It had been years since I had been camping when my sister and I decided to trek out to the beaches of Oregon last September. It was overcast the whole weekend but we got lucky and missed the rain. It was really nice to get to spend time with her away from our crazy lives and out in nature. On the second day out there, her gothy outfit made for some really dramatic photographs. I can’t wait to do more stuff like this again once the weather warms up a little.
After spending a little over a year in Fort Worth, Texas we were finally really to make West to Portland, Oregon. We packed up our life and chose to take our mini caravan through a route that cut across New Mexico, the corner of Colorado and up Utah. Needless to say, it was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. I had never seen the giant rocks of New Mexico or the red canyons of Utah and I was more than impressed. I could not have asked for a better view while we physically drove away from one chapter of our life and into the next, half way across the country. It seemed as if these wild, expansive landscapes that looked empty of any human activity, were never-ending. A few times I felt like I was looking on the path to Mordor with the rocky hills that led into peaked mountains. If I ever have the opportunity in the future, I would love to visit those red rocks in Utah again and really explore that otherworldly landscape.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city will always hold a special place in my heart. In a city that was loud, chaotic and at times seemed to be completely against me, this museum was truly a place of sanctuary. I would frequent this establishment multiple times a month, getting lost in the expansive winding galleries to retreat within my thoughts. The solid stone walls that held treasures of worlds and times further away than my mind could fathom gave me a respite from the outside world. Time stood still in there. The chaos of the city blocked out, with only the quiet sounds of shuffling feet, whispered observations and the hum of ancient statuary. Any excuse I had to go there, I would take it. With a friend or not, I was always calm and happy within the safety of the museums walls. As my number of visits grew, I learned to recognize art styles and symbols from different places, themes of different time periods in Egyptian art, names of gods and goddesses and chronologies of rulers. I even discovered a female Egyptian King who would come to be a huge historical role model for me.
I also uncovered much about myself within those gallery walls. I found out what exactly moved me, discovered what my true passions in life were. I developed my artist’s eye, my photography skills and my ability to really see a work of art and discover its meaning.
In a way, I grew up in that museum. It was a part of my most formidable years and I will never forget all that it did for me. One day I know I will visit it again. But until that time, I have hundreds of photographs to remember it by. These are a few of my favorites. Most are unedited and I think I will leave them that way; in the state they were made and how I have viewed them for years.
A few years back I was asked to shoot my friends New York City wedding. I had only done an engagement shoot before and was immediately both terrified and excited at the thought of doing this for her. After giving it some though I took her up on her offer and spent her special day recording it for her. I was so nervous and motivated throughout the day to make sure that I did not miss a single important moment. I channelled all the weddings photographs I had researched before to give her those special little shots that make up a great set of wedding photos. She was very happy with how everything turned out, so in turn, so was I.
…in a galaxy far, far away, I used to shoot in film. Fancy fuji color film and sometimes even black and white film. But that shit was expensive as hell to develop and I was a broke 19 year old living in the Flatlands, Brooklyn. Looking back on these film photos its interesting to see all of my experimentation. At that time I read sooo many art magazines, looked at Ansel Adams photo books and poured through National Geographic trying to figure out how to take amazing photos like the ones I admired. Most of these photos are from the time period in my life right after high school when I was still living in Tennessee and then shortly thereafter when I moved to New York. There’s something very special about film photos. The same subject shot on digital may not have the some effect on you as it would shot in film. Maybe one day I’ll dust off that old film camera and see what sort of images I can produce eight years and thousands of photographs later….
All photos are completely unedited, only scanned from the prints.
These photographs were taken when I first moved to Fort Worth, Texas back in February 2014. I was taking time off from working for the first few months of being there, so I filled my time with exploring what the city had to offer. The Fort Worth Zoo was like most zoos. A little sad to see the animals cooped up and bored, but a great opportunity to marvel at the beauty of so many creatures up close. The primates were by far my favorite. Their faces were so expressive and uncanny. I stood and watched each group of them for probably over an hour combined. The following photos were taken with my DSLR Canon Rebel Xti.
When my mother came to visit for just one night, we chose to spend our afternoon at the Portland Japanese gardens. The moment we walked up to the entryway we knew we had made a good decision. After a steep but beautiful walk up a winding hillside path lined with thick moss and stone markers, we were brought to the garden’s main entrance. Held within the walls were traditionally styled tea houses, sand and rock gardens, koi fish ponds and terraced water features. Each turn around a bush or tree revealed something new and harmoniously beautiful. Every inch of the gardens was serenely perfect. Water fountains trickled quietly in corners or hidden under a bush. Large colorful koi fish moved effortlessly under the glass like surface of a pond in which a waterfall found its end. Moss covered every inch of ground, a majority of the tree’s trunks and branches and could even be seen growing between the grates of water drains. Despite the few tourists we encountered, we still found it all to be a very special, relaxing and refreshing experience.
A few days ago I made my first trip to a museum here in my new hometown, Portland, Oregon. Before I moved here, I discovered the Portland Art Museum was going to being very near to our future apartment. Just around the block from my front door I entered the museum doors and as luck would have it, their systems were down and I was admitted to the museum for free. The first objects I came across were these incredibly impressive gold zodiac heads. Each had their own special aura about them and the craftsmanship was impeccable.
After admiring the gold sculptures I made my way up to the top floor and began to work my way down through the museum. The collection of Native American, Mesoamerican and Asian artworks was world class. The gallery rooms were the perfect temperature and nearly silent, with no security guard within sight. As I moved through each room I felt a calm awareness grow inside me. I slowed my breathing, stepped softly as I moved from one piece to the next, and let my mind explore the thoughts being provoked, becoming just another quiet observer. Museums have always been a source of wonder, introspection and contemplation for me. A place where I go to reset myself and wind down from the sounds and sights of a busy modern world. The Portland Art Museum provided me with all of that and more. I will most definitely be returning for an annual pass.
Today we made our first journey out of the city and over to the Portland International Rose Test Gardens. I have to say it was easily the most scenic and beautiful rose garden I’ve ever been to. The sections of the garden were tiered one on top of the other on a hillside overlooking the city of Portland. It had recently rained, as it often does so in Portland, so all the flowers held small water droplets in their petals and the smell of fresh earth and the fragrance of the flowers was thick in the air. We strolled slowly along the rows of flowers, admiring the colors of some, the petal shapes of others and the unique smells of a few. To top it all off, there was even a harpist playing, which added to the peacefulness of the place even more so. Due to the cloudy skies, I was able to capture some very soft and very bright and beautiful pictures of some of the roses. If you’re ever in Portland this time of the year, this place is a must-visit location.
There’s something exciting about seeing your artwork displayed in a beautiful way. I’ve always had my pictures, cosplay things, jewelry designs and gaming screenshots spread into various corners of the internet on pages like Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, deviantart and other grow your own websites for a few dollars. Thanks to my love, I will finally have a place that is completely my own, a place to act as the glue to the various elements of my artistic life. I’m hoping that here I will be able to create a real ‘picture’ of my voice as an artist.
-Shelby Navone
