About the author
Rolando Gomez, a professional photographer, writer, author, executive producer and electronic media consultant, earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communication, Electronic Media, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas, San Antonio, in 2001. He is the former Chief of Multimedia Production for the Air Force News Agency where he oversaw the photography, radio and television products for the U.S. Air Force website, www.af.mil, a million-dollar plus, annual operation. At the time of the release of this book, he had over 110,000 followers on his “verified by Twitter” account and a Klout score of 82.
The Dept. of Defense selected Gomez in 1994 as one of the "Top Five" military combat photographers worldwide. He later transitioned to glamour and fashion photography after leaving a combined 17-years of Federal service. One of the original 30, Lexar Elite photographers, he transitioned from combat photography to glamour photography in 1999 and is still a freelance photojournalist. He also stars in the upcoming reality television show, Lens Diaries.
In the past 14 years, he’s conducted over 600 seminars and workshops in the United States, Europe, Mexico and Canada. U.S. venues include Photo Plus Expo in New York, Samy's Camera, Julia Dean Photo School and Photo Imaging & Design Expo in Calif., The University of Texas, The University of the Virgin Islands, The University of Calgary, FotoFusion and the Palm Beach Photographic Center.
Over the course of his career, Gomez traveled to 40 countries to cover feature stories including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Olympics, the 1996 Presidential Inauguration, Desert Storm, the signing of the Peace Accords in El Salvador, Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Northern Watch in Turkey and the 1994 Rwandan refugee crisis in Africa.
In 1993, as a "buck sergeant," he was awarded the Department of Defense's Meritorious Service Medal for documenting the drug war in Central and South America, a 26-month assignment. Gomez also served as the personal photographer for Gen. George A. Joulwan for four years, both in Europe and Central America.
The subject of the September 2006 Rangefinder cover story, “Mysteries of Lighting,” Gomez has lectured at the annual Photo Plus Expo in Manhattan from 2004-2010, both as a Lighting Master and on Internet Strategies and Guerilla Marketing. He is the author of five, photography books, co-authored a sixth, and is featured in four other books by authors Michelle Perkins, Jack Watson and Marsha Collier.
Partial credits include Maloof Sports and Entertainment, Studio Photography (featured photographer, writer, and contributing editor), Parade (cover story, with Eddie Adams), People, New York Times, Stars & Stripes, Playboy, Maxim, Sports Illustrated, Airman, Soldiers, PhotoInsider, Visao (Portugal Weekly News Magazine, feature story on Photographic Therapy), PMA Daily, Rangefinder (cover story), Leica World News (feature story), Digital Imaging, St. Martin’s Press, Peterson’s 4-Wheel Drive, Keller Crescent Advertising Agency, Netscape.com, AOL/Time Warner, Evan Williams Bourbon, San Antonio Express News, La Prensa, South Texas Reporter, PhotoMedia, Shutterbug, Photo District News, D-Pixx (cover story, European), Zoom NL, Photographie, PROFIFTOTO, fotoMAGAZIN, FOTO-VIDEO DIGITAAL, Camera Magazine, and numerous other publications.