Marine photographer, Cpl. Alejandro Pena, wrapped up his deployment to Afghanistan by being selected as the DVIDS Journalist of the Month. Pena's photos for Regional Command Southwest attracted more attention than any other... read more
Marine photographer, Cpl. Alejandro Pena, wrapped up his deployment to Afghanistan by being selected as the DVIDS Journalist of the Month. Pena's photos for Regional Command Southwest attracted more attention than any other military photographer who submitted to DVIDS in July. <br /> <br />
His images were downloaded 2,627 times, which is almost twice as much as the next closest photographer. Users viewed his images 18,550 times or more than 6,000 times more than the runner up. Because of his photos' news relevance and quality, they were sent to media outlets more than 2,890 times. This led to him also ranking No. 1 for media placements for the month. Media outlets that used his images include Time Magazine, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Military Times, Mother Jones, Lahaina News, Army Times and more. <br /> <br />
"Working across multiple commands, Cpl. Pena was a frequently requested photographer whose awe-inspiring work has been commended by many respected photographers," said Staff Sgt. Neill A. Sevelius, USMC Combat Camera SNCOIC. "His commendations notwithstanding, Cpl. Pena's placement report speaks for itself. He published over 1,500 images that appeared in many prominent media outlets during his short seven-month deployment. Cpl. Pena is an outstanding Combat Camera Marine, more than capable of performing exceptionally in any situation."<br /> <br />
Pena kicked off the month of July with compelling images of the AJC Peachtree Road Race at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. In addition to capturing the standard photo of runners and the banner for the race, Pena captured a rainbow, which was used by the AJC and WXIA-TV in Atlanta. Another more unusual photo from the race included a Marine holding a Marine working dog, who had also completed the race. <br /> <br />
Some of Pena's technical skill, which produces "awe-inspiring work," is seen in his use of lighting and the way he frames his subjects. Several examples can be seen in the galleries titled, "U.S. Marines and Georgian Army Soldiers Conduct Operation Northern Lion II, Part II" and "U.S. Marines with Fox Co., 2/2, conduct counter insurgency operations in Helmand Province." <br /> <br />
Pena's images of military working dogs also stand out. Although photos of the four-legged Marines can be found throughout Pena's journalist portfolio, specific examples can be found in the Helmand province gallery above along with the gallery, "U.S. Marines with Golf 2/8 Conduct Mission Rehearsals." <br /> <br />
All of his images come together to thoroughly tell the story of the Marines, their operations and the Afghan people they met in Helmand province. This is why he ranked highest among other military photographers for views, downloads and media placements in July. <br /> <br />
"Cpl. Alejandro Pena was an incredible asset to Regimental Combat Team 7 and demonstrated unsurpassed proficiency," said Sevelius. "Incredibly resilient, Cpl. Pena persistently requested to participate in upcoming missions, despite recently returning from an exhausting assignment. 'The sun was unforgiving, Staff Sergeant' he would always say, but it was almost immediately followed by a 'when's the next mission?'" <br /> <br />
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