Meet Christopher Castillo | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Castillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
I want to be one of the most uniquley successful filmakers/photographers of all time. I want all my projects to be ones to inspire ideas. I want all my work to published and showcased at exhibitions all across the globe. I want to tell my story to other creatives and to motivate them to tap into themselves to find the art within.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider my photos art pieces more than photographs. My intention is to centralize a feeling through my images. Sometimes, this may involve a concept that blossoms into multiple photos to tell a story much like a movie. I consider myself a cinematic photographer that specializes in specific mood lighting, outfit selection, action posing, and location to bring my visual stories to life. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been successful at making people believe that my photos are scenes from a movie they haven’t seen yet. Others feel the emotions surfaced amongst each image. I believe this makes me stand out from many photographers.

My journey as a hobbyist photographer was always solely based on the location of choosing and the editing that would be involved afterwards. Being that this process takes careful planning, it’s not an easy activity especially when it involves hours of getting the “perfect shot”. Bringing visions to life also requires lots of preplanning. From scouting the actual location to provide the atmosphere to finding the perfect model to bring the idea to life. And then it just goes deeper than that with outfit selection, lighting/gear, etc… But all in all, it’s these particular challenges that are also the reason I love doing what I do. I love the unexpectedness and happy accidents that come into play throughout the whole process and i learn so much from it on each shoot.

Some lessons I’ve learned along the way are to expect the unexpected but always know what you want. An agenda is always important for this. Photography is a ballpark that requires the creation of order to provide the pillars to hold the creative chaos together. Balance is always key in the field. One thing is being a dreamer, the other is being an executioner. What do you have with this perfect balance? An artist. A visionary. A photographer.

Another lesson that it took me a while to grasp: never ever stop networking. Get out of your comfort zone. Always step outside on grass and meet new people. And I don’t just mean like-minded creatives, models, and other photographers. Just meet anyone outside. From the random guy sitting alone at the bar, to the barista that makes your cofee each morning, to the gym instructor at your gym: you never know what value these people could bring to your life. Someone’s story is there to inspire. But more importantly, the conversation you have amongst people is the foundation to a greater collaboration. To me, that meant eventually collaborating on photoshoots. I literally started my photography career taking photos of friends and random strangers I would encounter.

Following this statement, the last lesson I have to give is to reflect and find out what truly is beautiful to you. Beauty is subjective but so is art. Tap into your core and really admire the uniqueness in everything around you. Then pinpoint what grabs your attention in regards to style. This could be a particular editing technique, style of fashion, movie genres, music, etc… Combine all these different artistic elements and now you have a niche style of photography that makes you stand out from the world.

My story pretty much came from just being so fascinated with films, specifically the cinematography and background music surrounding them. I’ve always admired the dynamic presented between the audio and visual experience. Even before, I’ve been training my brain to take professional photos, being the little boy at the family functions being asked to take group photos. Then eventually being introduced to Instagram and VSCO cam where I would turn my personal page into an art gallery of beautiful color graded images of my travels through Europe and Ecuador. But the real spark of inspiration came from being a high schooler stoned watching a film named “Enter the Void”. The rollercoaster this movie brought me in was one that would leave me feeling some sort of high that not even the weed was doing for me! I was instantly drawn in to the first-person view scenes and to the overall neon cyberpunk aesthetic surrounding the nightlife of Tokyo depicted here. I knew from that moment on, I needed to pick up a camera and turn Miami into a neon noire atmosphere that is never really showcased in a lot of media.

Eventually, other films would just add on to that neon theme of inspiration: Drive (Nicolas Refn), Good Time (Safdie Bros.), Blade Runner 1982 (Ridley Scott), (Fallen Angels (Wong Kar Wai), and Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese). Films are always something I try to cater to but it’s also the fitting music that helps me dream/visualize some of my concepts. Boy Harsher, Andy Stott, Nicolas Jaar, Massive Attack, Deftones, Radiohead, Lebanon Hanover, Grimes, and Arca are some the name a few. I just always thought it might be an interesting idea to instead just making movies why not also taking professional photos that capture the essence of a movie much like a scene. Has worked for me ever since.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It’s Miami. Where do I start! Okay so personally I’d take them out to the ocean drive south beach area to start off. Make our way to the south point and visit the park on a Saturday for some yoga tribal fun. Visit our nearest kava bars and introduce my friend to kava/kratom. We would then hit the oldest dive bar in south florida (Mac’s Club Deuce). Would take them to eat at a local sandwich joint across the street (La Sandwicherie). Enjoy some cigars as we walk around Art Deco, Wynwood Walls, and Downtown Miami. Our afternoon would consist of art exhibitions and landmarks. These would be four particular places: Perez Art Museum, Superblue Miami, Ancient Spanish Monastery, and Vizcaya Botanical Gardens. We take advantage of the sun while we go to Little Havana to grab juices at Palacio de Los Jugos. As the night comes around, I would like to take my friend to Books & Books in Coral Gables to show them my favorite photo books. For dinner, I’d recommend we check out 1-800 lucky in Wynwood just to try the spicy ramen or poke bowls they have to offer all while sipping on some Ramune soda as we dance to some live house music in the outdoor area. At walking distance we go enjoy a proper vinyl record listening experience at Dante’s HIFI. I will then take them to the most magical European/ New Orleans styled concept in Miami called Lagniappe. Here we would grab a nice bottle of white/red wine with a chaucuterie board of dIfferent cheeses and meats with bread olives and jam. Live jazz music plays in front of us. Lastly, we would make our may to the Corner, a Miami staple for afters. So much more to see and do but these are all considered some of my favorite spots/activities in the Miami area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d really like to thank all the friends I made along the way ever since I started playing around with a professional camera. From co-workers, to other talented creatives, models, and other fellow photographers, each individual inspired me to think outside the box and to not be afraid to bring my visions to reality. More specifically, I’d like to dedicate this piece to all the models that stood in front of my camera allowing me the opportunity to capture their essence in my style no matter how crazy/difficult it may have been to do so. Lastly, none of this could’ve been possible without the support of my mother who provided me the financial stability to create a career out of this. Being a business owner herself, she taught me a lot of valuable ideas to help turn my craft into a professional job. Thanks mom 🙂

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

Image Credits
Jose Carmona
Noia
Aaaron Campbell
Diana Zagorulko
Rachel Ester
Brooke Raquel
Marissa Mars
Miguel Tannous
Dantae Beauchamp
Jose Joaquin
Sofia Andreai
Anna Kilmer