OPEN MIKE
The first time I laid eyes on Mike Ruiz, back in 1997, when he walked into my office to show me his photo book for a possible assignment, I remember thinking, He’s the photographer? We should be shooting him. But there he was, looking like a Tom of Finland illustration come to life, but smiling and giggling like a 9-year-old. It was then, as it is now, an intoxicating, irresistible contradictory cocktail of tough and sweet. Who could resist? Oh, and the fact that he’s among the very top tier of American celebrity, fashion, and portrait photographers isn’t just icing on the cake—it is the cake. Ruiz is here to slay, brothers and sisters, and I’ve been rooting for him since our very first encounter.
Ruiz and I have loved traversing the planet shooting some of its
