Meta who?

Instagram + Meta update for Los Castro Photography

Hello Everyone,

Every now and then life throws you a couple of roadblocks that really challenges the way you do business. Mine just happened yesterday. I was gaining traction and obtaining promising leads. I was getting to know my clients; getting to know beautiful people. Yesterday ALL of my meta accounts were disabled. One account I had was flagged, and then just like that, all of them were gone.

If you don’t already know- I am a Houston based wedding and family photographer. It has taken my years to be where I am right now. This sudden change came as I was on a peak booking season. (You can view my website here )

I spent hours trying to read, research and understand what my options were. Honestly, It did not even let me create a new instagram account at first. Somehow I found a way. I am using the new account to also report the issue. My appeal was denied on my former accounts, and I was left with years of memories lost. Thankfully, they do send a recovery file; and it is my hope that I will be able to rebuild from that material. This is also a work in progress, as Iv’e heard that new accounts also get banned at some point. So here is truth- I may not be able to rely on socials like Instagram or Facebook to generate referrals. I need your help. I need your help spreading the word that socials is not the only way to get referrals. When you sit down and talk with a friend who just got engaged, think person first. Not socials. When you make a connection that requires a look at a profile - direct them to their website. Chances are, their work will speak for themselves. I am not sure now how I feel going forward with socials. It is unstable. I wish we knew what we were getting ourselves into when becoming addicted to such things. However, I see the light. I understand how business works. It’s not the first time I lose memories. This is why I do what I do. I take pictures; you print them. Help me get the word out that Los Castro takes family, wedding and lifestyle pictures. Let’s go back to simplicity. Let’s fight back with personal conversations. As long as Insta lets me- I will keep the account I created. You can follow me at the my new username: michel.loscastro.

Going forward, this space will be dedicated still to my writing, but I will add every now and then an element of my photography here. I appreciate you guys taking the time to read! I can only get back up from here.

P.S. I have taken measures and e-mailed my state representative and senators. This whole AI thing needs some measures. That’s for another post.