Manuel Pellon is a diverse, award-winning photographer that mainly focuses on vibrant street life, people, and nature which explores different themes of self empowerment, vulnerability, and authenticity.
Meet Pellon. Born in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1986, Pellon’s early years are somewhat of a mystery, but his journey into photography is nothing short of inspiring. At just 22 years old, he earned a scholarship to study at the Asunción Image Institute in Paraguay and Buenos Aires, kickstarting his path in the arts.
After completing his studies, Pellon didn’t slow down. He immersed himself in workshops and classes across Asunción, Buenos Aires, and even New York City, where he honed his unique style and artistic voice.
His career kicked off when he founded Fotearte, a photography institute in Paraguay, where he began to teach photography. This isn’t just any school though – Fotearte has become a leading photography institution in the country, offering professional lessons to people of all ages and skill levels. The success of Fotearte has even expanded to the U.S with over 800 students enrolled!
One of Forteart’s group sessions
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc3D8E-LUVR/?img_index=4
In 2015, Pellon reached a significant milestone with his first solo exhibition, “Sinestia”, held at the Citibank Cultural Center in Asunción. This exhibition showcased his growth and talent as an artist.
Pellon’s works at the start of his career mostly consisted of black and white candid shots and portraits. The lack of color creates a sense of reality and focuses on the beauty of our society and people. Pellon effectively captures the small, simple moments in our life that we often overlook and turn it into a long lasting memory. As seen in the pictures below, the photographer utilizes highlights and shadows, lights and darks, and negative to clearly emphasize the subject.
Early in his career, Pellon focused mainly on black and white candid shots and portraits. The lack of color brought out a sense of reality and beauty of our society in its people. He has a knack for capturing the raw, unfiltered part of his subjects. Without the color, you’re drawn to all the details – the textures, expressions, and emotions that might otherwise get lost. As you can see in the pictures below, he uses highlights, shadows, and space to really make the subjects stand out, giving the photo a timeless feel.
Struggle, 2014
https://visualaids.org/artists/manuel-pellon
Religion, 2015
https://visualaids.org/artists/manuel-pellon
Isolation, 2017
https://visualaids.org/artists/manuel-pellon
We can see a huge shift in Pellon’s style when he starts using stronger, more vibrant colors, making full use of New York and the flashiness it offers. He moves away from the rural setting he focused on before and starts capturing the glamorous, artistic side of the city. The bustling streets, dazzling lights, and diverse architecture of New York provide a dynamic backdrop for his vibrant compositions. This change might also be due to the wider range of perspectives and angles he began to experiment with.
This transition to a more dynamic urban landscape shows his versatility and willingness to explore new themes. Pellon's new work makes each photograph feel like a fresh, new exploration, especially through the bold patterns and extravagant backgrounds.
https://manuelpellon.com/portfolio/portrait
https://manuelpellon.com/portfolio/portrait
https://manuelpellon.com/portfolio/portrait
Pellon rarely does black and white shots anymore, but we sometimes see his old style peeking through. His focal point is still the people at its core, but it’s now masked by the flashy clothes and color.
Inspired by collaborating with brands from Asuncion Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, Pellon's gradual switch to fashion came from doing magazines, shooting editorials, and working on fashion campaigns. And as he gained more experience, he also gained more confidence to branch out into different styles and types of photography.
Nowadays, he's getting into landscape portraits, using spots around New York as his models, and he also does a lot of residential photography.
Manuel Pellon now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he switched over to doing real estate photography and some landscapes on the side as well. He has created a team with two other New York and Argentenian photographers, Oscar Alarcon and Enrique Fernandez.