It starts with the river: documenting a cleanup

Ryan StruckFollow Ryan: Instagram

New York based sports, adventure, lifestyle, portrait, documentary, travel, photographer and director shooting stills and motion.

Kit List

Cine150 Batteries

ARRI ALEXA Mini

Sachtler flowtech100

Sachtler Video18 S2 Fluid Head

SmallHD On-Camera Monitor

Wooden Camera Follow Focus

Teradek Bolt 500 XT

Filmmaker and photographer Ryan Struck traces his love of water and the natural world to his college days, when he was first bitten by the surfing bug. Although Ryan's career is grounded in still photography and his love of surfing, he's made a successful transition to documentary filmmaking in recent years. His passions are on proud display through the stunning images and short films on his website, www.ryanstruck.com. Water is one of my favorite elements; in fact, I always relish an interesting assignment on the water, Ryan comments.

Working on projects that focus on the health of the oceans and on our earth in general is a high priority for me.Ryan Struck

As one of the most polluted waterways in the U.S., the Ohio River was in dire need of help.

When Ryan was approached by Clif Bar to create a video for its In Good Company program, he jumped at the chance. The video documents the work of volunteers for Living Lands and Waters to help clean up the embattled river. Over a two-week period, the volunteers hauled out an astounding 56,000 pounds of waste, including over 4,000 pounds of random plastic, almost 300 tires, and many refrigerators, sunken boats, and other cast-off items.

Volunteers hauled out an astounding 56,000 lbs of waste.

In a really big, disastrous flood, the Ohio can crest at up to 40 feet above its normal banks. That means whole homes can get washed down the river. A lot of debris sinks into the mud, but a lot more can get washed down into the Mississippi and, eventually, into the Gulf of Mexico. That means these types of disasters can have huge consequences not just for the rivers but for the entire ocean, Ryan says.

Since he was spending hours on the water to film the Ohio River video, Ryan needed reliable mobile power. He turned to his tried-and-trusted, Anton/Bauer batteries.

For most of the Ohio River shoot, Ryan and his crew were on small, 25-foot Jon boats. On a project like this, space is at a premium. The more streamlined my equipment, the less I have to think about it, and the more I can just focus on the creative aspects of the shoot, he says. I know I can always count on Anton/Bauer for remote shoots.

The batteries are not only super-high-quality and long-lasting, but they're also really easy to use. And I love the digital power readout - it's so convenient!Ryan Struck

Ryan and his crew used the Anton/Bauer batteries with an ARRI ALEXA Mini camera mounted on a lightweight Sachtler carbon-fibre tripod with Video 18 S2 fluid head. In addition to the camera, the batteries powered a SmallHD director's monitor with Wooden Camera follow focus, as well as a Teradek Bolt 500 XT wireless transmitter and receiver.

Steady on deck

He adds, Anton/Bauer batteries are really compact, which means they fit perfectly on the back of the camera and make it easy to create a lightweight and easy-to-manage gear package. And they're lightweight enough that I can take plenty of batteries along and just swap them out as needed.

Capturing the moment

Battery reliability is a critical factor for those serendipitous moments when something unexpected or fleeting happens. There were a few of those instances on the river. For instance, the moment a muddy old boat was pulled out of the water and lifted onto the barge with the crane, the last thing we wanted was to have to swap a battery out, Ryan says.

Having long-lasting Anton/Bauer batteries onboard meant we were able to film for up to 10 hours without having to think about power at all.Ryan Struck

The industry standard

The Ohio River film is only the latest project for which Ryan has relied on Anton/Bauer batteries. When I walk onto any set, I know I'll see A/B batteries in use. They're the industry standard for a reason - there really is nothing else on the market that compares to their reliability, iron-clad design quality, and ease of use, he says.

The Ohio River film sends an important message of hope, that volunteers really can make a difference and help turn around a really dire environmental situation. I'm really glad I had Anton/Bauer power for this project.Ryan Struck

Related articles

A walk on the wild side

400,000 cool characters and a camera

On location with Jonathan Young

LINK:	https://www.antonbauer.com/en/applications/ryan-struck-ohio-river/...
	See more stories from antonb

Most recent headlines