Photography Tours of Philadelphia with Armond Scavo

Biography of the Photographer, Armond Scavo 

I was born in the Italian section of South Philadelphia in June of 1946. (That’s me in the foreground.) My family lived on the same block as or around the corner from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. Some neighbors on Tree street, the street where I grew up, were as close as family. For a child, the block was like a small Italian village. All of Soth Philly was like this.

I am the middle child of three boys. My brothers and I are very close and very different. My older brother Michael is a language teacher in a Philadelphia Catholic high school, and my younger brother Louis is a neonatologist in Washington D.C. I attribute the raising of three successful sons that are so diverse personally and professionally to the love and insight of my parents and to the support of our extended family.

My attraction to color started at an early age. in elementary school I was exposed to the paintings of the masters, especially the Impressionists, and Thomas Eakins, a Philadelphia Artist.  At this same time I started devouring Western movies. These two disparate influences melded into the foundation of my artistic vision. It wasn’t until 1969 that I started using a camera to explore and develop this vision.

I consider myself a colorist. The scenes and objects in my art are photographed for the color they embody. Ray K. Metzker, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ernst Haas, and Raghubir Singh are among my major influences.

I studied at the Tyler School of Art, The Philadelphia College of Art, the Fleisher Art Memorial, and the Community College of Philadelphia with leading photographers and theorists in the field including Ray K. Metzker, Jack Carnell, Thomas Goodman,Tom Porett, Fred Osborne, and George Krauss.

A photographer and educator since 1968, I have taught photography and color darkroom technique and have developed art education programs for children. Earth Light Images was founded in 1985 to provide greater accessibility to my art. Through Earth Light Images I exhibit and sell my work nationwide. I started taking photographs of Philadelphia early on, but in 2000 with my Rittenhouse Square winter series, I became passionate about photographing both contemporary and historic Philadelphia.

Among the various awards and honors I have received are those from the New Jersey Center For the Visual Arts, The Perkins Art Center, the Mid Atlantic Arts Council, the Chestnut Hill Arts Association as well as the city of Philadelphia. I have also served on the board of the Philadelphia Crafts Association from 1986-96 and I am a member of the friends of Rittenhouse Square.