Shadowlight: A Photographer's Life Hardcover - 1997

From the publisher

"Patterson evokes a sense of mystery and beauty". -- Maclean's

"...Patterson powerfully underscores the inherently elegiac nature of the medium itself: photography captures only the past, caught fleetingly in shadow and light". -- Quill & Quire

"Patterson's prose is beautiful and seductive. His photographic art is riveting". -- Winnipeg Free Press

"...stunningly beautiful in the clarity of its reproductions, is a must for photographers". -- PSA Journal

"...an invaluable addition to the expanding Patterson photographic oeuvre". -- Kitchener-Waterloo Record

Published to raves from critics and immediate bestseller status (10,000 copies sold), Freeman Patterson's ShadowLight offers an intriguing blend of revealing biography, heightened observation and stunning photography that takes "the art of seeing" to a new level of visual and spiritual understanding. A book for photographers of every ability, for nature lovers, artists and designers, ShadowLight is also for anyone who hungers to see and understand our world with freshness and passion.

He is, quite simply, one of the world's best photographers. To look at his photos of a South African ghost town consumed by the shifting sands of the Namib desert, or of the subtle colors of a northern river in autumn, is to see -- and feel -- a remarkable imagination and skill at work. Bestowed with international acclaim and awards, and admired by the hundreds of thousands who have bought his eight bestselling books, Freeman Patterson is a master photographer and an artist, a gifted teacher who has always shared his love of craft and his excitement of discovery with others.

Now, in a mid-career retrospective that ranges over 30 years ofsuperb photography, Freeman Patterson reveals the sources of his creativity, from his early years on his family's New Brunswick farm, to his exploration of North American landscapes, to his imaginative odysseys in other continents. ShadowLight looks outward to the images and patterns that capture a photographer's interest and inward to the symbols and dreams that feed the imagination. Combining 100 of Patterson's favorite images with an evocative text, ShadowLight takes readers behind that feed the imagination. Combining 100 of Patterson's favorite images with an evocative text, ShadowLight takes readers behind the photographers to a deeper appreciation of his craft. By decoding the nature of photography and revealing the ways in which his own visual sense works, Patterson expands our understanding of "the art of seeing".

ShadowLight: A Photographer's Life is a book for many people. Photographers of every ability will be drawn to Patterson's discussions of design, the importance of light and color and techniques of composition. Lovers of nature will immediately connect with Patterson's deeply emotional and spiritual commitment to the preservation of our planet. All those who are touched by the artistry of superb photography and a man's passion to see the world in surprising new ways will enjoy this book again and again.