JOHN MCDERMOTT

John McDermott’s love for Asia began in the early 1990s when he moved to Thailand from the US to join the staff of a magazine based in Bangkok as chief photographer. During his travels on assignments, McDermott developed a strong personal interest in the many cultural heritage sites and ancient historical ruins spread across the continent.

In 1995 McDermott travelled to Cambodia to witness a total eclipse of the sun that passed over Angkor. Inspired by the surreal, otherworldly light of the eclipse, he returned many times over the next few years to create a definitive artistic record of Angkor before the arrival of large-scale tourism.

Collected in his book Elegy: Reflections on Angkor, these photographs were hailed by The New York Times as “not just beautiful but iconic.”

In addition to Angkor, McDermott’s fine art project covers ancient temples and cultural heritage sites throughout Southeast Asia. His travels have taken him to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, India, Bali and even as far afoot as Jordan as he photographs sacred sites and the living culture that surrounds them.

John McDermott’s large format Angkor prints are on display as part of the permanent collection at the National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His photographs are held in private collections worldwide and have been printed in numerous books and publications. His works have also received international recognition at the Lux Awards, ADDY Awards, Epson International Pano Awards as well as the Black and White Spider Awards.

His fine-art work can be seen at www.asiaphotos.net and his commercial work at jmcdphoto.com.