Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Castillon.
Jose, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My interest in photography began my Junior year in High School when I was awarded the position of Editor-in-Chief and Photographer of the school yearbook. Back then I was shooting with a Canon AE-1 and I immediately fell in love with capturing those special moments that students wanted to remember. As the Editor-in-Chief, I had the opportunity to work with fellow students that gave me great feedback and insight into the kind of images that grasped your attention and invoked some emotion. This was so important in putting together a memorable yearbook that would remind my fellow classmates of all “the fast times” they had at Mundelein High School in 1993.
After High School I moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University, where I majored in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Unfortunately, photography was put on the backburner throughout my college career. Shortly after, full-time work as a Director of Human Resources, getting married and having children filled my life and left little time to take pictures, except those documenting my sons growing up and family fun times!
In 2011, I was introduced to Instagram and my passion for photography was rekindled. I was amazed at some of the images people were posting. Given the advances in technology, I started shooting again with an I-Phone and began exploring the wonderful world of DSLR cameras. Long gone where the days where you had to wait to develop your film before you could see what you were able to capture, or not, lol. After shooting with an I-Phone for about 2 years, I scratch and scrapped enough to by my first DSLR (a Canon T3i).
Over the last 5 years, Instagram has been a great source of inspiration and education. I have learned so much from other photographers and made some good friends along the way. It also allowed me the opportunity to earn enough money through the sales of my photos and doing weddings and family portraits to upgrade my camera and lens. People always ask me for advice on how to take better photos and my response is, “go out and shoot, explore, meet new people, see new places and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a visual artist. I use my photography to create an image that entices the imagination. I want individuals that view my work to say, “how did he capture/do that?” My hope is that my work sparks an interest in beginning a dialogue about the photo, the subject or photography in general.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success as an Artist is subjective. If you are happy with your art and you continue to evole, I define that as success!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my work on Instagram: I am @JoseLivinUp
https://www.instagram.com/joselivinup/
Individuals can support my work by emailing me at jcastillon75@yahoo.com to purchase prints or jpegs.
I also accept donations through PayPal at jcastillon75@yahoo.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/joselivinup/
- Email: jcastillon75@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joselivinup/
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