Biography

​I became intrigued with the photographic process while watching a favorite television series when I was seven years of age. A young boy placed a piece of photographic paper into a liquid filled tray and an image magically appeared! This amazed me and I was hooked. After sharing my interest with family, one of my older cousins surprised me with an entire black and white darkroom setup to pursue my newfound hobby. My parents encouraged my interest by giving me several cameras as I grew older. 

​

While attending Denver's West High School I was actively involved in the 1969 walkout, protesting a teacher who was telling young Chicano students they would never amount to anything in life. The walkout was the first event I covered. Using a Kodak 126 camera, I photographed the interaction between student protestors and Denver Police in riot gear. This event was an eye-opener and piqued my interest in photojournalism. A single lens can capture the essence of humanity. 
 
Eventually, I studied under Ronald Wohlauer, at Community College of Denver, who introduced me to many of the masters of photography and a concept in black and white photography referred to as the Zone System.

​

While attending college I pursued my interest in photojournalism, freelancing for several community newspapers, including La Cucaracha Newspaper, El Diario de la Gente, El Gallo—La Voz de la Justicia, El Universal, El Semanario, La Voz Hispana de Colorado,  and was published in New Age Magazine in June1981. From 1981 to 1985, I photographed for Lowrider Magazine as the magazine's Colorado representative.

​

My images have been published in books including  The Other Struggle for Equal Schools:Mexican Americans During the Civil Rights Era, Ruben Donato, 1997, The Crusade for Justice Chicano Militancy and the Government's War on Dissent, Ernesto B. Vigil, 1999, and soon to be published Unknown Warriors of the Chicano Movement, Ricardo Romero. My images have been included in documentary films, including Return to Paha Sapa,1981, Holy Man: The USA vs. Douglas White, 2011 and Chicanas: Nurterers and Warriors, 2022. 

​

My work with La Cucaracha Newspaper is included in the Colorado Chicano Movement Archives at Colorado State University in Pueblo and in the La Cucaracha Newspaper Traveling Exhibit. 

​

Over 45 years of doing portraiture has led to the result of having hundreds of images scattered across the planet on at least four continents maybe more!