About me
Javier Ruiz is a Los Angeles–based cinematographer with over a decade of experience across narrative features, documentary, and commercial work. His approach to visual storytelling is instinctive and story-driven, shaped by years of self-directed learning and hands-on work in the camera, lighting, and grip departments.
Javier's feature film credits as director of photography include the comedy Hillhead (2020), the coming-of-age film O, Brawling Love (2023), and most recently Bravado (2026)—a psychological thriller he filmed in Los Angeles and Wales. Bravado premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival and will have its West Coast premiere at Dances With Films in LA this month. On the documentary side, Javier shot the series Truth Be Told, winner of the Audience Award at Outfest in 2024, as well as the short films Abebe and One Chance, One Meeting: The Baum-Kuchen Story—the latter of which he also directed, exploring the speakeasy of stationary stores tucked away in Eagle Rock. His short film credits include Every Seven and the dark comedy Nothing Bad Ever Happens. Javier is currently filming One Plastic Life, an environmental documentary that follows a man from the streets of El Sereno who dreams of using plastics to change the world, one street at a time.
Javier is largely self-taught, though he has supplemented his education with the ASC Masterclass and the Shane Hurlbut Masterclass, as well as coursework in Radio/TV/Film at Northlake Community College. He credits the 2016 ASC Masterclass as a turning point in his artistic development. Even so, his real classroom has always been the set— seeking to learn and spend as much time on indie films as possible. Some of his early career included working as a grip on 1985 directed by Yen Tan, best boy grip on The Oath directed by Ike Barinholtz, and dolly grip on Know Your Enemies directed by Randy Feldman. He also came up working as an assistant camera, gaffer, and camera op, learning from other DPs in the process and perfecting his camera skills, lighting techniques, and shot composition. That foundation taught him the discipline of the set and the value of every role in bringing a story to life.
Beyond the camera, Javier is an avid journaler who writes every morning—a practice he calls essential to staying connected to his own voice. He is currently reading through a list of horror fiction; his recent favorite is The buffalo Hunter Hunter. When not on set or behind a notebook, he can be found walking his dog, developing a new short film, and willing his next feature into existence.
He believes in instinct, hard-won technical knowledge, and the power of mentorship to unlock what's already inside an artist. He hopes one day to become a mentor himself.
