Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the heart of New York’s creative culture, David Vargas is an award-winning Art Director and Expedition Photographer who captures culture, nature, and human connection through a cinematic lens. He discovered his passion for visual storytelling at Parsons School of Design, where he studied Art Direction and Design, blending a fine art sensibility with a designer’s eye for composition and narrative.

Over the past two decades, David has led photographic assignments across more than forty countries, from the frozen expanses of Antarctica to the sun-drenched islands of the South Pacific. Along the way, he has captured wildlife, remote communities, and fleeting moments of human connection, navigating extreme and unpredictable environments with both creativity and precision.

During his tenure with National Geographic × Lindblad Expeditions, David helped shape the brand’s photographic identity. His work has appeared on multiple National Geographic Expeditions covers and in over five hundred publications worldwide, earning recognition for its ability to reveal both the grandeur of nature and the intimacy of human experience.

As an Art Director, David develops integrated campaigns that unify photography, typography, and storytelling across print, digital, and social platforms. A Platinum Adrian Award recipient, he is celebrated for work that fuses design and narrative to inspire audiences and strengthen brand identity.

He now lives in Brooklyn, where he continues to merge adventure and design through personal projects and Ried Studios, a photography studio focused on portraiture and product imagery that highlights craftsmanship, creativity, and visual storytelling.