Gabriel Vargas is an award-winning director of photography and underwater cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA. Born and raised in a small coastal town on the east side of Puerto Rico, he quickly developed a passion for the ocean, the environment, and cameras.  

In 2013, he began his career as a freelance photographer after completing a bachelor's degree in photography at Universidad Sagrado Corazón in Santurce, PR. After years of working with stills, he dove into the world of moving pictures and deeper storytelling.

His most recent work include the 2020 RIFF Directors Choice Best Doc Short and 2020 BWFN Best Cinematography award winner short film,“Emergér” and the 2019 Coast Film Festival Audience Choice Award winner, “Sawubona”. Both films were commissioned by the World Surf League.

Gabriel has collaborated on multiple projects as a cinematographer and has lensed over fifty episodes of UHD adventure-reality television in over 10 countries, including the very first action sports series shot entirely in HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the Europe based network, INsight TV.

During the winter of 2015, he was sent on assignment to Nazaré, Portugal to film & co-produce his first feature length surf documentary, “Red Chargers”; a film that captured the unique lives of big wave surfers and the teamwork involved in riding the world's largest waves. The film won Best Feature Film in the 2017 San Diego Surf Film Festival and Best Surf Film in the 2016 Waimea Ocean Film Festival.

Gabriel’s work has been commissioned by the following companies: World Surf League, INsight TV, AMG Mercedes-Benz, Outside Television, TERN International, Tag Heuer, Red Bull, Volcom East, Eastern Surf Magazine, Riptide Magazine, Surfline, The Inertia, Pacific Longboarder Magazine, Surfspot Magazine, Asociación Profesional Surfing Puerto Rico, DisasterL Magazine, Y No Había Luz, Circo Nacional De Puerto Rico and The San Juan Water Beach Club Hotel.