Born in Havana, Armando Salas, ASC, immigrated to the United States during the Mariel boatlift. His passion for film and journey into cinematography began in his youth in Miami, when he created skateboarding videos and experimented with Super 8 film while studying at the New World School of the Arts. He went on to earn a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, where he pioneered a concentration in narrative film production while cultivating a unique visual language within a diverse fine arts environment. He completed an MFA from Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, gaining recognition as a Jacob K. Javits Fellow and winner of the 2002 American Society of Cinematographers Student Heritage Award.
Salas honed his skills shooting indie films and commercials before venturing into several acclaimed series and earning an Emmy nomination for the hit show Ozark. Some of his recent projects include The Old Man with Jeff Bridges, the Apple sci-fi thriller Invasion, and Chris Pratt’s action thriller The Terminal List, in which he collaborated with filmmaker Antoine Fuqua on the pilot. Among his upcoming releases are Netflix’s highly anticipated limited series Griselda, starring Sofia Vergara as Griselda Blanco, and the newest Marvel series, Wonder Man.
In 2020, Salas was honoured to be accepted into the American Society of Cinematographers. As an ASC member, he has shown commitment to the art of cinema, not only as a mentor to aspiring cinematographers of different backgrounds but also by using his platform to increase awareness of the craft in an ever-changing technological landscape.