Born in 1991 and raised in Fort Worth, TX. Currently lives in Bronx, NY.

Professional Experience

Freelance Photojournalist, April 2018 – Present

Adjunct Professor of Photojournalism, St. John’s University, September 2019 – Present

Teaching Artist, The Bronx Documentary Center, July 2019 – October 2020

Selected Clients

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Vox, The Guardian, and Buzzfeed News

Education, Workshops, and Portfolio Reviews

The New York Portfolio Review, 2019

Women Photograph Mentorship Program, 2018-2019

Student, Women Photograph Workshop, 2018

Student, Eddie Adams Workshop XXX, 2017

San Francisco Art Institute, Master of Fine Arts in Photography, 2015-2017

St. John’s University, Bachelor of Science in Photojournalism, Cum Laude, 2010-2014

Awards and Recognitions

Nominee, The Emmys, Outstanding New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle, and Culture, 2020

1st Place, POYI 77, Online Storytelling: Daily Life, 2020

2nd Place, NPPA Best of Photojournalism, OVP Features (Large Team), 2020

20 Rising Female Photojournalists, Artsy Magazine, 2019

San Francisco Press Club Journalism Award, 2018

John Collier Award for Photography, San Francisco Art Institute, 2017

Talks and Presentations

The Ethics of Photography, Las Fotos Project, 2020

Covering the Pandemic, Bronx Documentary Center, 2020

Photographers in Social Movement, SF Camerawork, 2017

Selected Press and Features

B&H Photography Podcast “Covering COVID-19: A Follow-Up Conversation with Desiree Rios and Sarah Blesener” November 12, 2020

Digital Photo Pro “Desiree Rios: Leaning into Vision” August 18, 2020

B&H Photography Podcast “Photojournalists Covering the Coronavirus” March 25, 2020

Artsy Magazine “20 Rising Female Photojournalists” May 14, 2019

Selected Group Exhibitions

2019 BoundarySpan, San Jose State University Art Gallery, San Jose, CA

2019 Forecast 2019, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA

2018 Into the World: Cherel Ito and SFAI Documentary Photography, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2018 Fifth Annual Latino Life Photo Exhibit, Accion Latina, San Francisco, CA

2017 San Francisco Art Institute MFA Show, The Old Mint, San Francisco, CA

2017 Not Without My Sketches, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2017 See/Saw: Home, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2017 Fourth Annual Latino Life Photo Exhibit, Accion Latina, San Francisco, CA

2016 En Regla, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2016 Four Corners, Regla Gallery, Havana, Cuba

2015 Lone Star, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA