Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariangela Quiroga-Cantillo.
Hi Mariangela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My background is in music and piano performance. During my free time while on tour with the orchestra, I started picking up my camera more often and taking portraits of all my peers, and documenting our experience both in stills and motion.
As time went by, I was getting busier with recital recordings, photography, music performance, and teaching. It was a little overwhelming to do all of it at once, so I decided to change careers and move from my home country Colombia to the US for my MFA.
It has been an amazing experience living in New York City and Los Angeles. These are cities filled with opportunities that are hard to come by if you are not in these industries, getting all this inspiration and making these connections. I have had the best time sharing my art and the process with so many different people that play different roles in the industry, it makes every day a great opportunity to learn and share our knowledge and creativity to achieve the best result for each project.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth but it has been extremely rewarding!
Regarding my career, it has been great! As with everything in life, it has its ups and downs, but I am so lucky to have chosen a path that takes me everywhere and puts me in rooms filled with creative and interesting people. I also love that every project is unique, letting my skills and creativity run free.
Going a little more personal, I would think everyone that moves from their home country to a new one would agree about this. It is very hard leaving your family and missing them dearly, being on your own in a new country figuring it out and of course, all the visa/documentation processes you need to go through as a foreigner.
But as I said before, it’s an experience that definitely builds your character, makes you happy and resilient, opens you to bigger opportunities and you end up making friends that become your family.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Photographer & DigiTech specializing in Editorial and Commercial photography.
I would say that I am most known for my photography with musicians and my portraiture work. In both, I always do my best to stay in the moment and really connect with my subjects and tell the story I am seeing in just one frame.
On the other hand, I am very proud of being part of two amazing organizations. I am part of the YEP Committee (Young Entertainment Professionals) from the Hollywood Professional Association in which we get to meet incredibly talented people in the entertainment industry while shaping our careers better. I am also part of the Board of Somos CaPAZes, an organization in my home country that focuses on education for peace, through conflict management and the arts.
What do you think about luck?
I think I’ve been “lucky“ because I have the most supportive parents, family, and friends anyone could ask for. I don’t think I could be where I am without their support.
As far as luck in any career, I don’t think that completely exists. I have heard that luck is where opportunity, skills and preparation meet and I completely agree with that. If you are prepared and have studied and honed your craft, then you can accept and attract the opportunities that will get you further. And of course, all of this comes while you are connecting with people and treating them kindly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariangelaquiroga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariaqphotography
Image Credits
Mariangela Quiroga, Sequoia Emmanuelle, and Mariangela Quiroga
