Photographer Stéphanie Labé is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘A Silent Journey/Un voyage silencieux’. To see Stéphanie ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

“We dream of journeys through the universe, so is the universe not within us? The depths of our minds are unknown to us. It is within us, if nowhere else, that eternity resides with its worlds, the past, and the future. The mysterious path leads inward.”
Novalis, poet

Freely inspired by the approach of the poet Novalis, the series explores the cosmopoetics of nature in the Basque Country, approached as a sanctuary between ocean and mountains. Here, water, plant and mineral recall the mystery of creation and the strength of the elements, and their reflection on our Being.
Between real and imaginary, the photographs explore places as one explores one’s soul, among internal forests and solitary shores, agitated waves and distant horizons, bare roots and uncertain reflections.

Stéphanie lives in the Southwest of France. Creativity has always been her driving force. She has written several books, designed exhibitions for museums, led innovation workshops, and worked as an experience designer. In 2024, she chose to dedicate herself to photography.

Having a strong sensitivity to Nature, Stéphanie seeks beauty in the delicacy of a flower or the poetry of a flock of birds. Deeply inspired by the simplicity of Asian art, she leaves ample space for emptiness and values beauty in simplicity. Her images are introspective; they invite viewers to empty their minds and reconnect with themselves by immersing in the vital energy emanating from Nature. Each of her series has its own energy, aiming to offer a dreamy and enchanting universe, a return to the source. 


 Through this photographic approach, Stéphanie wishes to restore Nature's place, helping people reconnect with the original breath of life. Stéphanie's artistic research is imbued with literature, inspired by painting and poetry. The artists who have found their souls in mountains, seas, and forests are her guides.


 Her exploration is intended to be organic, studying the link between the body and landscapes, between matter and the cosmos. But it is also meant to be spiritual, connecting the external landscapes we traverse with the inner landscapes yet to be explored. Finally, her work is a universal manifesto for the return of beauty and poetry in photography, in a world saturated with dark and pessimistic images.

All images and text © Stéphanie Labé