Member Spotlight: Taranita Costales
Co-director, Taranita Costales, closes out June as this week’s featured CMC member. Learn more about her photography beginnings, what her role is as one of the CMC directors, and her very first editorial shoot.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get your start in photography?
Post-graduate, I moved to NYC in 2013 from South Jersey for work. There was something magnetic about the energy on the streets. From the people to the urban environment, I was drawn to document it. It was very different from where I grew up so I really appreciated the freedom of NYC. My dad gifted me my first camera - a Canon Rebel T3i - for Christmas, which I still have today. It’s a pretty big camera, but I started shooting street photography with it and would bring it with me everywhere. I learned aperture, shutter, and ISO from that camera. Quick plug: I highly recommend the Rebel series for beginner photographers.
I shot street photography for 3-ish years. Time goes so fast in NYC, and it helped me stop, look around and appreciate everyday moments. After a while, I transitioned into shooting people and models. It was the natural next step. The reason I liked to shoot street photography was to capture the human experience. I felt like I wanted to have more creative control over the images I made from poses, environment, makeup, hair, wardrobe….basically the whole look and feel of the image. It provides a creative escape for me.
What’s your main contribution to the group as one of the collective’s directors?
I’m partnering with Co-founder & Director Erica Reade on enhancing our Instagram presence. This “Member Spotlight” series was one of contributing ideas. Back in March, Carlos and I co-taught a fashion portrait workshop to a small group of members. In the near future, I’m excited to help organize the in-person critiques and shows very soon!
How do you come up with the concepts for your editorial style photos?
I’m really inspired by my neighborhood, Elmhurst. It’s culturally diverse and authentic - more so than Manhattan. Most of my shoots take place here. On walks or runs, I will stumble across an area that I really like. I’ll begin conceptualizing the shoots based off of the environment. The surroundings are an important organic element of my photos - it’s living and breathing just like the model in the photo.
Overall, I want every shoot to be different, so I’m constantly experimenting with props, clothing, poses, etc. I never want to feel pigeon-holed and predictable. In photography, and in life, I’m constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
Can you share 3-5 images of your favorite photos or from a series? Please give us some context about why they’re memorable images to you.
These are from my first fashion editorial style shoot. I had my reservations about shooting models...and just the whole notion of fashion photography. To be candid, I judged it, and felt it was too superficial and vain. There are elements of that of course, but as the photographer, you’re in control of the energy of the shoot. If your intentions are superficial, your photos will have the essence to them. If your intentions are deeper than that, you’ll tap into something more. It all depends on how you approach it.
Regardless, I gave it a shot with some encouragement from my boyfriend. I was pretty nervous to work with a real model from one of the top NYC agencies, but once we started shooting, it was like something clicked. The model was super chill and open. We shot for hours, even collaborated on ideas and even got kicked out of a shady club on Roosevelt Ave. It was tons of fun.
