Step outside through the lens of this winter season’s artist highlight, Ray Phung Photography!
Our Nature is the concept of his photographic ensemble gracing the walls of SomaSpace. Our Nature is series of landscape photographs taken in the American West by photographer Ray Phung. Each photograph is paired with quote, poem, song, or thought from various poets, conservationists, environmentalist, creators, explorers, and lovers of the outdoors.
Our Nature is dedicated to these powerful moments that nature provides, and hopes to inspire a sense of responsibility to preserve them for generations to come.
Ray explains the concept of Our Nature:
“The pure beauty of the Earth has the distinctive ability to evoke a very deep, almost primal, emotional response in within our souls. Each of us can remember the power of a breathtaking sunset, the sound of rushing water cascading down a brook, or that feeling of smallness when standing underneath a billion stars as the Milky Way shines overhead. Perhaps in these moments, we feel our humanity intricately intertwined with the Earth, and not simply a user or resident of it. But yet, we have the unmistakable power to either destroy it or save it. The future of our planet, of Our Nature, is up to us.”
Our Nature is dedicated to these powerful moments that nature provides, and hopes to inspire a sense of responsibility to preserve them for generations to come.
“A harsh hot wind makes creases around my eyes as I struggle to focus the lens. A desolate wasteland, where the struggle for life and survival continues.
And in this moment, I am the desert.
The heart a desert tower, standing as a sentinel. Its age and stories exposed in layers of sediment and stone. Yet it evolves. Wind and rain shapes its sheer face, fractures it to the core, then turns to dust.
The mind a jackrabbit, racing across the dusty plateau, gracefully weaving through thorns and cacti. A prey to many. Yet he survives. An expert of the land, always watchful and cautious. Agile and resilient.
The soul a soft pink light, gloriously glowing across the landscape as the first light touches an infinite expanse. The dark crevasses become illuminated. A delicate beauty, constantly developing as darkness turns to light.
Then I exhale as I open the shutter.”
-Ray Phung
Ray Phung is a photographer based in Portland, Oregon, focusing primarily on landscape and adventure photography. His passions in various activities like rock climbing, hiking, and backpacking takes him to very remote and very beautiful locations across the globe. Ray’s exploration has also instilled a passion for conservation, environmental protection, land use, and access issues that are endangering the places that he loves. Working both in digital and film photographs, Ray hopes to share the breathtaking beauty that is out there, as well as to inspire others to fight for the preservation of sacred places and confront the pressing issues facing the environment.
To see more of Ray’s work, to order prints, & to check out the online version of the gallery show go to: