Photo by Luis Rivera (NY)
Armando is a photographer based out of Denver, CO. He was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Lompoc, a city on California’s central coast. At the age of 20, he joined the Air Force, serving for six years, including a six month tour in Balad, Iraq in 2005. After his time in the military, Armando attended Metro State University of Denver, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology.
He is a versatile photographer who specializes in events coverage and photojournalism. His passion, however, resides in his street-level photography where he is able to connect to his subjects and learn from different cultural perspectives.
During his time in Denver, Armando helped co-found Theyshootn, a collective of like-minded visual storytellers. As a group, Theyshootn has hosted several events and exhibits in the Denver area, bringing together photography and philanthropy to speak on a wide array of social justice issues.
Both Armando and Theyshootn have been featured by 9News, Denver 7, 303 Magazine, Westword, Denverite, Colorado Public Radio and Rocky Mountain PBS. His photography has also been featured in exhibits at Denver International Airport, History Colorado Center and the Denver Art Museum.
Currently, he works for Denver Public Schools’ Department of Social Work and Psychological Services, where he has been employed since 2015. He has also hosted multiple youth photography workshops and lectures within DPS, the Cherry Creek School District, Platte Forum and the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy.