Raúl Navarro is a young photographer who considers the art of the lens more than a profession, it is his great passion and his lifestyle, because the motivation to devote himself to this comes from deep inside.
In an interview with CubaPLUS Guyana, Navarro, who currently works as a photographer for the Girón Newspaper in the western province of Matanzas, explained that he started in the profession self-taught about eight years ago when he worked in the Department of Educational Technology at the University in Matanzas.
They were images without artistic interest, rather intended to document events and activities of the institution.
“During the COVID-19 lockdown I began to photograph what I found in my backyard: insects, crab grass... On the internet I saw photos and tutorials of other photographers and that motivated me to try it myself. On social networks we shared experiences and photographic exercises with colleagues from various parts of Cuba and even Cuban photographers abroad. It was a very enriching time for me,” he said.
Being the son of a photographer, Navarro believes that photography, more than a profession, is a passion and a way of life. “The motivation comes from within, from your sensitivity and artistic spirit. I am very observant. Also, as I said, my father is a photographer and I grew up watching him in that medium. The technique is learned along the way,” he said.
In his short but fruitful career, this young artist has already managed to exhibit his works in several exhibitions, among them: The Winter Salon of the Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (ACAA), in the Christian Art Salon of Kairos, in the collective exhibition “Eléctrica” in Havana, together with a national community of photographers known on social media as Enfoque Cubano, and in FotoNoviembre 2023, a collective exhibition at the “Roberto Diago” Gallery in Matanzas.
As for recognition, Navarro has already won several awards including international ones. Among them the Ibero-American Photography Contest of 2022 (1st prize in the category of Cultural Heritage), the Top 100 and Top 200 in the thematic contest of bird photography in 2020, and last year he received a mention in the Photography Contest of the World Meteorological Organization and his photo was selected for the meteorological calendar of the year in 2024.
Navarro has a high concept of the significance of photography as a means of communication and considers that it is a “testimony of the world we live in, but above all of how we appreciate it and from what perspective we understand it. Its importance lies in what we are able to transmit with our photos. Just like art in general, it keeps us spiritually alive. I believe that this also entails a great responsibility.”
“A photographic image can provoke anything from a smile, a sigh or a tear, or even provoke an appropriate action,” he said.
“For me, photography is an essential part of my life, it is a way of life, it is my outlet and comfort in moments of uncertainty, but I also feel that it has become my social mission, especially in terms of photojournalism. I like to think that my images have at some point been someone’s whisper and encouragement,” he said.
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