José Azel received a BA from Cornell University in 1976 where he began shooting pictures for their annual. After completing his masters in Journalism at the University of Missouri, he joined the staff of the
Miami Herald. From 1981to 1997, José freelanced as a photographer for international magazines including
National Geographic, Smithsonian, Life, Time, Sports Illustrated and
GEO magazines as well as shooting corporate assignments for the outdoor sports and lifestyle industry. In 1993, he co-founded Aurora and Quanta Productions (www.auroraphotos.com), a stock photography company that merges traditional photography and digital media. The technology revolution has allowed Aurora to establish itself as a company of the future, helping define the interactive, visual narrative of the digital age. Aurora’s clients and collaborations span commercial and editorial brands such as Eastern Mountain Sports, Hathaway Shirts, Kodak, The Washington Post Digital, Sports Illustrated Kids Online, MSNBC and
Photo District News magazine.