The 7 Best Sports Photographers in El Paso

One of the Top 30 largest cities in the country, El Paso, TX, is home to a flourishing sports and fitness scene that encompasses all levels of skill and age groups, from youth swimming to high school athletics to Division I college sports and beyond. It’s certainly no wonder that El Paso sports photographers are so prolific and in such high demand! If you’re local to the EPT area and in need of a visual artist to capture your physical feats, we here at Peerspace have got you covered. We’ve put together a list of our favorite El Paso sports photographers — listed in no particular order — and we think you’re going to love what you see. Happy browsing!

1. Orlando Sapien of Big O Photos

Orlando Sapien, the visionary behind Big O Photos, will be the first to tell you he’ll shoot anything. With his skill set being so varied and dynamic, Orlando excels at every single photography style he tackles. His sharp eye and instinct for light and shadow give his work a powerful, intentional vibe that makes every subject look like a hero in an ancient epic. Whether he’s shooting wedding photos or portraits, standing on the sideline of a high school football game or doing roller derby team pictures, he blows us away with his singular, bold style.

2. Mando Snapshots

We weren’t able to dig up very much information about the next El Paso sports photographer we’re featuring today. Mando, owner-operator of Mando Snapshots, remains a bit of a mystery to us for now, but after just a few clicks into his online presence, we knew the most important thing — the only thing we really needed to know in the first place: This dude takes phenomenal photos!

Specializing in sports photography, Mando breathes new life into the way athletic events are captured. His colors are vivid and full of energy — his subjects alive in the physical exertions he immortalizes with his camera. We especially love the work he does for youth sports in the area. For many of us, the purest enjoyment we ever get from game and play occurs in childhood, and Mando is able to capture that feeling with ease!

3. Isaac Clark of Chubby Boy Productions

When it comes to a social media strategy, Isaac Clark has got one of the best we’ve seen. His work only came up about, oh… thousands of times during our research into the best El Paso sports photographers! His high-contrast, high-saturation editing technique brings the tension and thrill of sport to life in two-dimensional space, evoking a feeling of spectatorship and excitement in viewers. Though we don’t currently know much about the identity of the artist himself, we are thrilled to feature Chubby Boy Productions here today! We’re going to be keeping an eye on this mystery photographer for sure.

4. Isaac Uribe

You might remember the work of Issac Uribe if you happened upon our roundup of the best El Paso event photographers a few weeks back. (Of course, if you haven’t had the chance to read that article yet, please feel free to pause here, open a new tab, and check it out. We don’t mind — we’ll wait.)

(Back yet? Good!) Issac’s skill set is broad and ever-evolving, and his dedication to excellence and continued learning and development in his craft is obvious. We came across his work again and again in researching the best El Paso sports photographers, and it was a no-brainer to include him here today. His photos all have a distinctly youthful and feel-good vibe to them, and we just can’t get enough of them.

5. Ralph Kelley of Gorilla Bee

If we had to choose a single word to describe Ralph Kelley’s work — all of it, not just the sports-action pieces — it would easily be drama. Every single image Ralph shares is dripping with drama and curiosity, and his framing and focus choices never fail to place his subjects in the most exquisitely beautiful and haunting of lights. His color work is gorgeous, no doubt, but we are absolutely captivated by Ralph’s greyscale art. He often shoots youth swim events, and with the monochromatic style he employs so effectively, the young athletes look as graceful and powerful as Olympians. It takes a true artist to see those little connections; it takes something else entirely to make everyone else see them, too. Ralph Kelley does just that.

6. Steven Zimmerman of A Poet’s Path

Steven Zimmerman’s a true renaissance man — photographer, writer, filmmaker, dreamer. One doesn’t have to look very hard to see where Steven’s passions lie; his work is honest, emotional, and eclectic — and we love every incarnation of it. That being said, Steven’s sports photography stands out amongst the rest of his portfolio. The movement, the action he’s able to immortalize in a single frozen moment — it’s remarkable! We also love his editorial touch, which serves not to alter so much as to enhance, to amplify. We definitely encourage you to check out his personal website if you’re interested in seeing more of what Steven has to offer!

7. Armando Vela

We’re bringing in a true, established vet in to be our closer today and help us wrap up our list of best El Paso sports photographers: Armando Vela. Armando Vela, a photojournalist for the most successful Spanish-language newspaper in El Paso, El Diario de El Paso, has worked extensively to document life in the EPT area, covering everything from local tidbits to acts of unutterable tragedy to fashion shows to college athletics. His no-nonsense style is professional and crisp, and we love how confidently he approaches every single assignment or piece he completes. His eye for composition has been sharpened over the years of his work in the field, and we think the photo featured above illustrates that perfectly!

Well, there you have it, our favorite El Paso sports photographers! The sheer concentration of talent in the EPT area is astounding, and we’re so proud to give these featured photographers a special shout-out today. If you’re ever in need of a reliable, artistic creative to cover your event — be it a family reunion softball game, the pre-Olympic trials, or a youth soccer league — we believe any single one of these folks above will more than exceed your expectations. Give them a shot — we know you won’t regret it!

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