Rafael Leyva

Leyva's breakthrough came with the 2017 feature film Last Rampage, directed by Dwight H. Little and based on the true story of Arizona prison escapee Gary Tison. Variety reviewed the film on its release.^[7] The same year, his work was highlighted in the ASC magazine September 2017 issue.

In 2018, Leyva was named one of the American Society of Cinematographers' Rising Stars of Cinematography, a distinction recognizing emerging talent in the field..^[8] The following year, the International Cinematographers Guild selected him as one of its Generation Next Directors of Photography, a recognition for outstanding work across multiple narrative projects.^[9]

In 2022, Leyva served as cinematographer on Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion, a Disney+ superhero series created by Gary Morgenstein and directed by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. The series was notable as the first single camera Latinx series on the platform.^{[10] [11]} His work on the series was featured in the June 2022 issue of ICG Magazine.^[12]

He worked as cinematographer on New Eden (2023), a short film written and directed by Michal Zebede and starring Emily Tosta and Niko Guardado, which was selected as an Official Selection at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.^[13]

He was one of the directors of photography on Ghost Elephants (2025), a documentary directed by Werner Herzog following conservationist Steve Boyes on an expedition through Angola in search of a rumoured lineage of giant elephants. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and was acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films for theatrical release and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.^[14][15] Critics specifically noted his contribution to the film's visual identity, with one review describing the cinematography as integral to its atmospheric power.^[16]