Artist Statement

 

Shane Cullen is a self-taught Panoramic Fine Arts Photographer.

He travels throughout Australia and the world looking to capture the most striking images.

 

Shane uses critical timing to produce his own unique Fine Art Photographs.

Take a journey through his eyes and see the world as he does.

Shane only produce’s a limited number of fine art images, as it is his goal to display only his finest work.

 

“I have always had a strong connection with the land. There is nothing better than to be in the great outdoors and feel the elements of nature surrounding you.”

 

From the power of waterfalls to the grand climb of mountain peaks to the vast open plains of the outback, this country is an ever changing array of colours and scenes. It is a truly beautiful place to see and live.

I found the diversity of growing up in Victoria quite special: From the snow topped mountains of the high country to the crisp clean air of autumn when the colours come to life and the hot summer days down at the beach discovering the underwater world.

All this led to a passion to one day see the world and experience new adventures wherever they may take me.

My adventures have taken me from the monsoonal rains of the Malaysian rainforests to icy cold mountains of outback China and on an epic journey around Australia.

 

I loved travelling Australasia and with a camera by my side a whole new path opened up for me.

Becoming a photographer has let my creativity expand and grow beyond just seeing a landscape; it has allowed me to see things through my eyes and the way I wish to view the world. It has created a world within me to allow my magic to unfold.

 

Shane’s most critical aspects and techniques:

You need to have the ability to read and understand light; an outstanding photograph may only give you a few seconds of great light to work with. This technique can take many years to master. Light is something you will never stop learning.

Always expect the unexpected; it is one thing to understand the light but to predict what it will do next is another.

Composition is in the eye of the beholder; I think it’s important to fully show the scene and portray a story through an image.

Film is my personal favourite medium to work with; it is challenging and always has that element of surprise as you never quite know what is going to come out of the camera.

 

These techniques work well with me because they keep my options open and don’t limit me to one kind of shooting technique.

“Best images come to me when I let nature take its course.”

I simply try to work with nature as best I can. You need to listen to nature and visualise it in order to understand it.

 

My source of inspiration started with my own ambition and love for the outdoors.

I later found and studied other artist’s that had the same passion for photography. They included the likes of Lee Frost, and Galen Rowell both amazing photographers that I found to be extremely inspiring.

 

I have always been an adventurer and wanting to see new and inspiring places has always been a goal, things that people had not seen before or places that everyone wishes to see.

“There is something around every corner, if you are willing to look.”

 

I find water to be one of the best subjects to work with in my images. It’s an ever changing element throughout the seasons and it always has a certain calming effect to look at.

 

By shooting with a panoramic camera I am able to capture a large area of scenery in a single shot. This enables people to take a journey through my images and let the story unfold before their eyes.

 

I wish for people to step into the beauty of my world the way I see it,

I hope that these images will help preserve these special places for all to see.

 

My current project is to create a group of images from all around Australia to show the diversity of such an amazing country. A country to be proud of.

 

These images will be collected together to form a book of Australian Landscapes.

From the well-known to the out of the way treasures, it will showcase this country through my eyes as an artist and how I feel for it.

 

Art is something that should be shared and enjoyed by all of us and I could not think of a better way of communicating with the world than through my Photograph’s.