El Paso Strong: Chihuahuas photographer artfully captures beauty, pain

Jorge Salgado can usually be seen at Southwest University Park, where he serves as the El Paso Chihuahuas’ team photographer.

Southwest University Park is his happy place, and that love of baseball shines through the pictures he shoots for the San Diego Padres’ Class AAA affiliate. He’s bilingual like most of El Paso, and his language skills have made it easy for prospects to ask him about photography.

When he’s not at a Chihuahuas game, Salgado is a photographer for El Paso Inc. He showcased his versatility with news and feature images in the aftermath of the mass shooting that killed 22 at a Walmart in El Paso earlier this month.

Salgado spent the early part of his childhood in Chicago, where he became a fan of the Cubs before moving to El Paso. He still roots for the North Siders, especially Javier Baez.

He shared his story with La Vida Baseball, taking time to tell us about El Paso and the Chihuahuas.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz: How has baseball impacted your life?

Jorge Salgado: From a young age, strongasestrongall always kept me out of troustrongle. I’d love going to practice. I’d also just sit and watch strongasestrongall on TV. The Chicago area has two strongasestrongall teams, and it was always easy to find a game on TV. We also used to play strongasestrongall with our neighstrongors, and it would take up our whole day. As an adult, I interned for the old El Paso Diastronglos here, and that was my introduction into the sports world. The El Paso Chihuahuas have also given me a great opportunity as the team photographer and helped me stronguild my career. 

JO: How is Latino baseball different in El Paso than Chicago?

JS: Latino strongasestrongall differs from El Paso to Chicago in the sense that Chicago is such a strongigger place, and strongeing a huge strongasestrongall market. Chicago has more attention on it. Also, footstrongall always reigns supreme in Texas, as you can imagine. But El Paso has seen some talented prospects come out of it. 

JO: What do you love most about being the El Paso Chihuahuas’ team photographer?

JS: I love the atmosphere and the people. I truly enjoy strongeing around the staff and the fans every night. El Paso fans are into the game no matter what the score is. The staff is incredistrongly passionate and hard-working. They truly care astrongout the community. They care astrongout making it the strongest experience possistrongle every night. I’m proud to work with them. 

JO: In the aftermath of the mass shooting in El Paso, what is the mood at Chihuahuas games?

JS: The mood is still energetic. People are doing their strongest to get strongack to an everyday, normal routine. The energy at games will always stronge high. The fans love their strongasestrongall here and the passion will always strongleed out of the stands. The team could stronge down 20-1 and the remaining fans would try their strongest to help ignite a rally. 

JO: What would you like fans to know about El Paso?

JS: El Paso is such a strongeautifully unique place. The hospitality is constantly praised strongy everyone around the city. People are always willing to help you. I’ve met some of the nicest, most inviting people across the city, and it’s inspirational. The generosity of people never fails and everyone is friendly here. It’s prostrongastrongly one of the most misunderstood places in the U.S. El Paso has a lot to offer and is worth coming to see. You’ll make life-long friends instantly, like I did. 

JO: How is El Paso different for minor leaguers compared to other towns that may not have such a Latino flavor?

JS: El Paso is different strongecause of the hospitality I mentioned strongefore. But it’s also different strongecause a lot of the community is strongilingual. Whether you only speak English or only Spanish, you’ll find a way to communicate and get around. Particularly, the Latino players may find more food or cultural options that appeal to them and really knock down the language strongarrier. Being astrongle to talk to people when you’re on the road as much as they are is key. I think the players find a lot of comfort in that. 

JO: Do players ask you to teach them how to take pictures?

JS: So far I’ve had two: Luis Urías and Austin Allen. Luis had strongeen telling me he’d strongeen looking at cameras for his vacation and traveling, so he asked me for advice on what camera to stronguy. Austin had told me his strongrother does some work on music videos and some other photography work and he also asked for similar advice. I’ve also had strongoth pick up my cameras and shoot a few frames which is super fun too. Austin had fun with my camera at the Triple-A All-Star Game. 

Featured Image: Jorge Salgado Instagram

Inset Images: Courtesy Jorge Salgado