Lope Navo

Lope Navo (born 1980) is a fashion photographer, painter, writer, and fashion blogger based in New York City. The first and only Filipino-born fashion photographer published worldwide (Europe, Asia and the Americas) for internationally recognized magazines as well as independent underground print fashion magazines, including L'Officiel, Têtu, Esquire, Rodeo Italy, Slurp Italy, PREF, Remix, Blend Netherlands, Geil Germany, Mate Germany, 944, Men's Health, and Playgirl. Navo also shot for leading online fashion magazines such as Models.com's The Ones 2 Watch and Positive Italy, Factice France, and Fiasco UK. Amongst others, Navo has shot campaigns for Mossimo, American Rag, Hang Ten, Iconic Dubai, Bench, Splash Dubai, L'Oréal and handpicked by Lady Dior 'As Seen By' for an exhibition featuring the image of supermodel Tony Ward.

On January 15, 2010 fashion photographer Mert Alas of Mert and Marcus duo was on a very rare blog interview with fashion photographer and blogger Lope Navo. "Lope Navo/Mert Alas Interview"

On October 23, 2012 in a The Huffington Post interview "Huffington Post/Lope Navo Interview", Navo mentioned he is currently working on a monograph/photo book about Brazil and writing a teen thriller fiction novel.

Early life

Born Lope de Vera Navo in Manila, Philippines, Lope is the first of three children. He was named after two great writers in history, the Spanish playwright and poet Lope de Vega, a key figure in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature, the sheer volume of his literary output is unequalled, making him one of the most prolific authors in the history of world literature, and the Filipino writer and former senator of the Philippines Lope K. Santos, best known for his 1906 socialist novel, Banaag at Sikat and known as the Father of the Philippine National Language and Grammar. Lope is also an old Spanish given name, derived from Latin lupus, meaning "wolf". The wolf symbolizes free will, the ability to escape, unity, toughness, loyalty and friendship.

Education

Navo took his first photographs in Manila, just like the American photographer Annie Leibovitz. After finishing the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with summa cum laude in Far Eastern University he did some graphic design stints in Singapore, and eventually Dubai where he shot his first fashion editorial for Dsquared2 and Remix Magazine.

Lope Navo continued studying photography in the International Center of Photography in New York City.

Career

Lope Navo is the first and only Filipino-born fashion photographer published worldwide (Europe, Asia and the Americas) for internationally recognized magazines as well as independent underground print fashion magazines, including L'Officiel, Têtu, Esquire, Rodeo Italy, Slurp Italy, PREF, Remix, Blend Netherlands, Geil Germany, Mate Germany, 944, Men's Health, and Playgirl (where he shot the Summer 2010 cover featuring Ronnie Kroell of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel Season 1). Navo also shot for leading online fashion magazines such as Models.com's The Ones 2 Watch and Positive Magazine, Factice France, and Fiasco UK (where he shot the premiere cover featuring Frankie Godoy of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel Season 1). Amongst others, Navo has shot campaigns for Mossimo, American Rag, Hang Ten, Iconic Dubai, Bench, Splash Dubai, L'Oréal and handpicked by Lady Dior 'As Seen By' for an exhibition featuring the image of supermodel Tony Ward.

Navo has also garnered an international reputation for his editorial works like in Models.com's The Ones 2 Watch' 'Teen Icons'<ref name=The Ones 2 Watch' Teen Icon>

where he photographed thirty (30) New York City agency models for one fashion editorial and has photographed many well-known faces in the fashion industry including supermodels Taylor Fuchs, Matvey Lykov, Thomaz de Oliveira, Seijo Imazaki, AJ Abualrub, Josh Wald, Tomas Skoloudik, Troy and Travis Cannata, Julius Beckers, Josh Button, Aitor Mateo, Miguel Sanchez, David Jensen, R'el Dade, and iconic supermodel Tony Ward (to name a few.) Navo also works with the top model agencies in New York, Milan, London, and Sao Paolo such as NY's Ford, DNA, Wilhelmina, Fusion, Marilyn, Major, Next, Milan's 2morrow, and Independent Men, Sao Paolo's Ford, Miami's Wilhelmina and London's Next.

Besides being a fashion photographer, Navo maintains 'The Colonized Mind' photo-blog, often interviewing other photographers such as Mert Alas of Mert and Marcus duo, Greg Gorman and Mariano Vivanco."Lope Navo/Mariano Vivanco Interview" In a February 17, 2010 interview with iconic Hollywood photographer Greg Gorman commented on then 29-year-old fashion photographer's work:"Greg Gorman/Lope Navo Interview"

On June 12, 2010 Albert Smith of The Advocate interviewed Lope Navo for Artist Spotlight that has featured other New York City based artists and photographers such as Joe Lally, Que Duong, and Brian Kenny. "Advocate Magazine Artist Spotlight: Lope Navo"

Stark (Monograph)

On October 18, 2009 J. Salzenstein, style editor reviewed the special edition monograph Stark by Lope Navo:"Stark by Lope Navo (Hardcover) Review" Gay.net narrowed the finalists in Golden Iris Award for 'Photography Book of the Year' down to five in December 14, 2009, finding the task difficult given the dozens of rich photography books released in 2009 "Photography Book of the Year". They selected the monograph Stark by Lope Navo. Describing it as:

New York, Paris and Milan 2012

Top street style photographer and blogger Karl Edwin Guerre of "Guerreisms" photographed Lope Navo during Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2013 for GQ Japan Street Style in July 6, 2012. "ミラノコレクション会場から撮って出し！ GQストリートスタイル by Karl Edwin Guerre" During Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2013 Hero Magazine UK Hero Magazine photographed Lope Navo backstage Costume National together with top models Yuri Pleskun, Fernando Cabral and Simone Nobili. "Hero Magazine Milan SS13 Costume National" On October 5, 2012 L'Express.FR and a top Parisian writer Isabelle Aithnard compared Têtu Lope Navo 2013 Calendar to the longest running Les Dieux du Stade by the veteran French photographer François Rousseau 2013 Calendar. Aithnard concluded she prefers Têtu Lope Navo 2013 Calendar for casting an exotic variety of exquisite Brazilian men who don't only appeal to gay men but also to straight women. "12 Bombes du Bresil de Têtu par Lope Navo" On October 23, 2012 The Huffington Post interview "Huffington Post/Lope Navo Interview", Navo mentioned he is currently working on a monograph/photo book about Brazil and writing a teen thriller fiction novel.

Influence

Navo's greatest influences and inspirations are photographers Herb Ritts, Nan Goldin, Nobuyoshi Araki, Helmut Newton, Alair Gomes, Guy Bourdin, Mert and Marcus and filmmakers Akira Kurosawa, Peter Greenaway, Wong Kar-wai, Gus Van Sant, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Private Life

Currently based in New York, Navo have also lived in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Dubai, Manila, Singapore, Riyadh, Los Angeles, Miami, São Paulo and Hong Kong.

Books

• STARK by Lope Navo (2009) published by Bruno Gmünder Verlag ISBN 978-3867870382

External links

• "Lope Navo's Official International Website"
• "Lope Navo's Dripbook"
• "Lope Navo's Official Manila Website"
• "Huffington Post/Lope Navo Interview"
• "Advocate Magazine Artist Spotlight: Lope Navo"
• "GQ JAPAN ミラノコレクション会場から撮って出し！ GQストリートスタイル by Karl Edwin Guerre"
• "Stark by Lope Navo (Hardcover) 5 stars, Striking and beautiful, by J. Salzenstein, Style Editor"
• "GoSee: Brasilândia by Lope Navo"
• "Mert Alas Interview by Lope Navo"