Trevor Castillo
Cheese is for Mice: The Life of a Concert Photographer
Exclusive Free The Youth Interview by Emma Speicher
Reno Photographer Trevor Castillo
If you’ve been to any FTY show in Reno, or perused the FTY Instagram, odds are that you’ve seen photographer Trevor Castillo and his photography. Black hat with his Instagram tag, @shotbytrevor printed on the front, fisheye lens in hand, Castillo and his prints are trademark.
FTY: What made you get into concert photography and what made you continue pursuing it?
Trevor: I grew up with music and I was always a big music buff and then I learned about the Holland Project about two years ago and went to my first show. I did my first show and then just met the people at the Holland Project, they were really nice, they kind of took me in. I started shooting at every show they had for the next couple of months and met bands and slowly got more into the scene.
Castillo has shot for a considerable array of bands: FTY alumni, up and coming indie artists like Vundabar and Destroy Boys, and classic punk hard-hitters like Black Flag. Castillo says one of his most memorable and exciting offers was shooting for Grammy winning reggae band, SOJA, at the massive Grand Theatre at Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort. From his first show, a hip hop show called The Night of the Living Dead, to on the-road photography with FTY, and even capturing large-scale music festivals like Lake Tahoe is for Lovers and Shabang featuring FTY, Castillo has an expansive portfolio of subjects.
He described fondly what it was like to be on the road, waking up in a new city every day:
Trevor: I've been on a couple short runs with Charity Kiss and then I also went on a longer tour with a band called Too Close for Comfort. With the Charity Kiss boys, they're close friends and so it's just kind of like a mini vacation that you just happen to be playing a ton of shows. Then you dirtbag it, you sleep in the van, it gets packed. It's a lot of work, you're always moving, but it's like a vacation for sure. Every city has their own scene, with their own people and it's cool to be able to experience and see what's different and what's similar between the scenes.
He says that his candid photos are special, capturing moments that are unable to be replicated, especially at smaller, intimate house shows. Castillo has also produced several pieces of album art and band promotional shots for bands like Charity Kiss, Dog Dog, and Worm Shot, which mimic his playful and iconic style. From colorful light leaks and long exposures for indie shows and crisp black and whites for hardcore and punk shows - he draws his inspirations from the energies of the band.
He explains that:
“Where the vibes are good, the photos are good.”
Trevor doesn’t only do concert photography; he has a vision for the future of Free the Youth:
Trevor: I first heard of Free the Youth when I went on tour with Charity Kiss last summer. I just kind of really clicked with them and I've become really great friends with a lot of people. We had very similar visions with what they were trying to do with the West Coast scene and what Pat from Charity Kiss and I are trying to do in the Reno scene, getting it off the ground and getting some cool bands coming in. We want to make it like a destination. Some of the best times I've had are at Free the Youth shows, especially last summer when there was a whole string of shows in Reno, those were some of the best memories I've ever had.
Trevor Castillo is just getting started…
Trevor: I think delivering the photos back and the bands being stoked about it and, especially now since I've been doing it for a little bit, my photos have traveled beyond me. My Instagram handle is known by people that I've never met, and I'll get the realization that my photos reach beyond. I think it's a super important thing, even if fans don't realize it because someone has to be there to capture the moment. Even if it's an archival thing, it shows that it happened, and people were there for it. It's a gateway to a scene, especially with social media. If you can't be there to go to the show, you could look at someone's photos or see the videos of people taking shows and really kind of see into their world and how their scene works and the bands that play there.
