María Magdalena Arréllaga

María Magdalena Arréllaga

María is a Paraguayan American independent documentary photographer, photojournalist and visual storyteller based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working on assignments and projects related to social, gender, political and environmental issues in Latin America. She recently finished her Masters in Public Policy at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where she focused her research on deforestation, farming and environmental policy in the Amazon.

Her personal work is centered on stories and projects that delve into responses to social and environmental issues of our time through a humanistic lens and relationships built on sensitivity and trust. Through her work María seeks to come closer to our relationship with memory, identity and the natural world - particularly to how it is being dramatically altered by human pressures, deforestation and climate change and how this affects us.

María is a National Geographic Society Emergency Fund grantee (2020) and received support from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists (2021) to continue her long-term work in the Pantanal wetland. She is a member of Women Photograph, Diversify Photo and The Everyday Projects (member of Everyday Latin America and co-founder of Everyday Paraguay), and a member of Agência Farpa. María contributes to The New York Times, Bloomberg News, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

She is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. HEFAT certified in 2023 through the IWMF. You can find her on Visura and Instagram. Currently in Rio de Janeiro.

Available for assignments.
mariamagdarre@gmail.com
+55 21 99788-1992