photo by Chanelle Nunn Barona
A Brief History
I was born in Latvia during good ol’ Soviet times. moved to Brooklyn, NY at the formative age of 9, and traveled through the US and a few other countries out of college. Initially my extra curricular activities included music theory and my focus was academia: I skipped third and ninth grades took college courses in high school, was a psych major, a speed reader, and I'm one of those nerds who really like math. I read about UFOs in the school yard and drew animations of our teachers with my friends, while reading science fiction books in math class, and absorbing both subjects simultaneously.
The original plan was to be an astronaut, then accountant or attorney, maybe a psychologist, until twelfth grade. I needed an extra class that fit my schedule and chose photography on a whim. My first photos were of police officers blowing bubbles out of chewing gum and that’s when I realized that:
A. Asking nicely can yield fun results, and art is a cool way to connect with people.
B. Everyday life can be like a lucid dream .
C. I can make statements that might change perspectives.
D. Laughter and innocent pleasure are fabulous forms of medicine.
A. Asking nicely can yield fun results, and art is a cool way to connect with people.
B. Everyday life can be like a lucid dream .
C. I can make statements that might change perspectives.
D. Laughter and innocent pleasure are fabulous forms of medicine.
I enrolled in Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC - an intense, tough, technical, commercially geared university. At any given moment, there is likely at least one student weeping from overwhelm - if only I was kidding. Setting my expectations low, I went in to learn how to become a fast-talking, motorcycle riding (not really), “standard” commercial photographer who would methodically eat photoshoots for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A professor told me that to become good, one must make photography their religion. I scoffed, because I'm not really into cults. Then I got really into it, and now I'm both a photographer, and writing a book with a chapter on cults. I digress.
After over two decades of the photography practice, I am versatile and enjoy working on most projects. I can work with a team or alone, commercial or artsy, small talk or philosophy, My favorite projects involve absurdism, surrealism, and education because I love to share the spark of learning something new. I am also a fan of the perception of simultaneous movement and stillness, and of course the good ol' "decisive moment."
"On The Bubble" - the beginning.
Self portrait while capturing a stop motion sunrise time lapse for "Another Day Alive."
Long Exposure self portrait while capturing a stop motion walkthrough of Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY. This is not a Photoshop composite, it's a 20 second exposure with an initial flash to capture me in the background.
Behind the scenes of Midori's performance, and the day I faced my childhood fears.
With my Nikon FM2 35mm film camera - Photo by Najva Sol
Luxuriously Bathing in Paperwork. Photo by Renat Zarbailov
This is my version of the view from 2 Columbus Circle; Museum of Arts and Design in NYC has some of my favorite surreal design. I also worked there as a photographer in the Education Department.
On set of "Dreamers" - Photo by Kaya Bailey