Ephemerality
Explore The Series
Stasia Schmidt
Early one morning, while exploring the Tsagaan Suvarga (or White Stupa) cliffs of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, my friends and I found this keyhole in the side of a scarp and clambered in to explore. The backlight of the rising sun and the colours of the cliff walls created the perfect setting for an ethereally lit, wide-angle shot of the ghost from within the cave.
Stasia Schmidt
I was exploring the Khongoryn Els dunes in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, when I came across this beautiful last sliver of daylight highlighting the lines and undulations of sand. I quickly set up my camera and tripod and raced into the light to catch the moment before it disappeared. That an almost mirror shadow of the figure appeared in the fabric was a stroke of creative luck.
Stasia Schmidt
Very few places have captured my imagination like the glaciers and ice on the shores of Greenland. These bergy bits had washed up on the shores of Disko Island, broken off from the passing icebergs that flow out of the Illulisat Icefjord. My vision was to have the ghostly figure initially appear as if she was a part of the ice; I wanted the viewer to look more deeply to realize there was a woman draped on it. When the big iceberg floated into the middle of the frame, I knew I had my shot.
Stasia Schmidt
Glaciers are an awe-inspiring, important part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and I’ve been very lucky to explore some of them. On this particular day, I was under the toe of Saskatchewan Glacier in a beautifully formed ice cave. I knew I wanted to showcase the figure within the otherworldly blue of the ice and emphasize the juxtaposition between the jaggedness of fallen shards and the almost impossibly smooth curves of the cave ceiling.
About Stasia Schmidt
When I look through the viewfinder of my camera I see potential to subvert expectations - real or contrived, societal or self-imposed. There’s a freedom in allowing my imagination to run untamed, knowing I can set up my camera and follow the creative spark to the trail it illuminates. Every shot has the potential to deepen what I know about myself and challenge how others perceive me or my subject. Boundaries of what’s expected dissolve, clichés fall away, and what remains is something altogether more vivid, more resonant, more provocative. Whether creating surreal self portraits or capturing awe inspiring vistas, my goal is to invite the viewer to that experience, and perhaps question the edges of their own expectations. I’m a photographer, an artist, a partner, a mother, a woman, always in search of the wild around me.
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Instagram: @stasia.schmidt
Website: www.stasiaschmidt.com