Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Omar Castanon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Omar thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I am currently working on a project that is made up of self-portraits and still lives. While I primarily take photos of others, I enjoy the process of taking photos of myself in order to tell a narrative story about my own life. It’s a very personal and intimate experience that is very foreign to me since I don’t usually open myself up to be so vulnerable. It’s also an interesting technical challenge to create photos entirely on my own.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a cinematic portrait photographer that has been taking photos for over 8 years. My style is very moody, colorful, and utilizes dramatic lighting. My favorite part of the job is working with so many diverse people and working with them to make them feel safe, comfortable, and special in their own skin. I always feel the most accomplished when a client leaves a photo session feeling like they’ve receieved a boost to their confidence; that’s how I know I’ve done a great job of bringing their best out and documenting that on camera.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I think standing out in the sea of “content” is harder than ever. I always had the mindset that I would create things that I would personally enjoy seeing rather than chasing what I thought others would like to see from me. It makes the process a lot more enjoyable in my mind as it feels less like work and more like a fun creative outlet. If you plan on doing something creative for years, you have to be able to fight against burnout and keep your interest in the medium. I also think having that authenticity to my brand helps draw people in since it makes my work more relatable.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth is probably the most important method of bringing in new clients as a small business. I’ve had some of my work go viral over the years which brought a lot of eyes on me, however, the majority of prospective clients that came from those posts were located in other U.S. states or other countries and it was much more difficult to turn those into sales. If you build a strong enough reputation within your community, you will be the first name on peoples’ minds for certain projects and that can bring in consistent work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/omargottheshot
