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Justin Forte
@forte.photo
Traveler and landscape photographer
The first time I practiced photography was when I was 15 years old and was in a photography class in highschool. I grew up drawing, making music and I enjoyed the creative process immensely. I fortunately had a life long friend and musician that always helped foster that part of me including my introduction to Photoshop and 3D landscape generators. However with music and drawing, I found it tough to create something out of virtually nothing. Having a truly blank canvas was a hard starting point for the way my brain works. Photography offers me that starting point of creating and expressing. Photography was something I fell into as I was gifted an old 1970’s Minolta Camera from an uncle. This was just before the rise of digital cameras but slightly after Photoshop was gaining traction.
While I did darkroom work, I spent a lot of time scanning my negatives and actually teaching my class how to use Photoshop for editing. Now I am no master at it but I did have a summer job digitally editing and repairing photos. With life choices to focus on business school and the traditional path, I didn’t take photography seriously until in my 30’s. Some would say their most significant moment, when they got hooked onto photography and knew it was their thing, was when they got their first camera or when they printed their first photo. But for me it happened actually quite recently, about two years ago.
While it was productive and provided a good life, I found myself often wanting more. I decided to take 10 days to myself, 100% solo with no purpose than to just be in a place that was removed from my normal life and where I could spend time with myself. To enjoy the fullness of self and solitude. To appreciate simple happy moments like being on the top of a mountain in the snow overlooking the ocean in June in a place where the sun doesn’t set. So I packed my bags, my camera, and went to Norway for a 10 day trip and finished it off to see friends and family in Warsaw and with a tattoo in Krakow. It was a journey of personal reflection and clarity as I had been deciding on life choices and goals to pursue. This trip was the first step and even though it has been some time, it is still a vivid experience in my mind.
"There is this one photo that brings my back right there - the emotion, the air, the sounds of water and nature. It was the start of a new chapter. And a tipping point in my love for photography."
Ultimately with photography, I could now start telling the story I wanted to share by showing people how I see things or feel things. Anything that moves someone is art. I don’t have any real strict definitions on the matter and so photography to me is another form of communication. The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. I love journalistic photography as much as I love the artistic expression from editing photos to invoke certain emotions. The power behind photography is its tangibility. It is real, even when edited to the extreme, it is based on reality which exposes some connection in us that seems possible – emotion, imagination, desire. Yes, photos are edited for context or artistic expression but when standing at the base of a mountain, the other senses are alive and in a photo, we need to express those other sensations in the ways we can. For me, I use this exposure of reality to share, to expose the places and people to others to experience. The true passion driving me is about connection and sharing. Naturally, I am a bit introverted and the connection is what gives my life energy. Being able to share a photo of something I experienced for someone to emote and have a shared experience as a result.
My being, who I am, likes to be in motion. On a mission and with a purpose. Each location I go to has its challenges and its amazing moments. If you asked me what is my favorite place in the world I have been to, I would say it is impossible because each place has its own stories. If you were to ask me what is home to me, I would say the place I am sitting at this point in time until I pack my bags to go to the next place.
Many people express to me how they never got a chance to travel or that if/when they do, they wouldn’t know where to begin. When I traveled often in my 20’s I loved coming back home to share my experiences of new parts of the world always with the hopes to inspire others to travel. Now I feel my purpose is to transfer those feelings, emotions, and experiences to anyone in any way possible. To share OR to inspire others. My happiest moments are when someone shares with me their experience, what gives them life, or their challenges and how it was scary but everything turned out ok.
"Traveling to me is a constant realignment with myself."
My trip to Bhutan has had a profound impact in this sense. I originally learned about Bhutan being listed as the happiest country in the world. I went there via Thailand in late January just as Covid started to have an impact on the surrounding areas but with the low number of visitors Bhutan was a very safe place to be. The plan was to do a 10-day trek through the mountains but the cold weather came in and kept that from happening.
I had started hiking the Dochu La pass, heading toward the Lungchotse Lhakhang Temple which is the Queen Mother’s prized temple – it was a snowy icy hike through the Himalayas for 3-4 hours to get to the top to see the Temple. While most of the hike was through the woods there were great views, prayer flags, and a sense of peace around you. The goal was to watch sunset on the top and then make my way back to the pass in the dark with headlamps. As I went through the temple, I saw a monk tending to the top of the mountain. Normally there are 12 of them that live at the top but the cold weather can be a struggle and 11 of them now stayed at the bottom of the mountain while one remains to take care of things.
"As the sun set the cold weather came in really fast. The monk offered me and my guide butter tea and a place to dry off and get warm while we prepared for the hike back."
During that time I learned more about him; he has been living on the mountain for 20 years, a simple, peaceful life. We spent some time talking, it got late and it only got colder, so he offered to make us food and a place to sleep in the monks’ quarters behind the temple. He had very few belongings; a wooden stove, electric heater, and a few trinkets from years past. Everything he had was brought to the top by himself. Despite, the man was a very welcoming and warmhearted person – everything he could give he would offer to me, whether it be food, shelter, tea, or doma (a combination of areca nut, betel leaf and lime) which causes a feeling of warmth in the body. It is a tradition and integrated in the Bhutanese culture. You chew on it for a while and spit the rest on the ground, leaving you with red teeth, tongue and saliva.
"The following morning we awoke before sunrise to see the clouds and cold mountains."
It was an amazing experience and before we left the monk gave me a walking stick he carved so I could make it home safely. I wanted to give him some money to help with his next resupply but he kept pushing it back towards me until my guide interfered and said it was to help cover the cost for the food and tea we had since by sharing that it meant he has less for himself. Overall it was a wonderful experience – I am amazed by how someone can be so at peace and at ease with the world and so generous while he has very little to give besides what he needs to survive. Bhutan is a road less traveled, but has a unique culture, people with pride and a deep love for where they live, which they passionately share. You can feel a profound and peaceful spirit. That is exactly the reason why Bhutan is one of my most unique experiences.
"I have traveled to different countries in Asia and I feel there’s a general positive outlook on life that I enjoy and gives me great vibes."
It is uplifting for sure, even though emotions are not too often expressed. There is a certain sense of formality and respect that you experience when being there, a set of beliefs and behavior that is rooted in their rich culture and history and that is part of everyone’s DNA. It is really impressive to see people uphold certain values so strongly. Of course this differs per country, but I especially experienced it more deeply as I lived there for two months.
Actually, my stay in South Korea was the result of my 10-day trip to Norway and Poland where I spoke about before, and my tattoo that I got. It happened that a favorite artist of mine from South Korea needed someone to be a canvas for a tattoo competition in Krakow. I tend to look before I leap but I jumped on this chance and reached out to her in the agreement that she can do whatever she wants for a design and I would meet her in Krakow for the event. The end result was the beginning of a full sleeve on my left arm, and the reason for my trip to Busan, South Korea, to finish the tattoo. I reached out and we scheduled I’d come in October last year.
"An interesting fact is that in South Korea, technically, tattooing is illegal because you need a medical license to do them."
This seems excessive but for them it falls in the same category of body modification, like plastic surgery. So almost all of the tattoo artists are in shops or homes practicing their trade secretly, but not completely hidden. Instagram is their main source of business and advertising and most of the shops do not have signs outside. With KPop artists now having more tattoos it becomes more accepted but it still has its generational gaps. Older generations disapprove, my generation is fine with it and the younger generation loves it. I was stopped at least once a day for selfies because of my appearance or my visible tattoos.
After about 40 hours of tattooing and another week of healing, I was ready to start exploring and traveled around from Busan, Seoul, and Jeju Island. The leaves were changing colors and autumn was settling in so it was a beautiful time to be there. South Korea is an amazing country with incredible contrasts. The hustle of Seoul, KPop in every direction, suburbs of the city like Gangnam or Itaewon, completely contrasted with the beautiful countryside, traditional Bhuddist temples, amazing nature and peace. If I were to give any suggestions to someone visiting South Korea, of course Seoul is a must visit but I would recommend renting a car to get out of the city to see the countryside and find the hidden corners. It is quite amazing. Or do a temple stay for a few nights to live with the monks – to find peace.
"My photos are a result of my memory; the instant after I have lived an experience, open my editing software and reminisce about the moment captured on the photo."
I find it hard to define my editing style, I would say I am continuously finding it. I decide on edits as I am remembering the moment and use that as a basis for what I want to convey. I don’t want to force myself to follow a certain style which I believe would narrow my expressions. For me, context and story are king. Without it, the photo is hard to connect with and the message you are conveying is not understood. This is probably the hardest thing with editing; going beyond a nice picture to a meaningful one. It takes a high degree of empathy and I can say I am not successful most days – but I continue the pursuit of getting there. Of achieving goals.
"Matters that bring me inspiration is what assists me in this pursuit."
The brutal honest answer is that failing as a result of trying is what has given me the most growth in life, either professionally or personally. I have a tendency to focus on what is left to learn and need to practice celebrating successes more often, but I like to be in motion most of the time, moving forward. There is nothing more that I enjoy than a good challenge. Something that hasn’t been done or was previously told or thought that couldn’t be done. Challenges pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone lead to the most growth as an individual.
"To see the world and look behind walls, to draw closer, to explore, to find each other, to share, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."
"I will always encourage anyone who travels to venture one step further beyond. This is where magical things happen and where stories are created."
Those stories become the catalysts for others to start their own journey. And a journey doesn’t have to mean travel the world, a journey is personal – a path driven by individual pursuits, destinations and encounters between your path and someone else’s. A farmer who gives you directions to their favorite place to eat and shares their homemade Apple Brandy. A man in Norway that wants to make you a pizza and cheer with his favorite local beer. The stray dogs that accompanied me on my hikes searching for a castle and standing in the rain in a sunflower field. A woman on a train that offers to share a traditional Korean meal with her family and welcome me to their home. The caretaker in Bali that cried when I left and made me promise that if I come back that I would watch him play guitar and sing at the local bar. The monk who carved me a walking stick to hike home safely. The Bhutanese guide telling me about his own passion for photography…
"People who want to share something they love with a stranger, who will show them love in return. Unique experiences are as much about the people as about the place. It is about the connection."
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