My New Series: Life Among The Savages…
as you all know i’ve been hard at work finalizing my new series, ‘Life Among The Savages’. i’m so happy to say it’s ready! and while i’m proud of the work i am also nervous about putting it out in the world because this is the first series i created where all the images are landscapes, not people. and although, as you will see, they are not necessarily about the land, i have felt fear of not being identified as a portrait photographer. because honestly, that truly is where my heart lies. yet as i look at these and remember the process of making them i’m reminded that they are merely another iteration of my evolution as an artist and my spiritual journey. my hope is that you, the viewer, feel they are aligned with my intention of making images that are honest, provoking and thoughtful.
it would mean alot to me if you would leave any thoughts/feelings you may have in the comments directly here on the blog (below). i find it’s the easiest & most helpful way to streamline the conversation. also, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below. i’d be honored.
“The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you,
If you leave it you may come back again, saying HERE.”
David Wagoner from The Heart Aroused – Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America by David Whyte
come have a look at my new series, Life Among The Savages CLICK TO TWEET
“The forest breathes.Listen.It answers.” new series. @davidwhyte CLICK TO TWEET
cheers from
Happy Birthday to Me…
“The day of your birth leads you to death as well as to life.” Michel de Montaigne
in honor of my birthday i thought i’d share some of what i’ve been working on lately. this has not been an easy one to digest. as a friend stated, “this one really makes me take notice”.
this summer my soul sister michele & her daughter came for a visit. we barely get to see each other anymore since they moved to arizona. yet as soon as we’re together it’s as if no time has lapsed. we’re right back. i’m sure you have those type of people in your life. it was the 1st time in awhile i felt so alive & connected creatively. shooting who i love is what inspires me the most. i 1st shot her when she was a newborn, she’s now 9.
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” Rumi
here’s a couple of images i enjoy looking at. not sure where i’m going with these – or if anywhere. perhaps they are just what they are.
‘Life Among The Savages’ is just about ready to publish. for now here’s a few to peek at. they are visual metaphors, where i use nature as the object of inquiry.
and lastly, these are from ‘The Mother Series’. i’m finishing up some loose ends and will share the whole series real soon.
I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas in the comments below. While you’re at it, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below!
Happy Birthday to Me! New Series! CLICK TO TWEET
cheers from
I Shoot Men Too…
Surprised?! I know. It’s usually all girls. See, my muse emerges through interaction, connection to nature and through contemplation. I am most inspired when I feel mutual connection and love. Nuance & idiosyncrasies enliven me. Typically I prefer working one on one with my subjects yet that may be shifting? We’ll see. I’m realizing that I can shoot most things pretty well (if I may be so bold) – with a caveat – so long as I feel connected to the subject. The demographic is of lesser importance. At first glance however, I’m usually disappointed in my work & then eventually I come around. Having said that I do remain primarily focused on matters relating to girls and selfhood. For now, please enjoy this rather handsome collection.
So, what do you think?? It would be great to hear your feedback in the comments below. And, feel free to share the post with anyone you think would enjoy it by using the social media links below!
“I Shoot Men Too…” CLICK TO TWEET!
cheers from
The Beauty of Maya…
I keep discovering images that I previously overlooked. Images that didn’t make it into the final edits. I’ve been spending lots of time pouring over the work I did for the series, On the Periphery Life Going By. It’s a rather large body of work that was edited into 3 parts spanning 50 images total. Not only was this work focused solely on Maya & Talia for more than 4 years but the whole of my life very much revolved around them as well. When we met there was an immediate, soul connection. While I have always bonded easily with children, our connection felt the most natural. Although I have mothered many children, much to my deep sadness, I did not have the opportunity to birth my own. This is something I’ve been wrestling to come to terms with. A great longing I’ve harbored is to produce an on-going body of work of my own children, my own family. Shooting who & what I love is all I know to do. And this is the closest I’ve experienced mother as artist, artist as mother. Consequently, these years were an especially precious & sacred time for me. So many have said that my work reminded them of Sally Mann’s long before I ever knew who she was. As I came to know her work I felt enriched, shattered and admittedly, sometimes jealous. Not of the outcome, of course. I also came to recognize the intimate and familial parallels that others saw.
Sometimes I view the work as the artist that created it, pleased with new discoveries, while other moments I feel very nostalgic. Like a a proud momma witnessing the evolution of her children. It makes me weep. It brings me joy. Much like children can do. This collection is all Maya. A few are scattered about my website in this gallery but others are making their debut. Maya is passionate, intellectual, sensitive, creative and fiery.
And…would you look at that profile?! Sometimes she leaves me breathless.
I’ll likely post additional b-sides in the future from this series and others. You will have some new series to view in the new year. First one coming is Life Among The Savages. I’m developing some final pieces and finishing up the editing process.
shāna, Maya #1, ©2007
shāna, Maya #2, ©2004
shāna, Maya #3, ©2007
shāna, Maya #4, ©2006
shāna, Maya’s Mane, ©2004
shāna, Maya #6, ©2004
shāna, Maya #7, ©2007
shāna, Maya #8, ©2004
shāna, Maya #9, ©2004
Lastly, I’d like to let you know that my image, “Running in Snow”, was selected for Aline Smithson’s on-line 2012 Holiday Exhibition on her blog Lenscratch. I’m honored to be included amongst this collection of images.
Wishing you a happy everything in 2013.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas in the comments below. While you’re at it, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below!
cheers from
Is there a such thing as “pure art”?
There is a great amount of photography that is conceptual. Conceived of and planned ahead of the camera actually meeting its subject. Similar, perhaps, to a cinematographer – methodically crafting a scene. My work is reflexive, responding to my subject’s words, heart, postures, longings, gestures, silences. Nuances connect me, inspire me. It’s when I feel most present. Andy Warhol stated:
“Pure art exists only on the level of instant response to pure life.”
Ashlee, shāna, ©2005
Buy Me Stuff, shāna, ©2007
Insanity is Contagious, shāna, ©2007
I know that many would argue the validity of his belief. I don’t necessarily agree as much as feel a deep kinship to his process. It certainly has been true for me. I can hardly work another way. Consequently, I couldn’t work as a commercial photographer. I have marveled at others whose art is both mapped out and successful. I’m attempting to do this in a new series, Punch The Bed. Medical scans layered with self-portraiture to become one. So far it’s been awkward and troublesome, yet the compulsion to continue persists.
As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas in the comments below. While you’re at it, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below as well. Thanks so much!
cheers from
Life Among The Savages…
I’m excited to offer you a peek into some of what I’ve been working on. These are studies for my upcoming series, Life Among The Savages. The images serve as visual metaphor, where nature is used as both the subject and object of inquiry.
shāna, ‘Life Among The Savages Studies #1b’, ©2012
“When you argue with reality, you lose, but only 100% of the time.” Byron Katie
shāna, ‘Life Among The Savages Studies #2b’, ©2012
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas in the comments below. While you’re at it, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below!
cheers from
Creativity, Productivity and The Beginners Mind…
How does one know when they are experiencing a creative block? Does all resistance always translate to ‘creative’ block? See, I have never not been shooting. Even when other areas are not flowing I still make photos. Consequently I never saw myself as ‘creatively blocked.’ And frankly with all the other challenges I’m regularly faced with, I’ve been relieved that at least I don’t have that. That thing that we hear many artists struggling with.
Yet, as I mentioned in my last post, I repeatedly experience movement and disengagement regarding other areas of my work, fine art career. It’s cyclical & unpredictable. Blocked? Yes. But, creatively?? If I’m consistently making art, yet challenged with maintaining momentum on the post-production end, am I blocked ‘creatively’? Or categorically challenged in the area of productivity? And, are these different?? I’m starting to think they are. Productivity is linked to, amongst other things, stamina; while creativity to inspiration. In this case, one speaks to a shortage of resources while the other to connection with source & self. I wonder what Cameron, Pressfield and LaPorte would say? How about you?
In Buddhist tradition there is a wonderful tenet referred to as beginners mind; where we approach everything as if for the first time. To see the world or at least the task at hand, anew.
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” –- Zen Master Shunryo Suzuki.
To that end, I looked back to 2003, when I picked up the camera for the very first time! When there were not yet any expectations, demands nor need to negotiate the stamina to productivity ratio. All was new, all was possible. Here are my very first photos. I never showed them publicly before. Roll #1, frame #1, followed by frame #2 & #3:
shāna, First Photos #1, ©2003
shāna, First Photos #2, ©2003
shāna, First Photos #3, ©2003
While they may not be considered successful photos by any art standards they are prized, pivotal and dare I say, precious, to me! This starting point eventually led to this body of work.
I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas in the comments below. While you’re at it, feel free to share the post by using the social media links below as well. Thanks so much!
cheers from