The Portfolio
The Navajos have a ceremony called the Beautyway (also called the Nightway in some parts of Navajoland) during which the patient, the person who is ill, goes through in order to re-establish balance and beauty in their life. The reasons why one may loose their sense of beauty, of balance and of harmony are many. But the cure, for the Navajos, is one and the same. One must find the way to Beauty, and if one wanders away from this way, from the Beautyway, then one must re-establish one's link to the natural world in order to regain it.

To Walk in Beauty means not only walking physically. It also, and primarily in fact, means being in harmony with all things and all people, with all objects, all the animals, all the feelings, the plants, the weather and all the events in your life. It means being at peace, serene in the knowledge that all around you is well and that you are well with everything in your life. You accept and are accepted, there is nothing that pulls you in one direction or the other, the polarities are neutralized, you are one with everything. You are ready to walk in Beauty.

The Navajo Beauty Way Ceremony

In beauty may I walk
All day long may I walk
Through the returning seasons may I walk
Beautifully I will possess again
Beautifully birds
Beautifully joyful birds
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk
With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk
With dew about my feet may I walk
With beauty may I walk

With beauty before me may I walk
With beauty behind me may I walk
With beauty above me may I walk
With beauty all around me may I walk

In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty

Anonymous (Navajo)

The Images
The Navajoland Portfolio is about walking in Beauty. It is a journey into the beauty offered by the landscapes of Navajoland, by the culture of the Navajo Indians and by the ancient cultures which lived in this land long ago. I selected the 25 images in this Portfolio on the basis of their unique beauty as well as on the basis of their relevance in depicting the diversity of landscapes found in Navajoland.

As you can imagine this selection was not easy and I had to use every resource listed in my How to create a Portfolio article to make my selection. I also had to refrain from waiting any longer and going out to re-photograph the same locations, or to photograph new places I have not visited yet. Otherwise, this Portfolio would never have been published.

Navajoland is a huge area, with countless locations each of them stunningly beautiful. But, at some point, one has to say: that's it, this is how I see Navajoland at this time. This is how I want to represent it. These images represent my experience so far. They also represent how I want to share this unique location with you, how I want to express the beauty of this land. This is where I want you to Walk in Beauty.

Here are the 25 images that made the final cut and are part of the Navajoland Portfolio. Clicking on any photograph will show you to a larger version of each image:

The Music
Music is an important part of experiencing Navajoland. To make music part of the Portfolio I decided to include the Native American Flute Music of Travis Terry in the Navajoland Portfolio. Travis is not just another flute player. Travis and I met in Chinle when I moved to the Navajo Reservation in 1997. Travis and I have traded flutes for photographs for over 7 years. I currently have over 25 flutes from Travis, in all sizes and tones, from the miniature Eagle Bone flute to huge bass tone flutes.

While I do play Travis' flutes, I am nowhere close to the mastery that Travis exhibits in his music. Travis studied music with Carlos Nakai, a close friend of his, and one of the most famous Native American Flute players. Travis, who is from the Pima Nation, lives in Chinle with his wife Cara who is from the Navajo Nation. You can listen to his music on the Navajoland Portfolio Quicktime movie. His music will take you on a far away journey .

Watch the Navajoland Portfolio Movie with Music (in Quicktime format)
or download the
Portfolio PDF presentation

2- Five interchangeable, off-white, hinged museum-quality mats to fit each image format. The mats are interchangeable with all the photographs in the Portfolio allowing you to mat and frame any of the 25 photographs in the Portfolio.

3- Hand made, custom Portfolio case. This case is hand made by the same company which created the slipcase and the custom binding for the book Ansel Adams at 100. This company also creates all of John Sext0n and Ansel Adams Portfolios and linen-bound books as well as many other fine art books and portfolios.

The Portfolio case is covered with brown velvet suede and lined with sand-colored linen. The cover lettering and design is embossed in matte gold. The design used is from a Navajo Rug with a Chinle pattern. There are over 10 different Navajo Rug Styles and Chinle is the style of the area near Canyon de Chelly. Chinle is the town where Natalie and I lived for 7 years:

4- Artist statement written exclusively for the Navajoland Portfolio

5-  Stories narrating how each photograph was created written exclusively for the Navajoland Portfolio. Thumbnails of each photograph accompany the stories.

The stories and artist statement are bound into a 25 page booklet. The booklet and the CD are presented in a hand made foamcore tray:

Movie and PDF presentations
A quicktime movie of the Portfolio images playing to the music of Travis Terry is available. Click here to see the movie presentation.

A PDF file of the Portfolio presentation is also available. Click here to download the Portfolio PDF presentation

Portfolio value
The cost of a limited edition, 16x20 mat size print is $1995 (you can see my price list here). There are twenty five 16x20 mat size prints in the portfolio whcih means that the actual value of the photographs in the Portfolio,if sold individually, is $49,875.

At this time the cost of the portfolio is $10,000. if you add the value of the case, the artist statement and the other elements of the portfolio, this is less than 1/5th the value of the contents. This investment represents an incredible value.

The Portfolio case is priceless and is not for sale individually. The artist statement and the 25 stories narrating how each photograph was created are not available anywhere else. They are only available as part of the Portfolio.

The Navajoland Portfolio is released in a limited edition of 50 copies only and is nearly sold out. The only way to be 100% sure that you will have your own copy of this landmark Portfolio is to order it now.

At this time there are only 3 portfolios left. Price increases by #5000 each time one of the last 3 Navajoland Portfolios is sold.

Place your order now :

How to Order
a) Order with PayPal by clicking on the Paypal button above.

b) Call toll free at 800-949-7983 or 928-252-2466 and place your order directly on our toll free hotline using any credit card.

Shipping
Shipping costs are calculated based on destination. You will receive a shipping quote after you placed your order. All orders are insured for their full value and trackable.

Packing
Each Portfolio is professionally packed and insured for its full value by us. We guarantee that you will receive your Portfolio in perfect condition. In the unlikely event that damage did occur during shipping contact us and then return the damaged Portfolio to us. We will ship you a new Portfolio right away upon receipt of your return at no extra cost.

One month, 100% Money Back Guarantee
All purchases are covered by my unique 100% Take one month to decide money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason just return your Portfolio (in original condition) for a refund or credit. Take one month to decide.

Copyright © Alain Briot 2016
Prices and policies are subject to change at any time without notice