Artists Statement

 

Photography has been a transformative experience for Self-discovery more than it has been about making great images.  My primary exploration has been the luminous experiences of my interior landscapes.  From a place within, the landscapes and creatures of our great planet have provided amazing opportunities to learn about myself and my connection with the world around me.
 
A core question lies at the heart of my passion for nature. How can I see the magic of the wild world through the eyes of my Soul? Is it possible to see and experience the beauty of nature in ways that transcend the habits and judgments of my mind and ordinary ways of perceiving reality? 
 
Decades of yoga and meditation have helped me understand that the boundary between my internal and external world is a thin veil, more like a fluid membrane than an actual boundary that separates me from the world around me.  Years of sitting in stillness have allowed me to see "the space in between" my experience “in here” and “out there” easily blurs, depending on the quality of my presence. This realization has had a profound impact on shaping my creative expression through photography.
 
I now know “the space in between” is not a barrier that separates, but rather an intersection of creative intelligence and constant informational exchange.  When I inhabit this space, photography is much more than what I see; It allows me to see into, through, and beyond the forms in front of me to the source of my soul and seeing itself. From a place of pure presence, it’s not about what I saw but rather how reality wants to be seen.
 
Photography provides a powerful and immediate reflection of how present I am at any given moment. How are my personal preferences and biases preventing me from seeing what’s right in front of me?  Photography is much more than just a good eye or keen observational skills. My best images aren’t cleverly constructed representations of what I saw at the moment but rather reflections of my true essence as pure presence. 

 

Everything seen through the camera, every luminous landscape, every wild and wondrous encounter becomes a radiant reflection of something stirring within my soul.  Each time light enters my eyes it awakens my mind, enlivens my heart, and dissolves the division and delusion of separation. From the inseparable experience of unity, the camera is not something I “look at” the world through it is an opportunity to see something in myself. Photographs are no longer lost extractions of time; they become holographic reflections of the precious whole in every part.
 
As you explore these images, I invite you to feel the sense of wonder and awe about what they reveal to you and about you  How do these wonders of nature enliven your mind and heart?  What forgotten parts of you are reawakened, and what formidable beckoning is stirred within your soul?  Love it all as you unique creative brilliance.  

 

  
In love as light,

Shane McDermott