine, L’uomo Vogue, Wallpaper, Rolling Stone and Vice.

Picture Perfect is a video series dedicated to documenting the work and lives of our favorite photojournalists. Each month, we go behind the scenes to explore their artistic process as they go on assignment to all corners of the Earth. We’ll see their successes and challenges as they attempt to capture life in a variety of interesting locales.

Be sure to check out the bonus footage only available here at goincase.com and join Stefan Ruiz as he shares his 1970s photo collection from Cairo, Egypt. These vintage prints reveal a special era with stunning hand-coloring done in the studio.