Reviews

I want to share my experience with Castelo Portrait Art in hopes that others can learn from it and steer far away. My experience occurred 2 yrs ago but, my co-worker was just scammed by her in the exact same way I was and I think it's so important others do not fall for her tactics. Castelo Portrait Art advertises all over Facebook and Instagram, stating they are looking for volunteers (usually children or pets) to be a part of a "magazine publication" or "portrait portfolio" with a free artist's choice photo as a "giveaway". We took my 2 my year old little girl for one of these sessions. She does have a legitimate photo studio and did take many photos with a backdrop. She rubbed me the wrong way because she weirdly knew my husband was a physician before we even said anything (I believe she must research her clients that submit photos for her sessions beforehand to determine who she believes can afford these portraits of hers that she prices at tens of thousands of dollars). She also called my 2 year old a "hot mess" a minimum of 5 times throughout the photo shoot. I came back a week later for the sales meeting. Her demeanor was aggressive and off-putting. I ended up paying $1500 for 2 small digital photos (8 x 10) that are on canvases. The photos itself are a cute shot but this piece is realistically worth maximum $50. I was alone and in hindsight should have brought my husband to the sales meeting. I felt so uncomfortable and she was so aggressive that I picked the lowest paying package to simply leave the room. Please learn from my experience, this woman is a scam artist.

What an incredible experience, I was not able to take my eyes off the interaction between Maria and my daughter. There was an obvious flow of creativity that was manifesting in real time. My twelve-year-old dancer enjoyed every angel suggestion, prop introduction, and interactive pose. Prepare to be truly marveled by Maria’s vision and creations. The love for her art is palpable. From the time that we walked into her studio, it was clear that we were her only priority during our session and she was absolutely dedicated to making dreamlike portraits. Her experience, skillfulness and talent were obvious when directing posture changes that created astonishing impacts on the final take. I booked a session to celebrate my daughter's first pointe shoes after seven years of dedicated ballet training. I am beyond delighted with our portrait and feel fortunate to be able to share this gift with my daughter. I walked out of Castelo’s Portrait Art with an Heirloom piece that will journey through time and generations.