Gallery
About
Quick notes
- Venezuelan cinematographer based in Los Angeles.
- Trilingual (Spanish/English/Italian).
- American Film Institute (AFI) alumnus, 2022.
- Available to work in both commercial and narrative formats.
- Past work includes commercial clients such as: Airbnb, New Balance, Nike, Live Nation, Fabletics, Zara, Brooks, Oscar de la Renta, Discovery Channel.
- Musical clients include Grammy-winning and nominated artists such as Rawayana, Backstreet Boys, Xavi, Danny Lux, Ivan Cornejo, Becky G, Humbe.
Awards and festivals
- AFI Fest, LA Shorts, Paris International Film Festival, Film Quest, UTA Showcase finalist, Cannes Shorts Award, Viet Film Fest (Object of Desire).
- DGA Best Director Award (Object of Desire).
- 2024: most viewed video, Becky G.
Not the spark notes
Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, a gorgeous yet chaotic city, made me understand beauty in a dark way. I saw things I wish I hadn’t. I was raised in a dictatorship, where fear and chaos reigned supreme. One had to be hypervigilant about things no one thinks twice about in many other countries. With age, I’ve come to understand that this is where I started composing music and images, where I started searching for an escape, and really where I learned to be creative, as a way to cope.
After leaving Venezuela by myself at age fifteen, I arrived in Toronto, Canada. A magical place, dark and cool. My creativity was nurtured by the city, embraced almost. I think my style is heavily influenced by my time there. I had never lived in a place where you could walk around the streets past midnight and not have to look over your shoulder. I attended OCAD University, where I got a bachelor of design with a minor in photography. While in school I worked as a dishwasher and later as a cook. That was where I had my real education. I was working with pirates. Hot fire, 17-hour days, knives and rude language. I was enchanted by this world. I found it beautiful. It was not until later that I discovered film: a place where all my experiences could serve as inspiration. A place where they could all live together. After getting burned and cut for a few years, I started to work in advertising, at Anomaly and McCann.
It was short-lived; I couldn’t find myself on that side of the industry. Yet I found it extremely illuminating. I learned how to delegate in an environment without knives and fire. I learned to resolve tensions and problems in a cool and collected way. Truly, I learned how to be a creative without so much of the chaos, skills I bring with me to this day and keep honing. Soon after, I started shooting stills and motion, mainly for fashion and music, and got to work with amazing artists along the way. I then joined the American Film Institute in the cinematography department, to further my knowledge and understanding of narrative filmmaking techniques.
Shooting for me has always been about feeling. What does a story need aesthetically to achieve a feeling? The look needs to be motivated, I think. That’s one of the reasons I prefer to shoot on film. It allows me to take more chances and trust my observation and my understanding of light. Artistically, I don’t feel confined to a screen. I get to understand reactions and actions as they happen. Shooting becomes more organic.
I’m always looking for new people to collaborate with. Shoot me an email.