Blog
Catching Up with OMNP: Big News, Bigger Dreams, and a Whole Lotta Gratitude
Hey friends, family, followers, and those just popping by 👋
It’s been a wild ride lately at Oh Me Nerves Photography (OMNP) and I wanted to take a moment to catch you all up. So grab a coffee (or whiskey… I won’t judge 🥃), and let me fill you in on what’s been happening behind the lens and behind the scenes.
First off, a massive shoutout to the County of Lambton Libraries for hosting our incredible 4-part Arctic Frontiers: Life at the Edge of a Changing World series this spring. Each session was well attended, and the feedback from all of you reminded me exactly why I do what I do. The conversations, the laughs, the shared stories—it was beautiful.
To the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG), thank you for the chance to deliver my Arctic Frontiers lecture as part of your speaker series. Sharing my journey into the North with such an engaged audience was an honour I won’t soon forget.
Okay… this one still blows my mind 🤯
I’m thrilled (and humbled!) to share that my piece “Reflections” has been selected as one of the Top 100 finalists in ART COMP 2025, in partnership with 100 Kellogg Lane in London, Ontario. This means it’s eligible for:
🖼️ “Reflections” will be hanging at 100 Kellogg Lane now through to September 7th—and you can vote ONCE, so please take a second to register your vote while exploring the stunning work of the other 99 artists.
Support means everything to small artists like me. We don’t have giant marketing teams. We just have heart, hustle, and all of you ❤️
Our inaugural OMNP Polar Expedition to Churchill, Manitoba is SOLD OUT! This October, six amazing adventurers will join me in the sub-Arctic for an unforgettable, ethical, ground-level wildlife photography experience.
We're talking polar bears (up close and personal 🐻❄️), the windswept tundra, foxes, ptarmigan, aurora, and a journey into the very edge of a changing world. This dream has been years in the making—and it’s only the beginning.
We’ve officially launched our OMNP merch line and it’s 🔥
You can now order:
And there's more coming: t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other goodies to help support this wild journey. Every order helps fund our projects, from mental health advocacy to conservation storytelling.
DM to order or find it soon on our website 💻
I’ve been in talks with some incredible organizations, including Nature Canada and a major Canadian retailer (can’t say who just yet 👀), both of whom are looking at supporting OMNP and partnering on some projects. This retailer may even come with a loaner/funding aspect to the partnership which would be AMAZING for the many different projects we have going on.
I have also had some chats with Volkswagen Canada and others… no firm commitments yet, but the doors are opening and it is just a matter of time!
Our projects “Unseen & Unspoken: A Journey Through the Shadows” and “Roots of the Mind” are deeply personal, powerful explorations of trauma, healing, and the power of creativity—and we’re also launching a new podcast, “The Viewfinder Sessions,” to bring these conversations into your homes, hearts, and ears.
Yep, that little TV talk show concept about mental health and creative outlets? Still alive, just simmering on the back burner. It is a LOT of work to jump for a dream after a year spent recovering from, well, a lifetime of trauma all brought to ahead at a toxic workplace environment. So, juggling different projects and ideas is an artform in and of itself, BUT, it is still simmering!
This summer, I’m off to the Northwest Territories to partner with some amazing folks and capture the beauty of Canada’s vast northern wilderness. Tara and the kids will be with for the first leg of the journey, but then they are heading to Edmonton to visit family while I make my way back up to Churchill for a week or two of shooting, writing, and collaborating again with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. I am also looking to do some bear guard training while up there and I will also be capturing and taking part in some of the scientific projects happening up there. Oh, did I mention up close and personal with Beluga Whales as well!?!
🎥 I will be focusing on more content for the documentary and gallery shows tied to Arctic Frontiers: Life at the Edge of a Changing World. I am also hoping to do a nice piece on the CNSC itself! Stay tuned!
We’re in the early planning stages for our OMNP Newfoundland Expeditions, likely launching in 2026. I can’t tell you how excited I am to bring it full circle—back downhome where so much of this began. From the name OMNP to my roots and so many memories tied to this incredible place, I CAN'T WAIT to show it off to folks! This won't be your typical run of the mill "tour" or experience... I am going to show you Newfoundland and if I can get it right, you will want to go back over and over and over again!
You read that right...
I am actively talking with an expedition organization that’s expressed interest in sending OMNP to... Antarctica. ❄️
It’s not official yet, but if and when it happens, I promise you—it’ll be one for the books and I have left it open that I am pretty much game to do anything... Polar plunges into the icy waters of Antarctica, camping in a hole in the snow on this amazing continent to whatever else they want me to experience and capture with and for them!
I know, as you read the above, you may be thinking, "WOW, talk about living the dream!!!" You are not wrong, it is a dream and I am grateful each and every day for these opportunities. However, much of these do not pay bills or put food on the table. Right now, that all falls to my amazing wife! Sure I garner some money, but after taking care of costs and goods, it is just enough to cover my expenses and a tad bit more. That is why we need YOU!
Whether it's booking speaking engagements, purchasing prints, buying OMNP merch to rep it wherever you are and go, or simply sharing the work and the story with others who may also be in a position to buy or support—everything you do helps bring this dream to life.
The goal of OMNP isn’t just to take pretty pictures.
It’s to create impact.
To fight for:
The world needs more truth, more beauty, and more people willing to see.
Thank you for being part of this with me. I couldn’t do it without you. And honestly, I wouldn’t want to.
Stay tuned. Stay kind. And stay frosty.
— Shaun ❄️📸
#OMNP #ArcticFrontiers #SupportLocalArt #MentalHealthMatters #ConservationThroughPhotography