Emanuel Manfrin, children’s and family photographer and Arcadina ambassador

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer, Arcadina ambassador and a professional who has built a highly personal visual world centred on childhood, creativity and emotion. As well as specialising in children’s, family, communion, Christmas and school photography, Emanuel also supports other photographers through photo editing and mentoring, sharing not only his technique but also his approach to the craft.

His journey with photography began almost by chance, as is often the case with great passions. What started as a creative curiosity eventually became a way of life, a profession and a project capable of inspiring families, children and fellow professionals in the sector. In this interview, we want you to get to know Emanuel Manfrin a little better: his beginnings, his development, his working style and how he has managed to turn a dream into a professional reality. But rather than us explaining it to you, we’d prefer him to share his experience, his lessons learnt and the journey that has brought him this far.

“Meet Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer, photo editor, mentor to photographers and Arcadina ambassador. A professional who has turned his passion for photography into a way of telling stories full of magic, emotion and creativity.”

Meet Emanuel Manfrin, children’s and family photographer and Arcadina ambassador

On this occasion, we’d like to introduce you to Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer, Arcadina ambassador and a professional with a very distinct fine art style, where creativity, emotion and storytelling come together to create images full of magic.

This Argentine freelance photographer has developed a highly personal approach to children’s photography, bringing to life fantastical scenes in which every detail helps to tell a story. His images not only portray children and their families, but also transform them into protagonists of small imaginary worlds, lovingly crafted from the shoot right through to the final edit.

In addition to his work as a children’s and family photographer, Emanuel also devotes part of his time to training and mentoring other photographers from different countries, sharing his experience, his creative process and his approach to photo editing.

Today we are lucky to have him on the Arcadina blog to learn a little more about his history with photography, discover how his passion for this craft began, and find out how he came to be here during a visit to Spain, where he was spending time and sharing his knowledge with some of his students.

His first steps in photography came about unexpectedly

To understand how Emanuel Manfrin’s relationship with photography began, we must go back to a very personal moment in his life. What started as a desire to preserve family memories ended up opening the door to a new way of seeing, creating and telling stories through images.

“When I tell the story of how I got started in photography, I always find it amusing because it was completely unexpected. I often say that it wasn’t me who found my first camera, but rather that it found me, and that’s when a whole new world opened up for me.

At the time, I was in a relationship with Sabrina, who is now my wife and the mother of my son Salvador. We dreamed of having a child in a few years’ time and used to say that, when we decided to try for a baby, we should be ready to document the whole process in photos. But not just with mobile phone photos, but with higher-quality images. This was especially important to my wife, as she has few photographic memories of her own childhood. She always told me that the day she became a mother, she wanted to capture every moment, not just for us but also so that our child would have those memories forever. It’s incredible that today that dream has come true.”

That desire to preserve important moments with carefully crafted images was the first step on a path that, almost without him realising it, would end up becoming his profession and an essential part of his identity as a children’s and family photographer.

From amateur to guardian of family memories

That desire to preserve memories in higher quality led them to take a step that, at the time, seemed simple: buying a camera. What neither of them imagined was that that decision would end up marking the start of a new chapter in Emanuel’s life.

“One day, we saw that an acquaintance was selling their camera and my wife suggested we buy it. The funny thing about the story is that she wasn’t keen on learning how to use it and left that task to me. Without realising it, that was the moment I set out on this path, and it’s surprising that not a single day goes by without me thinking about this passion I’ve been nurturing for eight years now.”

From then on, Emanuel Manfrin began to look at photography in a different light. What began as a family task gradually transformed into a creative curiosity, a need to learn, and the first step on his path as a children’s and family photographer. That camera, which came into his life almost by chance, ended up opening the door to a profession that is now part of his daily life.

Emanuel, for those who don’t know you yet, what is your photographic speciality?

 

Emanuel Manfrin’s speciality lies within a very recognisable realm: children’s photography with a fine art aesthetic, carefully crafted scenes and a visual narrative that turns every session into a little story. His work seeks not only to portray children, but to recreate that way of looking at the world we all had in childhood, where any object could become the start of an adventure.

“I specialise in children’s photography. My work has a fine art and magical style, which I achieve through good camera work and then enhance in post-production, where I focus on telling stories through storytelling.

If I had to define my work, I’d call it fantasy photography. I try to evoke in people the memory of how we saw the world when we were children. Where, if we found a branch, we’d use it to play, immersing ourselves in the imagination of being in a magical fairy tale.”

It is this blend of technique, creativity and sensitivity that defines Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer. In his images, photo editing is not merely a finishing touch, but an essential part of the narrative, helping to reinforce the magic, emotion and fantastical nature of each photograph.

Do you also support other photographers through training?

In addition to his work as a children’s and family photographer, Emanuel Manfrin has also developed a significant career as a trainer. Through his training courses, mentoring and workshops, he shares with other photographers his approach to creating fine art images, working on post-production and constructing scenes with a more powerful visual narrative.

“I currently run training courses for photographers from all over the world. My courses are mainly online, but I also run in-person workshops. Last year I toured six cities in Spain, and I’ll soon be visiting the Dominican Republic with my workshop.

At the moment, my most sought-after training is mentoring, where my real aim is for the photographers who place their trust in me to achieve extraordinary improvements in their photos. It gives me great satisfaction to see that, following this training, my students succeed, as I really do hold nothing back.

The same goes for my workshops; my aim is really to teach them everything I know so they can achieve the photos they dream of.”

This training work allows him to support photographers who want to develop, find their own style and improve both the shooting and the final editing of their images. For him, teaching is not just about explaining a technique, but about sharing a complete process based on experience, practice and professional generosity.

What awards or accolades have marked your career as a photographer?

Emanuel Manfrin’s career has also been marked by awards and accolades that reflect the evolution of his work in children’s photography. His images, characterised by a fine art style, fantasy and storytelling, have been recognised in international competitions and have helped him gain visibility within the photography sector.

“Many of my photographs have won awards in international competitions. The accolades that have undoubtedly given me the most satisfaction are those from the 35 Awards competition, one of the most prestigious in the world of photography. In the latest competition, I was ranked among the top 50 children’s photographers in the world.

I have been a speaker at two major international conferences: the FDF and the Smile Congress. I also served on the jury in 2023 for an international competition organised by ADATA Technology.”

These achievements speak not only to the technical and creative quality of Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer, but also to his involvement with the professional community. Participating as a speaker at conferences, serving on juries and receiving international recognition demonstrates that his work goes beyond photo shoots: he also inspires, trains and adds value to other photographers seeking to grow in this profession.

What does a photographer need to make a living from their passion for photography?

 

Emanuel’s story encapsulates a very powerful idea: making a living from photography requires passion, perseverance, learning and courageous decisions.

“When I started out in photography, I was working at the 911 emergency call centre, so I was doing both jobs at the same time. Photography was my hobby, then my ‘second job’, and ended up becoming my main job. This change came about because of my passion for this wonderful profession.

It wasn’t easy; I’d stay up late editing photos and studying to improve my work. However, the perseverance began to pay off, the shoots multiplied, and I was asked to give training sessions.

I remember days with my son, sitting in front of the computer screen with my baby in my arms whilst editing photos. There are no excuses for professional growth.

I tried to juggle both jobs, but when your passion leans towards one of them, it no longer makes sense to maintain the balance. Although working for the 911 service provided security, I didn’t hesitate to resign to have more freedom and dedicate myself 100% to this wonderful profession.

For me, the key to making a living from what you love is to do it with passion. Although it may sound clichéd or simple, success lies in passion. Of course, you need to constantly nurture it, never stop learning and exploring new things to avoid falling into a rut.

As well as passion, we also need to be consistent and have clearly defined goals. Success comes from the small steps we take day after day.

I’m just one example among many, and I’ve shown that it’s possible to dedicate yourself 100% to what you love. I had to give up my ‘secure’ job to pursue my path in photography, and there isn’t a single day when I think it wasn’t the best decision I could have made.”

Emanuel, how did you discover Arcadina?

 

During his visit to Spain, Emanuel Manfrin was able to see first-hand how many of his students work and what tools they use to showcase their work, organise their sessions and offer a more professional experience to their clients. It was in this context that Arcadina emerged as a solution specifically designed for photographers.

“During my trip to Spain, I had the opportunity to discover Arcadina, a platform that many of my students choose to host their websites. What stood out was its design tailored specifically for photographers, providing essential tools for the day-to-day practice of this profession. These include a private client gallery, a booking calendar, photo sales options, blogs, artificial intelligence and other services.”

For a children’s and family photographer like Emanuel, having a professional website not only helps showcase his children’s, communion, Christmas or family photography sessions, but also enables him to manage client contact more effectively and present each project in a polished manner. That connection between imagery, organisation and the client experience is precisely one of the aspects most valued by many photographers when they discover Arcadina.

Follow the work of Emanuel Manfrin, children’s and family photographer

Emanuel Manfrin, a children’s and family photographer and Arcadina ambassador, is a prime example of how passion, perseverance and a creative eye can transform a personal interest into a profession with its own distinct identity.

His approach to children’s photography, with a fine art style full of fantasy and storytelling, has enabled him to create images that move families, inspire other photographers and build an internationally recognised career.

At Arcadina, we are delighted to have professionals like Emanuel within our community of ambassadors: photographers who not only take care of their work behind the camera, but also the way they present their brand, share their sessions and grow their business online.

We invite you to follow Emanuel Manfrin’s work closely, discover his creative world and be inspired by a way of looking at childhood where every image can become a little story.

Website: https://www.emanuelmanfrinfotografia.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emanuelmanfrinph

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emanuelmanfrinfotografia

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34CwYioG-PxPUNK77U76kA

Would you like to meet our other ambassadors?

>> Arcadina Ambassadors

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