From Pamplona to Miami: An Advertising Photographer's Journey Diego Sanchez Cadavid

A few months ago, journalist Erwin Pérez called me for an interview with Diario Las Américas — one of the most established Hispanic media outlets in the United States. He wanted to talk about my career, but more specifically, about the question that people in this industry rarely ask out loud: how do you actually build a life in commercial photography when you start from nowhere?

I figured the honest answer would be more useful than the polished one.

Starting From Scratch in a Country That Didn't Know My Name

I grew up in Pamplona, a small city in the mountains of northeastern Colombia — the kind of place where photography meant wedding portraits and quinceañera albums. There was no advertising industry to speak of, no galleries, no creative agencies recruiting talent. The idea of becoming an advertising photographer wasn't just ambitious; it was borderline delusional.

But I had an obsession with light.

Not the metaphorical kind — actual, physical light. The way afternoon sun hit the colonial walls in Pamplona's streets. The way a single lamp could transform a face from ordinary to cinematic. I couldn't articulate it yet, but I knew that understanding light was understanding how to make people feel something through an image.

That obsession is what eventually brought me to Miami, and it's what still drives every project I take on twenty years later.

The Dual Path: Advertising and Artist Portraits

What came up repeatedly in the interview — and what I think surprises people most about my career — is that I've built two parallel practices that feed each other.

On one side, I'm an advertising photographer working with agencies like BBDO, DDB, McCann, and Mullen Lowe on campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, General Motors, Visa, and American Express. This work is about precision, production value, and the ability to tell a brand's story in a single frame.

On the other side, I photograph celebrity portraits and direct music videos for Latin artists. I've worked with Juanes, Marc Anthony, Ozuna, Anitta, Maluma, Becky G, and many others — projects that have been featured in Billboard and across major music platforms.

Most photographers specialize in one or the other. I chose both, and the interview gave me a chance to explain why: advertising teaches you discipline and control; artist work teaches you emotion and instinct. Together, they create a visual language that is commercially effective and artistically genuine.

What Photography Means Beyond the Image

The part of the interview I'm most proud of is the conversation about photography as a cultural tool. I told Erwin something I believe deeply: an image is not just aesthetic — it's a form of cultural connection.

A photograph I make in Miami can speak to someone in Medellín, Tokyo, or Berlin without losing its authenticity. That universality is the real power of visual storytelling. It's why I combine tools that might seem contradictory — generative AI, analog 16mm film, and classical art direction — into a single creative workflow. The goal isn't to be trendy. It's to build identity.

This philosophy extends to my personal projects as well. At The Dana Art Gallery in Miami, which I co-founded, we exhibit fine art photography and mixed media that explores the space between commercial craft and pure artistic expression. And in The Lighting Playbook, my technical guide on portrait lighting, I tried to capture the same idea: that mastering light isn't about formulas, it's about finding your own visual voice.

The Full Interview

You can watch the complete conversation with Diario Las Américas for the full story — including some details about specific projects and collaborations that didn't make it into this post.

What I hope comes through, whether you read this or watch the interview, is that building a career in photography isn't about talent alone. It's about persistence, an obsessive attention to light, and the willingness to keep creating even when the market doesn't make it easy.

If any part of this story resonates with you — whether you're an aspiring photographer, a brand looking for a visual partner, or an agency exploring new creative directions — I'd love to connect.

Diego Sanchez Cadavid is an award-winning advertising photographer and music video director based in Miami. His work has been recognized by Lürzer's Archive, Hasselblad Masters, and the Effie Awards. He is the author of The Lighting Playbook and co-founder of The Dana Art Gallery.