Brandon Almengo – The Image Maker

Afro-Latino photographer Brandon Almengo has his sights set on stardom

- By Jordan Riefe

It was only ten years ago when photographer Brandon Almengo first picked up a camera. He had no formal training, but as a curious 16-year-old he grabbed the family Nikon and started photographing friends in his Paterson, New Jersey, neighborhood. Today, he’s one of the hottest shooters out there, capturing the world’s top models and music artists and landing them in the pages of magazines like Vogue and the cover of Maxim, for which he shot rap sensation Saweetie.

“I truly hope me being the first Afro-Latino to shoot the cover of the July/August issue of Maxim magazine opens the door for many more people of color,” he tells us from his home in L.A., where he lives with his wife and new baby daughter. “Everybody where I’m from is either dead or in jail. It forced me to grow up quick. By the time I was in high school I had my own apartment and car. So, when I started photography I started offering free shoots in my neighborhood just to build up my portfolio.”