I n May 2022, the town of Uvalde, Texas, became known for a tragic mass school shooting. A year later, Rolling Stone covered the Mariachi team—comprised of high school students and their instructor—who used music to help alter the unsettled feeling of the residents.

José Ibarra Rizo, ’14, captured it all through the lens of his camera. 

His photos affirmed the pride people felt for their town and touched individuals worldwide. What makes his pictures so compelling are the people he connects with.

“I see my portraits as collaborations,” Ibarra Rizo said. “So, having the subjects’ trust for this article, I had to get to know them and understand their perspectives and interests, like performing Mariachi.” 

“We have that relationship and understanding of what we're doing by showing the world that they're uplifting themselves through their music—their strength and willingness to persevere shows through in the photos,” he said.

Photo journalism is Ibarra Rizo’s passion. In October 2022, he asked a photo editor at Rolling Stone for a portfolio review and how he could get people-oriented opportunities. The editor responded in April 2023 by asking if Ibarra Rizo was available for the photo project in Uvalde.

Ibarra Rizo jumped at the chance. More opportunities followed. His work has been published in The Guardian and will appear in Time Magazine in August. 

This fall, his creative works will be exhibited at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in collaboration with Aperture magazine, as part of a larger exhibition called “Picturing the South.” Ibarra Rizo’s work is also part of the museum’s permanent collection.

He also applies his artistic talents as a social media and digital content manager for a law firm.

“I love using creative skills in my job,” Ibarra Rizo said. “I also collaborate with the photographer and videographer to create content that speaks to our audience. Having that creative freedom is important to me.”

He’s always had a creative side to him. His talent was nurtured at Georgia College & State University, where he majored in art.

Javier Francisco, interim executive director of Admissions and former photography instructor, was instrumental in Ibarra Rizo’s decision to attend Georgia College. He also became his mentor. They spoke about photography often.

“The attention I received from Javier convinced me that I was going to a place to help me get on the right track,” Ibarra Rizo said. “I’m the first in my family to ever leave for college, so I felt like had someone to be that guy I needed at that time.”

One of his professors, Valerie Aranda, taught most of his drawing and painting classes. Ibarra Rizo was a studio assistant in Aranda’s classes and participated in her study abroad program in Argentina.

“She gave me the opportunity to experiment and learn freely,” Ibarra Rizo said. “All my professors were devoted to their students. That really made a difference. She really opened the world for me and provided insight on what it means to be a professional artist.”

“I spent a lot of time with her thinking about painting, composition and color,” he said. “The basics of composition would be one of the key things that I learned from her.”

Composition considers the background, middle and foreground of a picture and how a subject occupies space. It plays a big role in making a picture captivating and successful.

Ibarra Rizo picked up photography in 2017 using composition and color concepts he learned at Georgia College.

“I used to paint a lot of portraits, but now I'm photographing portraits,” Ibarra Rizo said. “I'm still using those same skills I learned. Some people have described my photographs to look as though they’re painted.”

Anything worth having takes a lot of work, especially in the creative field. Ibarra Rizo knows this and applies the diligence and problem-solving skills he learned at Georgia College daily. Capturing special moments is about the integrity of his pictures. He works hard, so individuals can cherish special moments-in-time from his pictures.

“It's important in my profession and my other career as an artist to always learn new things and push for excellence,” Ibarra Rizo said. “Creating images is about storytelling. It's about using photos to share with a wider audience what someone else’s reality looks like—essentially to see the humanity in ourselves.”