Model Society

about Julian Monge-Najera

Male

The photographic work of Costa Rican photographer, author and scientist Julián Monge-Nájera has been published in book covers and Fauna Magazine (New York). He specializes in female nude, portrait and tropical nature. In his words:

“When I was 13 years old my mother gave me a Kodak Pocket 110 camera, I photographed my high school friends, my shadow on a wall with hanging ferns, my reflection in a rain pool and even a dead bird on a sidewalk. I still like those photographs. For the nudes, I have mostly worked over the years with the same couple dozen models, and the images show how much we trust each other. For portraits, the models have mostly been my family members: I have seen them grow older and wiser over the years. I am lucky to be in paradisiacal Costa Rica, full of beautiful tropical landscapes and organisms, which are a challenge to photograph because of the low light levels of tropical forests.

My 'philosophy' is based on Heraclitus of Ephesus: if you look close enough, nothing remains the same from one second to the next; in my case, all this beauty, be it river, woman or child, will not be here forever: that is why I use the camera to keep a record that can be enjoyed by others many years from now”.