1stAngel & Friends

Paula Suter

Welcome To The Artists Blog

When did you first become interested in art, in general?

I became interested in art at a young age watching my mom paint canvases and cut out pictures for collage-work. She seemed to be far away, in a different world when she painted, and I was curious about that.

When did you first become interested in photography, specifically?

I first became interested in photography at 19 during my travels to Alaska and then to Europe.

At first it was just a way to document my adventures, but it quickly became an obsession.

In what other forms of art do you also work, if any?

I am only working with photography at present.

On which style(s) of photography do you specialise?

I specialize in travel photography but with a bold, pared-down treatment. I’m generally drawn to the details of things.

Has your style changed from when you first began? If so, why?

Yes and no… In my early years my approach was more literal, less abstract, but I think my inherently graphic style still came through. When I first started out I shot mostly black and white, 35mm, because I was learning the darkroom, and experimented with different things like solarization and did a lot of hand tinting with Marshal’s Oils. I then moved on to medium format, filling the square frame with portraits and architectural details… I think over time my eye just got leaner and leaner, getting closer to the subject and leaving out all that wasn’t absolutely essential.

What kind of equipment do you use?

I use a digital Canon 20D with a 70-200mm lens most of the time. I edit using photoshop on an I-Mac.

What made you choose that equipment?

I crossed over from film to digital about 6 years ago and frankly, haven’t looked back. I am thrilled with the ease and freedom of shooting digital, and I don’t at all miss the chemicals in the darkroom. But I have to admit seeing my daughter shooting black and white with her OM1 and 50mm lens has made me nostalgic for the old days. She has inspired me to think about going back, just once in a while, to reconnect with my roots and keep myself honest.

How do you choose what you’re going to photograph?

Sometimes I think my subjects choose me. I definitely feel it’s a symbiotic relationship, whether the subject is a person, an ordinary object or an abstraction. There are just certain moments in time, maybe because of the light or some movement, that some pathos is stirred, or emotion, and I happen to be there to pick up on it. I sometimes ask myself, what is coming through here? And what is it telling me? But mostly I am just responding to the colors and shapes the world so generously offers.

What kind of editing do you perform on your photographs, if any?

In order to get to where I’m going with an image, I work intuitively, in stages. I’ll start with a raw image and edit, crop, adjust or enhance only to the extent that it reveals something new and interesting in the subject. It’s like peeling back the layers, and I’ll take out anything that distracts from the essential subject as I see it.

How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?

The first stage of editing is fairly quick, maybe 15 minutes, and from there I’ll come back to it frequently, with fresh eyes, to balance it and bring it a bit closer to where it should be.

How do you know when a piece is finished? Is it easy to walk away?

I never really know if a photograph is finished. It’s as if it continues to evolve for me over time. Sometimes I’ll look at something I thought was truly complete a year ago, and feel compelled to make some adjustment, bring out a highlight, or deepen a shadow. It’s like that with writing too. It’s because of this quirk I have, of always changing things, that it’s easy to walk away.

What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?

I don’t really think of it as “having blocks”. As in the previous question, maybe it’s best just to walk away. Have a rest. Come back to it with fresh eyes.

How well do you take criticism and how do you make use of it?

Criticism is what tempers me as an artist. I always have to put criticism in perspective by acknowledging that my point of view can’t be discounted by another one; it can only be strengthened. There is strength and stimulation in diversity, in diversity of opinion. It’s always good to know how one’s work is perceived. It’s instructive because it’s not an insular world we live in. We are part of the whole and we all inform each other.

Who is your favourite photographer?

It’s hard to pin down a favorite… Maybe the ones that have moved me the most are Diane Arbus, Cartier-Bresson, Aaron Siskind and Manuel Alvarez-Bravo.

Which one of your photographs is your favourite?

I don’t really have a single favorite but a few that are near and dear to me are of my daughter, Georgia with her camera, shot in black and white and solarized in photoshop. I also love “Lauren in Mexico”, a picture I took of my niece on one of her photography outings. They remind me of myself at their age, choosing to get off the beaten path and explore some new, uncharted terrain.

Have you exhibited any of your work in galleries?

I have exhibited in a few galleries, one in Switzerland and one in Michigan.

Will your work be included at any upcoming contests or galleries? If so, where and when?

I don’t have plans for gallery exhibition, but I recently completed a book project on Mexico and hope to have it published in the future.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to continue traveling and having fun taking pictures. In the future I would love to get some travel assignments and be a resource for design and advertising professionals.

What advice do you have for budding photographers?

My advice would be what I tell my 17 year old daughter/budding photographer… Stay intuitive, follow where your eye wants to lead you and push the boundaries in that direction for fresh insight and innovation.

I love your bold eye for colour!  Thank you for the interview

You can see more of Paula’s images at www.paulasuterphoto.com