The Grotto

Before the year ended, me and my partner leslye took a trip to Portland, OR with her friends for her birthday. It was definitely a fun time for all of us. As we got to the airport and stepped outside to get to our Uber, the crisp fresh air hit my nose and I felt like I was back in the redwood forest. It excited me to get our fun shenanigans underway. I took my Pentax SF1 camera with us on the trip with a roll of fuji 400 and a roll of HP5+. The idea behind this was that i wanted to find a camera store within the city and buy some unique film to shoot with, which I did, but we’ll get to that later. As we got to the air BnB, we settled down for the night and the next day we drove out to get some breakfast. As we drove out to the spot were decided on, batter and griddle, we passed this large white statue of Jesus on the cross with women weeping at this feet, it was sitting high about the ground, on a hill with a whole forest surrounded and behind the statue. Immediately i was Intrigued to get a photo and explore the area, however, leslye and her friends were “starving” and urged that i don’t make any stops. This statue would remain in my mind the whole trip.

As we went on enjoying our trip, we found a local camera shop in Downtown Portland called The Shutterbug. Excited, I went inside to look at all the goodies they had to offer and there I found a hidden gem. Astrum 200 Black and White negative Film, straight from the country of Ukraine. I was intrigued about its properties, even the clerks were unaware of how well it shoot or looked, but they were on sale and just the novelty film I was looking for. I bought 3 rolls.

we walked around the city finishing what rolls I had left and popped in my first roll of Astrum film. The next day we all decided to visit and explore the area where we saw the Jesus statue! As we drove in that day, immediately, there was an over looming aura of spirituality that struck to respect the Temple I was entering and it encouraged me to capture that essence in my photos that I took.

This place was called “The Grotto”, a Roman Catholic sanctuary that is solely dedicated to Mother Mary of Jesus. Its covered in greenery, with two levels, the bottom level houses a large cavern shrine that is carved into the base of a cliff wall. The Upper level is atop of a 110 ft cliff with small trails that lead to multiple religious statues and landmarks in the area. The sanctuary is filled with carved white stone statues of multiple saints and maidens from bible stories as well as beautiful scenery that pairs well with the serenity of the area. I tried my best to shoot and capture the pureness of the area and its energy it radiated. I am personally not a religious person, however, whenever i am in a sacred space, I sense that I am being watched. There is no doubt that something larger than man itself exists in the world around us. It speaks to us in different ways and we can’t disregard its presence, whether its a gut feeling or a irect message from the gods, it always shows itself in mysterious ways. Regardless, I choose to respect the grounds I stand on, as I know that what may be a beautiful landmark to me, is a holy monument to others. These are the photos I produced.The Astrum film I used for these shots had a very punchy contrast with deep blacks and bright whites, it complimented the tone and energy I wanted to create while shooting these photos. The grain on the film is very fine and offers a beautiful vintage look to the negatives. If you are ever in Portland, OR, get a roll of Astrum film, visit The Grotto and enjoy the peaceful aura it offers.