- Rodelio Astudillo
Infobox journalist
name = Rodelio Astudillo
birth_date = 1978
birth_place =Manila, Philippines
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Photographer
gender =
credits =
URL =Rodelio Astudillo is an American photographer, best known for the
TV Guide celebrity photobooth, where he has taken thousands of photographs of hundreds of the world's best known television and movie personalities in a simulated photobooth, getting celebrities such asEva Longoria , the cast ofThe Sopranos , directorsAng Lee andLord of the Rings directorPeter Jackson , and even astronautBuzz Aldrin to ham it up for him.Early life
Astudillo was born in Manila, Philippines (December 31 1978). He grew up in Los Angeles California, though lived throughout the Eastern United States, including Upstate New York, Indiana, Missouri. He graduated from
Loyola High School and attended theUniversity of California at Santa Barbara . He studiedEnglish Literature and was an avid surfer and diver, interests he picked up while attending the combat diver course at the United States Naval Air Station, Trumbo Point Annex, Key West, Florida, while in the military.Astudillo left school twice to join the army before graduating, where he served in a reconnaissance platoon of an
Army Ranger Regimental Detachment (RRD) based out ofFort Bragg , North Carolina. He declined re-enlistment after his last combat-related injuries, earning the rank of staff sergeant, but ironically found himself back in various war zones when he served as a war photographer for the following two years.While in college, Astudillo was influenced by a black and white photography class taught by the University's then Art Department Chair,
Richard Ross , the principal photographer for theGetty Conservation Institute . After further encouragement by Ross and the subsequent color photography course, Astudillo was determined to become a photographer, even if self-taught.After graduating from college, Astudillo held a series of jobs, including work as a bounty hunter, a computer consultant, and a combat photographer. After considering employment in
Blackwater USA , Astudillo decided to finish college.Photography
Astudillo began working as a war photographer for nearly two years, where he was wounded on more than one occasion.Fact|date=July 2008 He has documented a variety of armed conflicts, spending time in
Latin America ,Europe and theMiddle East .cite news|last=Astudillo|first=Rodelio|title=Rodelio Photography|publisher=Getty Images |date=December 2006|url=http://www.rodelio.com/scripts/aboutus.asp] He left to work as a financial market consultant and electronic trading developer for Optimark Technologies and thePacific Stock Exchange .Astudillo's experiences in the military profoundly influenced his early photography, drawn to social issues which included stories on gang violence, the homeless, and Hollywood vice. He moved into mainstream photography only after the a series of close calls while on assignment in the Middle East conflict, switching to magazine editorial and still photography, although the eclecticism remained, from his photo series on the Los Angeles Coroner's Office morgue in downtown Los Angeles, to the photo story of a multi-national skinhead wedding in San Francisco, California.
He began shooting reportage photography for a number of entertainment magazines and studios using his photojournalism experience. His celebrity photography includes portraiture, often using a single source of light, an influence of one of his favorite photographers, celebrity and fashion photographer, Robert Maxwell. One of the highlights of his career was the opportunity to photograph Maxwell in the photobooth.
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