Today we’d like to introduce you to Erick Quituizaca. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Erick Fernando, a 28-year-old Ecuadorian, is now a well-known photographer who has worked with a multitude of celebrities and prominent brands. But everything has its own story. Erick was born in a small city in southern Ecuador, a sparsely populated region. He comes from a humble family; his father was a sailor and his mother was a medical technologist. Erick was raised in a military environment, and his life aspiration was to become an officer in the Ecuadorian Navy. He always admired his father, who traveled the world as a sailor, and he would be amazed by the gifts and items his father brought back from his trips. Among those gifts was a digital camera, which marked Erick’s first encounter with photography.
Life took its twists, and Erick couldn’t pursue his dream of being a naval officer. However, that wasn’t the end of his journey. A technology enthusiast from a young age, Erick managed to secure a full scholarship to study Logistics and Transportation Engineering in Ecuador. It was during his second semester that he rediscovered his passion for photography. Before that, he cherished a gift from his grandparents – an iPod touch – which he had longed for and received after finishing school. What fascinated Erick most about the iPod touch was its camera. He spent his free time and family trips capturing moments and sharing them on social media. One day, a friend from university saw Erick’s photos and asked him to take pictures for her. Erick agreed, under the condition that he would try to obtain a professional camera. This seemingly small decision turned out to be life-changing.
After that photoshoot, Erick started receiving numerous messages requesting information about his photography services. Initially perplexed, he considered returning the professional camera a friend had lent him. However, his friend encouraged him to continue using it. This marked the beginning of Erick’s journey as he took photos and eventually landed his first contract with a small women’s shoe company. Two years after that pivotal moment, the brand Nike in Ecuador sought his services, propelling him into popularity and providing him with invaluable experience and learning opportunities.
During this period, as he built his portfolio, Erick noticed that many celebrities did not maintain well-curated social media accounts. He also realized that many could enhance their music platforms with photos that better represented their identities. Erick decided to address these issues and opportunities, leading him to reach out to a highly regarded influencer in 2018. This contact enabled him to create content in Miami, opening doors to a world brimming with opportunities. Erick was making his mark.
The year 2018 saw a surge in social media content, with Instagram being particularly popular. Erick collaborated with numerous artists, ultimately embarking on a multi-country tour lasting nearly two years with a musical group named Morat. Despite the arrival of the pandemic, Erick pressed on. In August of that year, he decided to travel to Miami to seize opportunities. He successfully achieved his goal of obtaining an O1 visa, allowing him to work in the United States and further his professional growth.
This year brought him to notable places like the Recording Academy, where he met Tom Hanks and his wife, capturing photos of them during a gala. Erick also had the privilege of photographing Shawn Mendes on two occasions. He established his own company in Miami and began mentoring many young individuals to achieve their aspirations.
From his beginnings with an iPod touch, Erick’s journey has led him to establish a vast and professional career. Companies like Apple took interest in a young talent like him, providing him with hardware updates for his equipment, such as iMacs and iPhones, to enhance his skills and workflow, his talent is so highly sought after that he has productions in different countries and cities for high-level campaigns or projects.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love my work because keeps me always learning and it takes me to places or with people that in a normal life I would probably never have done or met.
My specialization is portrait photography, Also concerts, I toured for around 4 years so I achieved a lot of experience doing concerts and dealing with top celebrities
I am very well known for my trust and confidentiality, I worked with very big artists and very big projects that require months of total silence before they see the light. And also very know for the faster I work.
I am proud of the moments that I teach, I love to teach and give advice to younger people than me that is starting in this photography business, and I am proud to see some of them getting very successful.
I focus on what the client needs. Some artists would say. No that’s not my point of view and I am not going do it in this way, and the necessity of the client is not filled, so I focus on that, also I think my works talks by itself, I have a very marked style in my pictures that some people love, and I love, so I think that is something that sets me apart from others.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
A very important feature of success is the way you make small decisions in your life, in how you accept or don’t accept what you come across in life.
In my case, if I hadn’t decided to do a photoshoot for my friend from university, I wouldn’t be having this interview. And also, take the risk in the decisions you make.
Pricing:
- Photoshoots start from 1800$
- weddings $4000
- concerts $900
- open to collaborations
Contact Info:
- Website: www.erickfernandoq.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/erickfernandoq
Image Credits
Sebastian Yatra, Shawn Mendez, Sheryl Crow, Lionel Richie, Lisa Parigi, Rita Wilson, Dayanara Peralta, Camila Orantes, and Chimborazo Ecuador
