When Nathan W. Armes was younger, images played an important role in his life.

His family, who traveled the world and the United States in the military, subscribed to news magazines, daily newspapers and watched the nightly news. Historic images and news events cycled through his home and impacted his future by showing Armes, at an early age, the power a single image can have. By being a witness - if not just from his living room floor - to current events, it showed him the world was big, sometimes mean and ugly, but also beautiful and full of hope. Even as a child he knew that he wanted to document this world.

Between college semesters, Armes began a freelance photojournalism career - first at a publication in North Carolina and then at a south Florida weekly newspaper, published by The Tampa Tribune.

Before returning to Lenoir-Rhyne College two years later to graduate with a degree in Electronic News Gathering, he worked as a truck driver, a canoe and kayak guide in balmy south Florida, and as a misguided waiter in North Carolina to fund his pursuit of photojournalism.

After graduating, Armes spent several years documenting the American South as a staff photographer for the Hickory Daily Record and as a contract photographer for The Associated Press.

Armes is an award winning photojournalist based in Denver, Colorado who is an avid skier, cyclist and hiker.

He is a contract photographer for The Denver Post, and freelances for The Los Angeles Times, Education Week, Ebony Magazine, The Sunday Times of London, USA Today, Reuters and The Associated Press. His client list includes Coco-Cola Enterprises, FedEx, Service Employees International Union and US Boxing.

He is available for local, national and international assignments.