Rising Stars: Meet Greg Castell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Castell.  

Greg, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been interested in photography for over half of my life, starting as an early teen. As I continued to experiment and learn, I eventually began to combine photography with one of my other passions – cars. Early on, I would bring my camera to weekly “cars and coffee” community car shows, shooting any vehicle I could and trying to find the best angles of each one. Fast forward a few years, and I began working at a luxury car dealership, which provided me a nearly endless stream of amazing automotive subjects. I eventually developed my skills to the point where I started to contribute to (and eventually run) the dealership’s social media profiles. Along the way, I was also able to network with private clients and started to book paid automotive shoots. As part of that process, I organized my work into a formal business – Flat 6 Photowerks LLC. From there, my client list began to grow, eventually including some published work along with the private client bookings. That carries me up to the present, where I have recently been able to teach an automotive photography class and expand my work even further. While it is not my full-time job, I still get great enjoyment from photography and am striving to develop my company and portfolio even further as time goes on. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While I feel like my photography skills and client base have generally improved and grown steadily over the years, there have been plenty of ups and downs. My biggest initial hurdle was not an uncommon one for beginning photographers – breaking into the realm of private shoots and finding clients who found the value and creativity in my work. While I encountered many true automotive enthusiasts, not all of them were immediately approachable or interested in booking shoots. This is where my time at the dealership began to be a true asset to my photography business, as it provided great networking opportunities as well as outstanding cars to continue honing my skills with – two opportunities that I am undoubtedly privileged to have. Client list aside, my other main struggle has been to maintain a consistent flow of work throughout the entire year…As one could imagine, Ohio weather isn’t always conducive to photographing cars outdoors for nearly half of the year. Therefore, I have consistently worked on expanding my skill set, which now includes real estate photography in addition to the occasional social event or gathering. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My first and foremost specialty is automotive photography. When it comes to shooting cars, I strive to capture them in a dynamic way even while they are parked and motionless. While I still want my images to look clean and professional, my editing style focuses on enhancing the car and its surroundings in a relatively true-to-life presentation, as opposed to images that are retouched to the point of looking 100% “perfect” or completely edited for commercial use. Rather than using automated software presets for my post-processing, I treat each shoot individually and do my best to tailor the editing to the look, feel, and overall mood of the car in its surroundings. 

While photographing cars is my primary niche, I have also worked on shooting homes for sale by local realtors. While these shoots and edits are a bit more straightforward, I still enjoy looking for the best angles of each room/space in the house and delivering images that represent the property to its fullest potential. 

What do you think about luck?
While I would like to think that much of my success thus far has come from persistence and hard work, I can’t help but feel that finding a job at a luxury dealership has been a tremendous asset to my growth as a photographer. Even though photography is not my primary role there, I have been quite fortunate (and perhaps a bit lucky) to have nearly unlimited access to vehicles that make for outstanding subjects in my work. 

Pricing:

• Full on-site automotive shoot w/ custom online gallery of final images: $400
• “Car For Sale” basic shoot: $150
• Real Estate shoot: Starting at $100 (varies by size of home and location)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flat6photowerks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flat6photowerks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flat6photowerks

Image Credits
Greg Castell
Flat 6 Photowerks LLC