Joe Hidalgo-Gato is an award winning photographer currently living on Miami Beach. He was born in Havana, Cuba, shortly before his family settled in New York. He grew up in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
Gato began his college education with the option of the Naval Academy or Veterinary studies. He attended college for two semesters before taking a short hiatus from studies. After a short break working as a baker down the block from his home on Long Island Gato returned to school at Long Island University, C.W. Post Center.
At C.W. Post he was introduced to Photography during an elective. The Chairman of the Photography department at that time was acclaimed photographer, Arthur Leipzig.
Gato was deeply moved by the work of Cartier Bresson, Eugene Smith and Richard Avedon, etc, and soon became a Communications Major with a keen interest in photojournalism.
Gato later enriched his photography education at F.I.T. and the Summer Film Intensive at NYU.
Gato developed his studio skills assisting top Fashion and Editorial photographers in New York City. He later split his time on South Beach during the early days of the reemergence of the beautiful Deco District.
Gato had the good fortune to work for Bill King, Albert Watson, Patrick Demarchelier, Otto Stupakoff, Andrea Blanch and Helmut Newton. He honed his own craft during years of assistance at the top of the game.
Gato's credits include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New Yorker Magazine, Miami City Ballet, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Balanchine Trust, The Jerome Robbins Trust, The Twyla Tharp Trust, YoungArts, Van Cleef and Arpels and The Village Voice.
Joe's work appeared in the ICP exhibit, "Global Images for Global Crisis" He became an FAA certified drone pilot during the pandemic lockdown.
