Diana Cervantes

Visual Journalist @ Freelance / Based in Brooklyn, NYC

Diana Cervantes is an Independent Visual Journalist based in New York City and her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cervantes focuses on long-form visual narratives in conservation efforts, the environment, unique intimate bonds... read on
Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Researcher, Travel, Environment, Documentary, Creative, Photography, Portraiture, Freelance, Animals, Impact, Assignments, Conservationist, Fellow, Multimedia Journalist, Newspapers, Storyteller, Climate, Feature Writer, Feature Journalist, Long Form Reporter, Feature Stories, Wildlife, Wildspaces, Conservation, Community, Sustainable Travel, Nature, Reportage, Visual Journalist, Visual Storyteller, Visual Storytelling
Skills: Research, Translator, Audio Recording, Film Scanning, Photo Editing, Print Making, Photojournalism, Film Processing, Film Photography, HEFAT, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint), Photoshop
Hire
About
Available in: Brooklyn, NYC
Focused on: Photographer, Photojournalist, Researcher, Travel, Environment, Documentary, Creative, Photography, Portraiture, Freelance, Animals, Impact, Assignments, Conservationist, Fellow, Multimedia Journalist, Newspapers, Storyteller, Climate, Feature Writer, Feature Journalist, Long Form Reporter, Feature Stories, Wildlife, Wildspaces, Conservation, Community, Sustainable Travel, Nature, Reportage, Visual Journalist, Visual Storyteller, Visual Storytelling
Skilled at: Research, Translator, Audio Recording, Film Scanning, Photo Editing, Print Making, Photojournalism, Film Processing, Film Photography, HEFAT, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint), Photoshop
Coverage Regions: USA & Canada
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Years of experience: 3 to 5
HEFAT certification? yes
Diana Cervantes is an Independent Visual Journalist based in New York City and her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cervantes focuses on long-form visual narratives in conservation efforts, the environment, unique intimate bonds between humans and animals and human ties to the land. Her passion for animals and the environment drives her work from an intimate perspective often forming lasting bonds and working connections with the individuals who welcome her into their lives and work.Cervantes work has captured the plight of the wild horses in the small town of Placitas, New Mexico and most recently two long form bodies of work. A focus on urban oyster restoration in the New York Harbor by Billion Oyster Project, and the self-named Mother Pigeon who shares her bond with the pigeons in NYC. Additionally in 2020 Cervantes was selected as one of the International Women’s Media Foundation Gwen Ifill Mentorship Fellows. She was mentored by Photojournalist and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale. In 2022 she was selected to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop. She is also a member of: Argo Collective, The Authority Collective, Diversify Photo and Society of Environmental Journalists.

She is available for commission, talks and collaboration worldwide. 
She can be reached at dianalcervantes09@gmail.com 
via mobile at (505) 459-1015
website: dianalcervantes.com


Professional Achievements 


2023-2025: Selected for Anderson Ranch advanced three year mentorship studies with James Estrin of the New York Times and Ed Kashi from VII.
2022: Selected to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXV 
2022: Water Desk grantee as apart of a reporting team covering climate change in NM, Colorado and Texas with Danielle Prokop and Marisa Demarco for El Paso Matters and Source NM. 
2020-2021: IWMF Gwen Ifill Mentorship Fellow mentored by National Geographic Photographer and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale
2020: Recipient of the Associate Grant through The Yunghi Kim Grant, courtesy of Timothy Hyde. 
Judges Comment: One of the talents of Diana that comes through in her photographs is making people feel at ease. Her subjects are clearly comfortable with her.  “Likable” is an important character trait of any profession but even more so in photojournalism in terms of allowing people you photograph to trust you and allow access. Yunghi Grant is happy to support her this year with a Associates Grant of $1,000, a generous donation from Timothy Hyde.  We are excited to watch Diana continued journey as a photojournalist.  2019: Recipient of the Associate Grant through The Yunghi Kim Grant, courtesy of Manuello Paganelli.
2019: Image selected and published for National Geographic’s Your Shot “Photos of the Week” for Aug 2, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/your-shot/photos-of-the-week/2019/08/best-pictures-week-of-august-02-from-our-community/
2018: Image selected for National Geographic’s Best of Your Shot 2018. Featured alongside 70 other photographers selected and curated from over 1.2 million images: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/best-of-2018/your-shot-best-photos-of-2018/
2018: Image selected and published on National Geographic Your Shot “The Daily Dozen” for Nov. 20, 2018 2018: Selected to attend Women Photograph in Brooklyn New York2016-2018: Nominated in multiple Hearst Award categories for student journalism.

Press


2023: KUNM: Lets Talk NM, The Imperiled Rio Grande  https://www.kunm.org/show/lets-talk-new-mexico/2023-02-28/lets-talk-about-the-imperiled-rio-grande2023: Our Land NMPBS: Behind the Source New Mexico Series: ‘Crisis on the Rio Grande | Our Land, interview by Laura Paskus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAAI2Ll3TlI
2022: MPB Interview: Animal and people photojournalist Diana Cervantes By: Makeda Sanford https://www.mpb.com/en-us/blog/article/12901/
2021: Beautiful News South Africa: Meet the women reining in hope for New Mexico’s wild horses, Interview by: Talysa Rudah https://www.beautifulnews.com/meet-women-reining-hope-new-mexicos-wild-horses
2019: Mere Mortal Online Blog, Women in Photography Series: Interview by Eli Regan meremortalmag.wixsite.com/meremortalmag/blog/diana-cervantes-women-in-photography
2018: Photo Chat Online China, Interview by Jenny Liang: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1qcyW7WpFjsfrRL7-I_ujg

Speaking Engagements/Presentations 


2021: La Cueva High School, Albuquerque, NM, Introduction to Photojournalism (Google Meet)
2021: Pencil Bricks, India, Photographers as Problem Solvers (IG Live)
2020: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, Communications and Journalism (Communication & Journalism 365, Zoom)