(NEW YORK) Has Edmundo Castillo changed the future of fashion photography? The shoe designer shot his Spring 2014 campaign using just his iPhone 5 and a light reflector he built from scratch thanks to Home Depot. His crew consisted of himself plus, local surfer babe Kaleigh Vierra and local MAC makeup artist Britney Gardner. We caught up with Castillo to find out how he shot an entire ad campaign in just four hours on the balmy beaches of Hawaii.
BY PAIGE REDDINGER
What made you decide to shoot the campaign with your iPhone?
I’ve worked on campaigns in the past with other brands with major photographers, but I’ve always had this curiosity about using the iPhone for something bigger. People are getting more creative with photos on Instagram. I find myself getting creative with the right angle and composition, but I don’t like changing the filter of the picture. My favorite pictures are from the past. They aren’t retouched. I figured if there are gorgeous pictures from the past that are amazing that weren’t done in how many ever thousands of pixels then why not the iPhone?
Which iPhone were you using?
I shot it with the iPhone 5 and it has a great camera, but I hear the 5S camera is great so I can’t wait to get it. More than anything it’s just fun. A whole new world has been opened up to me.
How did you choose Hawaii as the shoot location?
I was going to Hawaii in three days anyway and I thought, “Hawaii has all of the perfect ingredients to take a picture with an iPhone.” I was staying at a beautiful location where the sunrise was right in the front of the view of the house. I started playing with the iPhone and I’d put the shoes on the deck and see how the light was hitting and how the shadow was playing with it and I thought, “This is beautiful!”
You used a surfer instead of a model. How did you scout her?
If you want to see the most beautiful people go to Foodland in Hawaii. We actually call the supermarket “Dudeland” because it has the most beautiful surfers and the most beautiful girls too. They’re there at all hours of the morning. If you go at 6 A.M. or if you go at noon…gorgeous…if you go to buy dinner…gorgeous—they’re all beautiful. I ran into this gorgeous girl there and that’s where I found her.
What did she think when you asked her to do it?
I was feeling a little odd about it because I didn’t want to sound like this pervert checking her out as though I’m looking for something else. So I happened to have a friend in Hawaii who was helping me scout beaches and organize everything and it just so happened that she knew the girl that I had seen. Her name is Kaleigh Vierra and she’s the daughter of a pro-surfer and is a surfer herself. It happened quickly.
Did you only use the iPhone for the shoot?
Well I realized I needed a reflector and I spent all day on the island looking for one and finally someone in a camera shop told me, “Listen you’re not going to find a reflector here. You’re just going to have to make it yourself.” So I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of foam and covered it in tin foil and used this chrome tape to hold it together.
Wow! How long did the shoot take?
When we did the shoot at 7 A.M. on a gorgeous day and the lighting and the clouds were just right and the wind was perfect. It couldn’t have gone better. By 10 A.M. I was done. I’m used to these photo shoots where you start at 8 A.M. in the morning and finish at midnight. There’s amazing work done with photographers, but I really wanted to convey the idea that today’s eye is seen mainly through an iPhone.
When did you know you had the perfect shot?
I did some trials before and I had her climbing up on trees and walking and balancing herself on the hills. It was the 14th shot that was perfect. I thought she looked like a mermaid that had just come out of the water and formed into this beautiful woman with scales left over on her feet.
How can you translate the resolution of an iPhone photo into a print campaign?
I called the production office immediately and asked them how I could do this. They told me that the image would lose a little bit of the vibration that the original image had. You know the colors were more vibrant and there was a slightly different brightness in it that it loses when it goes to print, but nevertheless it’s a beautiful picture.
Will you shoot your next campaign with the iPhone?
Absolutely! I think there’s so much more to explore with it. The one thing that bothers me the most about photography today is the amount of retouching. I was never really keen on it, but I’ve accepted it as something that is done. I love when things are real.
