My story

A boy from Minas Gerais who found his way home with a camera

Before I photographed anyone else's family, I had to find my own way. This is the long version.

Ewerton at sixteen in a blue jacket and cap, under palm trees at Busch Gardens in Tampa — 1998Sixteen, at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. Photographed by Denise Barsness, who years later stood with Nagila and me at our wedding

Ewerton and Nagila Decastro with their daughters Helena and Catharina — TodayNagila, Helena, Catharina and me

Brazil
Belo Horizonte
I was born in Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and lived there until I was sixteen.
February
1998
My mother was already living on Cape Cod, and at sixteen I followed her here: a new country, a new language and my first New England winter.
I finished growing up on the Cape and have lived here ever since. I know these beaches, these towns and this light the way you know the house you grew up in. When you trust me with your day here, you are working with someone who calls this place home.
The academy
2013
For a while I was sure my life would be in uniform. In 2013 I entered the Massachusetts State Police academy. An injury ended that road, and at the time it felt like a door closing for good.
A quinceañera
2016
I had always loved photography. After a quinceañera, a friend looked at my photographs and told me I had a gift for this and should take it seriously.
I listened. In 2016 I enrolled at the New England School of Photography in Brookline, Massachusetts. The door that closed in 2013 had opened onto the work I was made for. Since then I have photographed weddings across the U.S., Central America and South America, and my work has received more than 500 international awards.
The work I was made for
March 11
2017
I married Nagila. She is my greatest support. She carries me through the long wedding seasons, believes in this work on the days I doubt it, and fills our home with love. Nothing I have built would stand without her.
Nagila and me

March 21

Three of us share one birthday

Me
Ewerton Jr.2006
Catharina2024

I was born on March 21. So was my son, Ewerton Jr., in 2006. And on March 21, 2024, our youngest daughter, Catharina, arrived on the very same day. Ewerton Jr. has since graduated from high school. The years go faster than any of us expect.

Ewerton Jr. in his red graduation gown, holding his two little sisters — Ewerton Jr. at his graduation, with Helena and Catharina

May 13, 2021

Helena was born on May 13, 2021. That same day, I lost my mother.

She was the reason I came to Cape Cod. I held a beginning and an ending in the same day. That day is why I take this work so seriously. One day, photographs are how we keep the people we love.

What holds it together

I am a Christian, and my faith comes first. It shapes how I love my family and how I serve the people who trust me with their day.

I show up early, work hard and treat every family the way I would want mine to be treated.

Off the clock