BIO

Hi. I'm Alejandro Gómez, born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and currently based in Toronto, Canada. I fell in love with photography the moment I realized that it is a very powerful tool to communicate. In my travels where I have to write and take pictures or videos I realize that for the communities it is often more convincing to see the audiovisual result than a text. There are times when I meet people who can't read and the photos allow them to see and understand what I'm doing. Photography has opened many doors for me and has taken me to incredible places, like when I had the opportunity to meet and photograph the people who live in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Bogota, Cazuca. From this experience came my first photo book called "De Loma en Loma".

My educational background in photojournalism (MA from the University of the Arts London, 2017) and anthropology (BA from Universidad Javeriana, 2015) combined has provided me with a unique foundation to pursue photography and video projects. I like to dig into the details, as you'll see from my photo projects. I honed my skills working as an anthropologist in Colombia for 10 years, carrying out desk studies, context analysis and ethnographic studies, key informant interviews and have become good at establishing relationships in new contexts, all which support my assignments as a photographer and visual approach. And, I built my foundations in documentary photography and photojournalism working with local and international NGOs, and consultancy firms in Colombia to capture stories related to the armed conflict (ex. on victims’ rights and the reintegration of ex-combatents), social protests, climate change and environmental issues such as deforestation, migration struggles and internal displacement. Notable assignments include those for ACDI/VOCA (funded by USAID), CAWST, the Latin American Center for Rural Development (RIMISP), Isegoria, Etnollano, Platform for Information and Dialogue for the Colombian Amazon (PID Amazonia), and the Alliance for Responsible Mining, amongst others.

I also have a passion for animals, and have done portraits and animal photography for families and animal daycare centers/kennels. I love to capture the happiness animals bring to our lives, whether they are stray dogs laying in a sunny plaza or your 12-year old lab's birthday party