Meet Luis Castro | Founder of Star Snaps Photography
We had the good fortune of connecting with Luis Castro and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Luis, what do you attribute your success to?
Spontaneity. The fact of the matter is, my brand was built on the random moments in life others tend to miss. The main message of my brand is “Capturing beauty in the world through a lens others may fail to see.” This has a lot of meanings, but the most important being in relation to time. Time is so precious and never stops. So if I can take a picture of a moment in time that will inspire others, I think that’s the most beautiful thing. Especially since that moment will never happen again and I was the one to capture it. Spontaneity feeds these time capturing moments and makes them slightly more special as they were unplanned and (most times) breathtaking!
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a creative in my opinion requires enough control that there is almost none. The ability to understand your limits and understand life still moves forward while you may be stagnant, is important. My photography comes from my spirit, my interests and my love of nature. There’s little planning in most of my photos and those that do have more time and thought put into them may come out beautiful, but is more manufactured compared to my candids. To say it was easy is an understatement, currently Star Snaps is a side hustle for me as I am juggling many things at once: school, my current full time job, and then Star Snaps. This also includes other social ventures such as a YouTube channel (under the name “Star”) and a podcast (Interstellar Introspections) that sadly died out. My podcast was a great example of how life has its ups and downs, and stretching yourself to thin can lead to failures and lost adventures. The hardest challenge for me is not starting something. I have greatly overcome this (even to much to an extent). Starting to many things can lead to one being overwhelmed and projects becoming dust collectors. I have grown a lot since starting my social media endeavors and while I am more selective in what projects I choose to start, I still make sure that those I have passion for, I begin. A plant that stays in a bag will never even have the opportunity to grow. Star Snaps is a place for me where theres little structure, full creative control and its life is built on spontaneous moments. One thing I would say I would want to leave the world with (in reference to Star Snaps) would be to live life on the edge, be open to adventure and appreciate the little things. I use the medium of light captured, to relay the art you see.
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.
I live in New Jersey, the bests thing about this is it’s near everywhere. New York City, Washington DC and Philadelphia are all only a few hours away. A week long trip would include starting in the northeast, including the Catskills, New York City and then moving down into New Jersey. I am big on road trips and if it comes with a view, that’s even better! The Catskill are a threat place to capture natures beauty, reconnect with the earth and get a different perspective. New York City is the complete opposite where forests have turned int concrete jungles and hikes is that up 5th Avenue. New York City is a great place to realize how much there is out there and how many different types of people there are. I feel those that maybe are from smaller towns or do not get out much, might appreciate the culture in New York City, as it’s rich and vibrate, just like life. Moving down to New Jersey would include a plethora of gardens (Greenwood Gardens, NJ Botanical Gardens, Grounds for sculpture), museums (Liberty Science Center, Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey State Museum) and amazing sunsets by the shore. Being from around the area, food would be my forte. Suggesting spots like Wasabi 34, Shan Shan Noodles, Teak, Arzu, Mompou and Kura (just to name a few). Finishing off the week long trip would be a visit to Philadelphia to say they’ve visited two of the most well known cities in America. Similarly to NYC, Philly is a great melting pot and offers so much its a great opportunity to end the trip with good food and great city nights.
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?
There’s no specific person that comes to mind that may have inspired me. This is mainly because my adventure in taking on photography was a self started journey that others (in the beginning) didn’t even know I did! I will say however a constant inspiration that comes to mind in terms of what started my interest in photography, is the world and its nature. Our planet is unimaginable if you consider everything it has to offer. I have only been able to capture the smallest percentage of what a beauty it is. It continues to inspire me everyday, to move forward, to appreciate life and to see the beauty in everything. The earth is what my brand is dedicated toward and the beauty it beholds will forward inspire my creative captures.
Website: https://starsnapsphotography.onuniverse.com/about-me
Instagram: https://instagram.com/star_snaps_photography?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-castro-
Other: Podcast Linktree: https://linktr.ee/interstellarintrospectionsfbclid=PAAabkWG4lB4ElmrlidBRZge01bPPkU4IhLBPq4cOpbfD1MONsKWosBoq5bw4
Image Credits
Star Snaps Photography
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
