Today we’d like to introduce you to D’mitri de Castro.
Hi D’mitri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey as a photographer started out as a fascination with the pictures in National Geographic. I used to spend hours just looking over the photos in each issue and dreaming of taking photos like those. I didn’t start shooting professionally until 2013, when my close friend Thomie asked me to take her graduation photos. The joy she expressed at her photos and the fact she paid me for the service caused me to desire to do photography full time. Initially, I was only interested in doing portraits, but then at the end of 2017, I was asked by a friend to shoot a wedding. The rush of the experience, along with all the different people I got to meet, caused me to shift my focus and include weddings in the services I offered.
As time went on and my skills gradually improved, I found myself shooting more and more diverse genres such as maternity and graduation shoots. Maternity has now become one of my favorite portrait sessions, while weddings still remain my favorite genre. Photography has taken me across the country, having been flown to various states to shoot weddings, including Michigan and New York. This year it will see me flying to Iceland, which has been a dream come true for me. I have been featured several times in Shutter Magazine and am a part of the Professional Photographers of America group.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been easy. Starting out, I had to teach myself all the tricks of the trade. I only ever had one formal class in college. The rest came from YouTube tutorials and hours of practice using friends as models. Not only that, but in recent years, I had to deal with taking care of my father and grandfather due to medical issues with them, all while trying to run a business and working a full-time job. Then covid happened, and I started to struggle with my mental health due to all the situations just compounding on me. Some days it was all I could do to get out of bed. But I kept the dream I have, which is to work photography full time at the forefront of my mind. This, along with constant prayer and reliance on God as well as my friends, is what kept me going and pushing past my limitations, and now I am at the point where I am making huge strides with my business.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer who happens to love maternity and weddings most. I am proud of my achievements in maternity photography. I love to showcase how elegant a mom to be is, so I like to make each shoot unique to that woman. The same goes for all of my shoots, really. I want to make each session unique to my client’s personality. My goal is that by the end of each shoot, the client is having so much fun that they actually forget they are in front of the camera and leave their initial anxiety at the door.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you guys want to follow my work or are interested in booking me for photography, you can follow my IG @starmomentphotos or visit my website.
Contact Info:
- Email: starmomentphoto@gmail.com
- Website: www.starmomentphotos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starmomentphotos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starmomentphoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdF5fe2s11ptP-WVy3J1Tw
