Federico Quintana

Biography & Statement

Federico Quintana (b. 1966) is a freelance photojournalist in collaboration with SIPA PRESS. In 1996 he graduated from Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with specialization in photojournalism at Arizona State University.

At the start of his career Federico Quintana contributed as a photographer and cameraperson to documentaries on Orcas in Patagonia, Argentina. This work was widely published and included in documentaries amongst which BBC Wildlife Magazine, Animan magazine in Switzerland, Terra Magazine in Brazil, Lugares in Argentina and National Geographic Television. He continued his career with documentary work for Sipa Press/Image in Central America, specifically the crisis in Chiapas (Mexico), Bolivia and its mining conditions, and China’s rural areas.

Since February 21, 2022 he reported from different regions and conflict zones in Ukraine for an accumulated seven months, divided over several trips. During these extended stays, Federico worked on exclusive stories. His work has been published in El Pais and other media. Federico is continuing his work on Ukraine including longterm projects on psychiatry.

STATEMENT

The escalating Russian aggression and the deployment of almost 200,000 soldiers and heavy artillery surrounding and threatening the invasion of Ukraine had my complete attention since October 2021. Though my instincts warned me that the inevitable was going to happen, I struggled to accept this based on the history of events I have witnessed in my lifetime.

On February 21, two days before Russia's declaration of war, I found myself in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was an impulsive decision prompted by an overwhelming intuition that I had to be in Ukraine at all costs.I felt compelled to visualize a story that should never need to be told.

Since that day I covered the conflict and humanitarian situation and contributed to the visibility of what is happening in Ukraine every day. By capturing both well known and lesser known stories, the big and the small events, a multifaceted story of the atrocities of the conflict and its daily impact on Ukrainians has appeared.

I intend to continue my work until the final victory of Ukraine, as my views and beliefs that this conflict is of great importance for the future of our world and will have fundamental consequences as well as marking a radical awareness change in modern society while changing the course of history.

FEDERICO QUINTANA - JUNE 2023

Clients & Publications

SIPA Press
El País
La Nación
Le Point France
BBC Wildlife Magazine
Terra Magazine Brazil
Animan Switzerland
National Geographic TV
Revista Lugares
Leica Fotografie
Lens Culture International
Spectaculum Magazine
The Pictorial List
LFI Gallery