Bio: About Journalist & Photographer Anthony Albidrez
My name is Anthony Garcia Albidrez. I am a photographer and journalist currently based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
I am a first-place winner of a New Mexico Press Association award. The photograph that won me the award is the photo on my homepage (Monograph) of the lighting strike looping over White Sands National Monument, which was published on the front page of a Las Cruces Bulletin weekly edition. I'm a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and I'm a recipient of the 2022 NAHJ Rubén Salazar Scholarship.
Photograph of me on Flagstaff Mountain taking pictures of the Boulder Star in Boulder, Colorado taken by Elise Ertl with a 35 mm Pentax K1000 on Kodak Gold 200 Film.
raíces // roots
I was born and raised in Silver City, a small mountain town in southwest New Mexico. I grew up on Hatch green chile, spending summer days on the Gila River in the Gila National Forest, and playing in the streets of historic downtown Silver City.
Silver is a remnant of the historical copper mining district of the American Southwest, which continues to extract copper at two open pit mines located in Grant County: a critical foundation for the local economy and a critical influence on environmental health and degradation impacts. Do you know where the copper comes from that will be used for renewable energy solutions?
I’ve been taking pictures since I was about 13 years old. We couldn’t afford anything fancy and didn’t know much about the available photo technology to care for anything fancy. There was always reloadable compact film cameras and disposable cameras laying around for documenting our lives, although we didn’t realize the importance of documenting our own lives back then.
During my childhood, I was obsessed with the old houses and structures in the historic district of Silver. I took pictures of nature, my family, friends, and pet, which I continue to enjoy photographing and documenting today.
The Southwest is rooted in who I am. While this region has a diverse natural and human identity, we all share a significant characteristic: our strong connection to place and community. For me, that community is New Mexico.
I captured the following photographs during my childhood in the spring of 2005, using one of those reloadable compact film cameras. The exposures were developed at a Walmart photo department in a time where the one-hour photo services, do-it-yourself booths, and online photo order submissions wasn't a luxury.
A house on 6th Street in Historic Downtown Silver City, New Mexico.
Irma Lee Takala, my grams, waves from her front door on Kelly Street in Silver City, New Mexico.
Pinnacle and spire volcanic rock formations in the Chiricahua Mountains, southeast Arizona.
my story in journalism
Growing up in rural New Mexico shaped me as a journalist, as a storyteller, and as a human being. Having this strong foundation for my sense of community allows me to take great care of the stories from the communities I have covered and will cover. I believe the best journalists aren’t the ones with three to five years of experience at a daily. The best journalists are the ones who are able to care about all communities on a deep, sincere level.
My journalism career started at age 15 in my hometown. My work first appeared in the Silver City Daily Press in southern NM. Since then, my articles have appeared in newspapers across NM, and I received a first place NM Press Association Better Newspaper Award. More currently, I am working closely with a new independent, local news outlet, Boulder Reporting Lab, first as an intern and now as a contributing photojournalist.
Although my work with the outlet is just getting started, I’ve already photographed an historic event—the Marshall Fire. The Marshall Fire made national headlines and has changed what many of us think of wildfires as it tore through urban areas in Boulder County, Colorado. On the ground, I photographed the fire when it was at its most destructive and during the aftermath.
As a small-town Latino kid from Silver City, NM, I never thought that I’d be covering a local event that received national attention. I have always been content with working with local newspapers and focusing on the community I live in. However, I am finally ready to take my journalism skills to the next level.
I plan to focus my journalism on the most important issues and moments of current times: climate change, environmental injustice and racism, as well as the humans working to solve these issues. To help with this goal, I began the graduate program in journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder in fall 2021. I am focusing on photojournalism and pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Environmental Justice.
After I complete the graduate program at CU, I will to continue practicing journalism where it matters—on the local level—and where it matters to me—through the lens.
A photo of me living in my main character syndrome at White Sands National Monument during monsoon season and a full-moon in southern, New Mexico. Photo by Jordan Albidrez (my brother)
DMs Open for Collaboration!
Are you a writer or reporter needing photographs to accompany your journalism project? Let's work together!
I have 15 years of media experience, and I love collaborating and offering my skills to create impactful journalism!