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Paul Ruhter of the Billings Gazette in Billings, Mont., garnered the most points in the Monthly News Clip Contest to be the Still Photographer of the Year for Region 9. Ruhter received 604 points for the year, finishing more than 200 points ahead of the nearest competitors.
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Ruhter, who has been a working photojournalist for eight years, has been a staff photographer at the Billings Gazette for three years. Prior to moving to Montana he spent two years as a photographer at the Gillette (Wyo.) News-Record, just a few hours south of Billings.
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“My time in Billings has been memorable,” Ruhter wrote in an email. “The sports scene has kept me very busy.”
Tessa Sian celebrates with Nikki Bolton after Huntley Project High School defeated Red Lodge in the semi-final game of the Class B state tournament in Bozeman on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. Huntley Project went on to win the state championship. The team didn't play a home game all season after a fire destroyed their school in 2008. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette
Tyler Hawkins of Billings Central walks off the court while Skyview players celebrate their 48-45 victory Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, in Billings, Mont. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette
Though Ruhter said sports coverage dominates his work at the Gazette, many of his winning clips are from spot-news events and in-depth feature stories.
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“I think 2009 was a good year because I consistently supplied my editors and our readers with good images,” he wrote. “I’ve always been humble about winning awards, but I understand like many photographers do that awards don’t make photographers great. We all have favorite images that have never won awards. I remind myself that my work is judged by our readers every day.”
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Ruhter said he continues to draw inspiration from the Charlie Rosendale, who was the photo editor at the Uniontown Herald-Standard in Pennsylvania, where Ruhter landed his first job the day after he graduated from the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver.
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“[Charlie] passed away a year ago,” Ruhter said. “He was a true teacher. I am still learning from him and the examples he set.”
Huntley Project head volleyball coach Iona Stookey looks over her team's stats during a bus ride home to Worden on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. The team played a home game at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings and has also traveled to Billings Skyview, Billings Senior, Billings Central, and Shepherd for home games this season after a fire destroyed their school in 2008. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette
Billings Police apprehend Willy Anton Redd, 22, and check his medical status after a foot-chase lead to a 90-minute standoff outside a home on South 29th Street on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette
When asked about his most memorable assignment of 2009, Ruhter described a story about a teen mother who decided to give her baby up for adoption.
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“The story proved to be very time consuming but very rewarding in the relationships that were made,” he wrote. “We followed [the teen mother] and her family through several emotional months. Natasha and her family opened their lives to us and we experienced the heartbreak of saying good-by to a newborn baby. I photographed a few tense moments where I was alone in a hospital room with Natasha and her baby, moments before she said goodbye. It was the first time I’ve ever cried behind my camera. At the end, every one of us, including the hospital nurse who took the baby away, was sobbing. Laura and I also put together an audio slideshow that won a NPPA multimedia award. Overall, the story was inspiring and rewarding in so many ways.”
A day after delivery, Natasha gives her baby a last kiss and lays him down before leaving the hospital. She doesn't want to see him again for at least four years. "I have no fears. I have no regrets," Natasha said. The baby was taken to his new adoptive parents waiting down the hallway. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette
Tied for second in the NPPA Region 9 contest with 474 points were Michael Smith of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle and Nathan Payne of the Gillette News-Record. Alton Strupp of the Gillette News-Record placed third with 458 points. The final clip contest point standings for Region 9 can be found at the bottom of this page.