Instagram couple slammed for 'dangerous' infinity pool photo say they are 'extremely proud of their art'
An American travel-influencer couple, who recently came under fire for posing on the edge of an infinity pool to capture a photo for their Instagram, have now decided to let the world know their side of the story.
Travel bloggers Kelly Castille, 33, and Kody Workman, 32, who are largely based in Bali, are originally from Louisiana and Michigan respectively.
The couple was slammed for their latest Instagram picture that shows Kelly bravely hanging off the edge of a three-story infinity swimming pool while kissing boyfriend Kody who was standing in the water and holding her up by the arms, leaving her legs and torso to dangle freely.
Even though the duo insisted that they had taken every precaution while shooting the image, they were heavily criticized by their Instagram followers who blasted them for seemingly putting their need for likes before their own safety.
Ironically, the couple addressed the topic of safety in their original caption for the photo, which read: "Our greatest strength in life, our most important principle, is discernment." It continued, "Only you can know your body, feel the space around you and understand your capabilities. We would all do well to remember this, knowing that not every action, style or path we witness through others is, or should be, replicated. At the end of the day, we are to hold ourselves accountable for the decisions that we make."
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) recently caught up with the two and the duo decided to clear their name once and for all.
Speaking about the inception of the seemingly dangerous shot, the couple said: "We approach every day with a camera in hand the same way, wondering how we can create new and exciting images that best showcase ourselves and the way we travel. This photo was Kelly’s idea and we discussed the scenario well before choosing to prepare for the shot."
Kody also fired back at online users who called out the couple for allowing Kelly to put herself at greater risk for the shot, while his feet remained safely on the ground. When asked if they saw the picture as being offensive in any manner, Kody revealed that, on a personal level, they were extremely proud of the art they had created with the picture.
"Anything can be taken in any way, depending on how you choose to view it," said Kody. "As travelers, we, of course, have an adventurous side to us, which is why we travel, but that doesn’t mean we are out to put ourselves in danger or offend anyone. This photo is something that we, creatively, are proud of. The composition and perspective make it unique and create a dramatizing, captivating effect."
The travel blogger went on to insist that the photo might appear much more dangerous to some than it actually is, but they don't think it was dangerous for two very specific reasons: "The first being that there is a pool below which we simply opted not to have in the framing. Secondly, we know our bodies, our strength, each other, and our limitations as well," they said.
With regards to those who have been slamming the poor couple for their creativity and artistic freedom, Kody replied saying, "The greatest concern people seem to be expressing, aside from the flat out ‘hate’ comments we are receiving, are in regards to safety and potential ‘copy cats’ attempting to emulate this type of photo. We are only responding to the positive comments and will not be feeding into the negativity. We believe that our caption expresses our feelings perfectly. To live our one life, scared of someone copying whatever we do, would not be the fun and adventurous life we currently have. Our creativity will not be hindered by negativity."
Looking back, the couple feels that they could have possibly done a few things differently in order to get the photograph the kind of traction it actually deserved. "Honestly, the original photo shows the pool below and we decided to zoom in, cropping it out. After seeing the cropped effect in post-production, we both wished we had just shot it that way in the beginning, as the photo would have a crisper, less pixel stressed detailing."