Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Cintron and Stephen Nava. Them and their team share their story with us below:
We love the high energy of fashion, so it was a natural progression for us and something we could do as a duo team. We have so much fun playing off each other, kinda ying to the other’s yang. For the ying, Angel Cintron brings his right brain esthetics, which have been honed by a Fine Arts Degree in Photography from the Academy of Art University. For the yang, Steve Nava brings his left-brain firepower, which has long been deployed toward the development of novel drugs in the biotechnology industry. While in school, Angel needed a guinea pig for a project he was working on or a second shooter, if he picked up a wedding gig, help with lighting, holding bounce cards, etc. Steve was there to help. Essentially, Steve became free labor. However, it was such a great experience working together, CiNava (a fusion of both last names) was born. Almost a decade later, we are forging ahead working with incredible talent, creatives and stylists in editorial fashion and celebrity photography as a duo. We are constantly learning about photography and believe this will always be the case. The only way we move forward is to continue to feed the passion.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As fortune would have it, we have each other to lean on. We’ve made plenty of mistakes and still do. Own your mistakes and learn from it. Every successful person, photographer or otherwise, did not start off as a subject matter expert. We grow from the lessons we’ve learned; and, this allows us to course correct what we do or how we approach the next situation. Give yourself permission to fill and then to believe in yourself to grow from the experience. Celebrate your successes no matter how small and always give yourself permission to be successful.
As you know, we’re big fans of CiNava Photography. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Photography is all about self-expression that speaks of storytelling within the designer’s wardrobe and styles. CiNava has become known for producing highly produced editorial images that are creative, edgy, artistic, fresh, and often drawn from our own environment.
We’re connected with the idea of manifesting beautiful imagery that tells a story. Being marginalized for most of our lives, we have the ability to translate our experiences through pictures. Finding the creative purpose as being able to interpret a situation through what we see in the lens. In other words, anyone can take a pretty picture, but to take a situation and tie it to your vision is storytelling. The person flipping through a magazine who lands on your image must be captured and emotionally triggered in one way or another. The type of imagery that moves people.
We have three descriptives CREATIVE, EDGY, and ARTISTIC, it’s conducive to storytelling. We look through a generalized mind-scape and stretch the conceptual connotation of the theme presented in our mood-board. We continue to stretch our limits and try to incorporate fresh ideas when creating our editorials.
In pushing creative boundaries, CiNava takes a page from Ayn Rand. ‘The question isn’t who is going to let us; it’s who is going to stop us.’
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness to us is to create our visual art piece. By expressing ourselves emotionally and spiritually, we explore our surroundings. It gives us the opportunity to open our minds and interact with other human beings. We are both very outgoing and love to connect with people. Our friends would certainly see the differences we add to personal interactions and, in the business world as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.cinavaphotography.com
- Instagram: cinava_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CiNava-Photography-194360914517843
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM8d5Gx66F0O2pbW3XeqUCw
Image Credits:
Nico Greetham – Edward Quinn
