Rio Rancho photographer headed to Spain for sustainability fashion show

A local photography business will attend and photograph one of the world's famed sustainability fashion shows next year.

Sandia Photography, a Rio Rancho business owned by Eric Fredrick, got invited to the Ibiza Fashion Festival for both 2024 and 2025. Fredrick says due to scheduling and cost issues, they can only go next year.

"We weren't even trying to get this opportunity. We weren't working towards this. It was completely unexpected," he said.

His business has only been up and running for a few years. Sandia Photography opened in the height of the COVID pandemic in October 2020. Fredrick, along with his wife and his business partner Ryan Parra, was able to open the small business with the lowered federal business startup costs. The incentive to start the business came because Fredrick was a Rio Rancho special needs teacher in a virtual setting.

"It was rough," he said.

Fredrick still teaches in the district but hopes to go to his photography business full time once it takes off. The Ibiza event is a step in the right direction.

The Ibiza Fashion Festival is an annual event on the island of Ibiza, Spain, that started in 2013 to address a gap in the global market for a showcase of luxury sustainable resort wear. It attracts fashion fans, influencers and influential islanders. Now, the event focuses on sustainability and ethical production.

Because of this, the event is four-star accredited by the environmental organization "Plastic Free Ibiza" and is Ibiza’s only fully sustainable independent fashion fundraiser.

Fredrick's company has already received recognition for its efforts to help with sustainability in Uganda three years ago, so this invitation lines up with its morals.

"Being that sustainability is a huge part of my business and the fact that I was part of a United Nations Sustainability program in Uganda in 2021, this was an incredible opportunity and something that I want to be a part of," Fredrick said.

Though there is a lot of recognition that comes with these opportunities, the true reward for Fredrick is helping people. While he and his company were in Uganda, the point was not to get glamorous photos but to teach the people of Uganda business skills.

Fredrick recalls helping people set up farms in a sustainable way. Additionally, getting the local tourism to benefit local businesses was a challenge.

"Teach the locals how to get people from the hotels out into the actual town, spend money in the town ..." Fredrick explained.

Fredrick has also made sure to promote Rio Rancho businesses and nonprofits at these events.

"We promote a lot of the small businesses that we work with at these festivals in any way that we can," he said.

Though Fredrick and his team can't make it to this year's festival, they are still contributing to it until they can go next year.

"For example, they'll send jewelry in the mail for me to photograph," he explained.

While the intention to keep the focus on helping people remains true, Fredrick is happy to be representing New Mexico in this way.

"Being the first photographers in New Mexico to not only do a United Nations Sustainable development program, but to also be part of the Ibiza fashion festival, we feel honored beyond words to be able to represent New Mexico on the international stage," he said.

Information about Sandia Photography can be found at sandiaphotography.com. People can also contact Fredrick at 505-238-5364 or eric@sandiaphotography.com.