Film Noir: Fine Art Photography by Nicole Canegata Closing Friday

Cane Roots Art Gallery on Company Street in downtown Christiansted welcomed over 300 art lovers at the opening of “Film Noir”: the black and white exhibit by fine art photographer Nicole Canegata. This Friday, the visual “love letter” to St. Croix show will close at a reception from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Canegata has been shooting weddings and portraits for about 10 years in a busy commercial climate that sustains her in a way that she’s become accustomed to. But that is not only who she is or who she wants to be known as. Canegata is a fine art photographer whose work has captured the memories, the nostalgia and the love of St. Croix patrons who have viewed her Film Noir presence at the Christiansted Gallery.

“My journey has not been super-straightforward,” she told the Source. 

Canegata was always inspired by her father when she was younger. He was an amateur photographer who took lots of photographs and she liked to peruse the albums. And she liked the idea of documenting memories and realized how important that was, she said.

“At age 10, my dad handed me a Polaroid camera and asked me to photograph him; he needed a photo of himself in his military uniform. He joked that my mom could not take a good photo. He looked at my photo and said it was really good! I think that was the moment that awakened the budding photographer in me … or just realized that there was something there.”

In Canegata’s senior year at Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Shipboard Education offered a Semester at Sea Program. She was one of 640 students who lived on a cruise ship vessel for 100 days. It was a unique type of study abroad. They traveled to 10 different countries and she began photographing and documenting as she traveled. 

“It opened my eyes to how important it is to have these memories … and then falling in love with all the places I went to … I couldn’t help but capture the beauty and tell the visual stories. I guess I always had an ‘eye,’ but it wasn’t developed.”

With a graduation gift of a 35 mm film camera from her dad, Canegata kept traveling whenever she had the opportunity. She took photos and shared them mostly with friends and family. A compliment from her artist cousin was, “Nic, you have a great eye; you should do something with your photos.” She thought about it. She was busy and she thanked him.

“After a few years, I borrowed a friend’s DSLR digital camera. I went out in nature and took beautiful photos. One was of the Roseway at the Monk’s Baths on the northwest coast of St. Croix. It was a beautiful scene. In retrospect, I feel I was divinely led to witness it and capture that scene, “ Canegata shared.

Canegata submitted the “Roseway at Monk’s Bath” and ”Ham’s Bluff Lighthouse – two prints for a fundraiser Mike Walsh hosted to raise money for Haiti in the aftermath of an earthquake. A gentleman, Francis Capone, whom she didn’t know, loved the prints and told Canegata he would like to feature her in a solo exhibit of her photographic work at the opening of his new gallery Machete Machete Art Gallery on Company Street in Christiansted. “At that moment, I discovered I was a photographer. He saw something in me. He gave me this beautiful opportunity. He worked with me patiently. We went through 1,000s of photographs together. I exhibited 18 prints. The show was a success.”

That was the catalyst that inspired Canegata to quit her EDC job of eight years, pack up her things, and returned to college for photography.

Canegata’s dad had served in Iraq and died in combat. She was given educational benefits through the Veterans Affairs. There was an age limit, and after several twists and turns, she found that she was, in fact, eligible. She went to California and continued her journey at the Brooks Institute of Photography, one of the leading institutes in the nation for photography. 

“Many moments along the way, I wanted to quit – thinking I wasn’t good enough. It pushed me to my limits. The program was really, really intense. I had given up so much to pursue this,” she said. The statistics are that only 20 percent of the students that apply, actually graduate. She had a really good support system that she ended up meeting in Santa Barbara. Canegata graduated one semester later, completing her degree.

Canegata returned home to St. Croix. She exhibited at Cafe Christine and the Henle Gallery. She was also the resident artist at the Henle Gallery in 2018. She showcased photographs from her Egypt and Jordan trip. 

“This show, ‘Film Noir,’ is the first one dedicated to St. Croix. It is a visual love letter to St. Croix. It encompasses my affinity for black and white photography. It showcases a lot of the places and spaces I frequent on my travels on St. Croix for work and for play.”

A lot of the scenes in the show are very special to her, Canegata explained. Carambola Beach at Davis Bay is very magical to her and she always discovers something new when she’s there. It never gets old, she said. 

The show also showcases a lot of man-made and natural spaces that captivate her eye. At college, Canegata ended up becoming an architectural photographer. It was her final portfolio. The show reveals her architectural eye: man-made and in nature; time and place; history and architecture; abstract details; shape, line and texture … and just the beauty within the natural world.

“I’ve come to a place where I’m finally accepting that I’m an artist. And this show is really special for me. It validates that I am a fine art photographer. I became a photographer to capture these visual stories. I’ve been sucked into this commercial world where I’ve been photographing weddings for the last decade and it sustains me and pays the bills. I do portrait shoots, but that’s not the reason I became a photographer. It’s really special for me to emerge as a fine art photographer and for people to really know that about me. There’s so much to black and white images with shapes and textures. No distractions. Powerful. Beautiful,” Canegata shared.

“Entering the gallery, viewers will start at the east. It’s sort of a portal, a visual semicircle and ends in the west. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is intentional and tells the tale of both towns with a sprinkling of the north shore in between,” Canegata chuckled.

Canegata spoke to the Source about what inspires her.  “I am inspired by the Divine Creator and Master Architect of the Universe. I feel that a lot of my photographic journey is spirit-led. I’m really inspired in the moment by the energies I feel, by the people I meet and the landscapes that move me. So, it’s really important, and I feel that it’s prominent in my work. As an artist, the ultimate inspiration is to create.”

For more information:
nicolecanegata.com
www.canerootsartgallery.com
canerootsartgallery@gmail.com
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6 p.m.
340-718-4929