Meet Trailblazer Ande Castaneda

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ande Castaneda.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was lucky enough to be exposed to art early on with a family of artists. I think because of that, I’ve always loved beauty and photography. My Grammy was a big influence on me. She always had bright, colorful costume jewelry and makeup. She was one of my inspirations to go to beauty school. My grandpa was a painter and a photographer and my uncle is also a photographer. Both enjoy landscapes. My dad always had cameras and film rolls laying around, so I was exposed to photography early on from him as well. He enjoys shooting everything from landscapes to portraits.

Throughout high school, I was always taking photos with those throw away cameras. I have albums full of candid photos of parties, portraits and selfies (this was prior to the front facing camera-phone, so it was always a surprise getting these photos back). After high school, I studied photography and art in college. When it was time to work on portraits, I did the makeup for my models. After that, one thing led to another and more photographers saw my makeup and more models saw my photography. That led to more shoots and more work. I’ve since enjoyed being involved in creating the art as the photographer, makeup artist and the model.
As a photographer, I still enjoy shooting everything from events to intimate portraits (and selfies!). I shoot everything from births and newborns to weddings, family, boudoir and even funerals.

As a makeup artist, I really enjoy the detailed art of avant garde makeup and the feeling of being a part of a large production. It’s so satisfying being able to watch your own work on screen or in print and think, “That’s my work!” knowing how much hard work everyone else contributed.

Combining the two with intimate portraits though, I think is my favorite. I get to watch a model or client blossom from a fresh face to a glamorous look, then capture that on film and eventually watch it be displayed in their home or gallery.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an artist, definitely has its challenges. But to me, they’re not just challenges, they’re opportunities. It felt like I kept hitting all these roadblocks, but I’ve learned that it’s just like to present me with opportunities to learn and grow. My goal since high school has been to attend beauty school, whether it be for cosmetology or skin care. Every single time, I had the opportunity to attend school, life happened and stopped me from attending. Everything from finances, to work schedules not allowing it to happen, to taking care of a family. For years I’ve wondered why life wouldn’t let me attend school. This whole time though, I’ve been determined to go. After researching so many schools and doing so many walk throughs, I thought life had finally allowed it to happen so I signed up.

A month before attending, I almost lost my mom. Due to her illness, I knew I couldn’t attend school at the time. Family first, no matter what. She’s my best friend and watching her go through what she did was so scary. I watched this happen all while trying to keep my business going and attend my day job. At my day job, I was doing everything I could to keep my performance above goal and was getting ready for a promotion. So keeping my eye on the prize while taking care of her was difficult, but I’m so thankful it all worked out in the end. She’s a lot better now. Since she started getting better, I enrolled in school. Things were finally going as planned. Finances were in order, work was going great, and family was alive and well. Then, life happened again. A few weeks before attending school, things happened that shouldn’t have and I walked away from a relationship, which left me back at square one with the decision to once again not attend school so I can heal from what had happened, or choose to attend school. I figured at that point, I’d gone through enough just to reach that point, I would much rather heal while making a dream come true. I started school struggling, sleep deprived, feeling defeated but eager to start my dream. I didn’t have a day off in 8 months. If I wasn’t at school, I was at work. All the hard work eventually paid off though.

I see now that all these times, I had tried to attend school and it didn’t work out actually worked in my favor. Attending school after all of this helped me find myself again. School came at the right time and reminded me how much I can do and what challenges I can take on. It wasn’t that I kept hitting every roadblock along the way, it was that life kept presenting me with opportunities to make something more of myself. Sure, there have been mistakes made along the way, but I take those as lessons learned. These challenges or opportunities take time, but as long as you keep going, keep hustling with a positive attitude, you’ll get there.

The biggest challenge I found as a woman is not being taken seriously, especially in a male dominated industry. I haven’t encountered many female photographers, let alone female event or boudoir photographers. This can have its benefits though. Being a woman in a male dominated industry where our clients are mostly female and needing hair and makeup done gives me an advantage that not everyone else has. I’m blessed with the opportunity to be able to get our clients camera ready with the eye of a photographer and MUA. I really enjoy the unique rapport that I am able to gain with my clients.

As women, especially starting out, we have to have each other’s backs. There’s a lot of he-said, she-said that happens, but ultimately, we are a small community of artists. The artist community is small enough as it is. We would support each other. And we also have to have a great sense of humor.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ande Castaneda Makeup and Photography – what should we know?
I really enjoy all aspects of beauty and photography. Enjoying all kinds of photography allows me the opportunity to meet all walks of life. I really get to be involved in people’s lives by documenting so many different events. Even with models and portfolio work, I enjoy being able to shoot different styles. Event photography, boudoir, family, kids, newborn, maternity, birthography, funerals, weddings, animals, cars, headshots, I enjoy it all. I think my best work though is with boudoir, glamour, family and kids. I get along great with kids. I enjoy the challenge of being able to get a candid smile from a stubborn kid who never smiles in any other photos. When shooting boudoir and glamour, I really enjoy making the client feel beautiful. My favorite thing to do is show them the photo straight out of a camera and watch them squeal when they realize that that’s them and I haven’t even edited the photo yet. I want my clients to walk away feeling confident knowing how beautiful they are.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
The women who inspire me most are the women who speak their mind, educate and make their voices heard. Even if I disagree with their point of view, I appreciate that they are sharing what they feel, especially when they are in situations where speaking up may not even benefit them, but they know that something needs to be said.
The two women who have influenced me most though are my mom and Grammy. My mom raised me on her own. I think watching her hustle to make sure I had everything I needed has been a big influence on me. She is incredibly smart – she’s actually a scientist. She has shown me that a confident, well-educated woman is sexy and valuable.

My Grammy is the one who showed me that it’s okay to love and care for myself first. A collection of makeup and jewelry is okay to have and don’t be afraid to show it off. You’re worth feeling amazing and if someone disagrees, oh well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.AndeCastaneda.com
• Email: AndesArtistry@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/oohande
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/oohande
• Other: www.facebook.com/ande.castaneda

Image Credit:
Model Joy Riggens, Photographer Illusive Photography, Makeup by Ande Castaneda; Ashley DePencier Photography, Models Joshua Keith Mathews and Brooklyn Howard with Makeup by Ande Castaneda; Ande Castaneda Makeup and Photography with Model Breonna Jefferson; Ande Castaneda Makeup and Photography with Model Ariella Lee and Hair by Corrine Renee; Model Alena Savostikova with Vatche Photo and Makeup by Ande Castaneda; Model Aileth Bran with Todd Powers Photography and body paint, with set by Jen Raven and Makeup by Ande Castaneda; Model Jessica Franco with set design by Jen Raven and Todd Powers Photography; Model Carlson Young, Photography by Isaac Alvarez, Hair by Anthony Kress, Styling by Ali Levine Design, Makeup by Ande Castaneda

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