Getting the Shot: Corey Favino ’18

Corey Favino looking at the night sky over Narragansett — “Hideaway,” Narragansett, Rhode Island

Surfer riding the waves, Oahu, Hawaii — “Dream,” Oahu, Hawaii

Surfer walking along the beach — “Home,” Narragansett Beach, Rhode Island

Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport, RI — “Castle Hill Lighthouse,” Newport, Rhode Island

Corey Favino climbing a mountain trail in Oahu, Hawaii — “Barefoot and Boardshorts,” Pu’u Manamana Trail, Oahu, Hawaii

Low tide at Narragansett Beach with a view of the Towers — “Dreamland,” Narragansett Beach, Rhode Island

Corey Favino Selfie in Joshua Tree National Park — Corey Favino ’18 of Narragansett, Rhode Island, graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies. His selfie was shot in Joshua Tree National Park in California.

“Getting the Shot” features the photography of URI students and recent alumni whose work illustrates the intellectual curiosity and big thinking characteristic of our community.

It’s been a wild ride for Corey Favino since graduating with a communication studies degree in 2018. The Narragansett-based digital content creator has worked with the footwear company Sperry, the yerba mate maker Guayaki, and bracelet brands Lokai and 4ocean. And his success is all the more impressive considering Favino first picked up a professional camera just three years ago.

Man versus nature

What I find challenging is battling the elements. In Rhode Island, specifically, the weather can change within minutes, especially when it comes to astrophotography. The forecast can be reading clear skies, but you get to a location and if there are a few clouds or it’s even partly cloudy, just those few clouds can completely change the shot. In a night shot, ideally, you want it 100% clear.

That moment when the magic happens

Corey Favino sitting on an old elevated railroad bridge in Washington state — “Railroad Bridge,” Washington State

On a solo trip to Washington state, I found this old abandoned train trestle. It was an old piece of track in the mountains that sat over 400 feet above a river. I had to scale up a 15-foot wall just to get to the tracks and part of them had been burned in a fire, so walking out to the middle of the tracks was absolutely terrifying. When I got there, I just sat and watched the sunrise by myself and, at that moment, I couldn’t even take a photo because I was so blown away by the beauty of where I was. I just soaked it all in for about 20 minutes before I took my camera out. I felt more alive than I’ve ever felt.

Read more about Corey in URI Magazine. Follow Corey on Instagram @cjfavino