Jose Navarro

Educational Background

I obtained an MA in Documentary Photography at the University of Wales, Newport, in 2004. During my MA I focused on representations of ethnicity in heritage and cultural tourism. I looked at the historical framework for contemporary attitudes towards photographing other peoples and cultures and explored the role of photography in creating and consuming modern notions of ethnic and cultural identity.

I’m currently enrolled on a distance-learning MA in Environmental Anthropology at the University of Wales, Lampeter.

Teaching

Before moving to the UK in 1996 I was a lecturer for six years at the University of Zaragoza in Spain. I also taught mature students on re-training schemes run by the Spanish Department for Work for over four years. Once in the UK I taught CAD City and Guilds courses for City of Bristol College. In 2005/2006 I was a tutor on the BA Photography programme at the University of Wales, Newport. I teach photography courses at CityLit College in London and am currently a tutor of distance-learning Digital Photography and Social Documentary Photography courses for the Open College of the Arts.

Work and personal background

I have great interest in the dialogue between documentary photography and ethnography, as well as in cultural representations of nature, particularly in wilderness areas. My current practice moves between editorial travel photography, traditional reportage and contemporary documentary. My photographic projects include features on Egypt’s Western Desert, Mali’s, India’s Thar Desert; the high altitude desert of the Andean Plateau and the High Atlas plains. I have also worked on a project covering a year in the life of crofters in North Uist, in the Hebrides. Recently, I accompanied a group of Spanish semi-nomadic shepherds on their annual migration. During their 3-week journey they walked a flock of 5,000 sheep across 250 miles, from depleted summer pastures in the north to greener hillsides in Andalucía.

My technical skills have strong film photography foundations; I have worked with 35mm, medium format cameras and traditional B&W darkrooms. However, I have fully embraced digital and have an excellent command of Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom, as well of RAW workflow. I have also used authoring software for web and print, such as InDesign and GoLive, and multimedia tools such as Director MX. I have recently added Quicktime virtual reality (QTVR) to my portfolio of digital techniques.

Published work and exhibitions

My photographs are held by AGE Fotostock and Alamy, and have worked on assignment for Visit Britain. My articles have been published in Geographical, BJP, TGO and DayFour magazines; I’ve also been published on Foto8 website. My ‘trashumantes’ photographs are now part of a permanent multi-media display in the Museo de la Trashumancia in Teruel, Spain. One of the photographs of this series was also selected for the Foto8 Summer Show 2008 at the Host Gallery in London. I have also written at a professional level for publishers such as Alastair Sawday Publishing (Spain & Morocco) and Rough Guides (Europe, Morocco & Kerala).

Any further relevant information

As an extension of my photographic practice I am a keen outdoors person. I regularly go trekking and cycle touring, very often in remote places. I was expedition photographer on Raleigh International’s 4-month expedition to Guyana and won a Wilderness Award for a cycling expedition in the Andean Desert. I received a Millennium Commission On the Line Award for a cycling/photographic journey in Mali. I’m a volunteer Ranger for Sustrans, a charity which builds routes for cyclists, walkers and people with disabilities. I also work as a bicycle mechanic and run bicycle maintenance workshops on a casual basis for the cycling charity Life Cycle UK.