Susan Platt — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 4

May 4 Susan Platt

Biography

Susan Platt is a fine art photographic artist from Stockton, California. She fell in love with photography at the age of eight, when her brother gave her a Kodak Brownie Box film camera. She carried her camera with her everywhere she went and began creating images of her family and friends. When she reached high school, she attended photography classes, worked on the newspaper and was photo editor of her high school yearbook. Susan’s photographic career has spanned 37-years. She has been involved in the photographic industry, from working as a photographic assistant and staff photographer at a portrait studio, to a portrait and wedding studio owner/photographer, to a fine art photographic artist. During her portrait and wedding photography years, Susan taught numerous classes in studio portrait and environmental portrait studies and her style and approach to wedding photography in artistic and technical ways. Her photographs have been published in Pet Life Magazine and Craft & Vision Magazine. Susan's work has been exhibited at PhotoLA, throughout California and in late summer in Barcelona, Spain at the Foto Nostrum Gallery.

Artist Statement

Photographs convey messages differently to each viewer. The messages conveyed can evoke many different emotions and feelings as well. My hope is that my photographs bring the viewers of my work joy, spark a forgotten memory, maybe fill a void, make make my viewers think, or to see things rather than just look. I want to invite you to experience my photographic art. My visions are unique and truly one-of-a-kind. I invite you to take a journey through my lens and experience the world only as I see it.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

When I was eight-years-old, my brother David gave me his Kodak Brownie Bullet roll film camera and I began snapping photos of my family and grade-school friends. A 6th grade teacher had constructed a darkroom in his classroom and invited students to learn how to develop and print black & white film images on photographic paper. It was there that I was able to develop my very first roll of film, select an image and print a b/w photograph. To see an image develop in front of your eyes is pure magic and for an eight-year-old to witness this magic first-hand was life changing. The moment I first saw the image I exposed on film come to life, I knew I wanted to become a photographic artist.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I see/view myself as a fine art photographic artist.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I strive to make photographs that tell a story; to awaken emotions or past experiences of the viewers of my work.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

I plan each of my photographs from its inception, through making the image, then processing and printing. I research many of my subjects and locations before making a series of images. This helps me pre-visualize how I want the final photograph or photographic series to look and what I want to convey to my viewers. The process of creating my work begins with an idea which is drawn from personal experiences, passions or interests. Things like listening to music- specifically the beats, riffs, and percussion; dreams; colors; creatures; social/political headlines; etc., are captured in my daily journal and expanded upon to tell a photographic story that touches the soul.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

While I enjoy the entire creative process, I can put at the top of my list the act of making the image (clicking the shutter button on my camera).

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I currently have several projects in the works. I have my “Photo-A- Day” project where I post a photo each day on my social media pages (Facebook and Instagram). I started this project January 1, 2020 and have continued into 2021. I wanted to challenge myself to photograph something every day, rain or shine. It turned into much more. It became an escape from the daily stress our world experienced through a global pandemic. I was able to focus my creative energy even while the entire world was “shutdown”. This project has also brought joy to my family, friends and followers on even the darkest of days. The photos I make may come from walks with my dogs, passing through a parking lot or even stuck on my couch recovering from neck surgery. The last one really challenged my creativity, but I was determined to not miss a day, and I didn’t. There are always things to photograph, you just have to look at things from different perspectives. Another project is a photo essay on the wild mustang horses that inhabit the western United States. This project began in August of 2020. These beautiful free-roaming animals are part of American history. I want to tell a story of how they survive in America today. I am finishing up a series of abstract images for a photography exhibit entitled “Imaginarium”. I am designing this exhibit so that it creates an environment that stimulates the viewers imagination and lets he/she/they become emersed in the scene of the image. Estimated timeline to be finished photographing and editing my final images is by the end of October, 2021.

Website https://www.sgplattimages.com/

Instagram @sgplatt

Facebook @sightsrevealed