Artist Spotlight: Angelina Castillo

I take pictures, and it brings me such profound joy to freeze a beautiful moment in time so that I can remember it forever and pass it along to people I care for—so that they find beauty in the moment too.

I take pictures, and when someone sees one of my shots of them and comments, Wow, I look cool, usually I hate photos of myself!” it makes my week to see their bolstered confidence.

I take pictures, and when all of the angles and colors add up, and the perfect thing happens at the perfect moment with the perfect settings and the perfect film stock, I feel like some cosmic force decided to be my friend and, like maybe, the world is a little less hostile than I thought.

Speaking about my photos has always made me feel uncomfortable in the same way that being in front of the camera makes me uncomfortable. Speaking about the way it makes me feel does not. Taking a photo creates a little home in my heart where the subject will always live. When I look at a photo and see the way light falls on a person’s face, I also recall what we talked about that day, how I feel about the person, and the presence they have in my life. Being able to select from all the disparate elements in the world just a few to live in a little rectangle together feels like a pure mission to achieve beauty, balance, and confidence. Maybe my whole career” in photography” is just a selfish search for beauty, balance, and good vibes.

– Angelina

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