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I often say my baby’s sucked the creativity right out of me.I had two incredible birth experiences! But, they left me feeling thirsty to gain my creative intuition back. It is the lack of sleep or the body’s brilliant way of giving all moms’ goodness to their growing baby. Still, I remember so many nights rocking my infant to sleep thinking I was drowning. I wished I had someone to photograph his sweet little feet against my stomach. Or to see his soft, sweet-smelling head drooped over my shoulder. Or to recognize and record how much I am needed by this little person. To look back on how blessed I was in this tired mess of milk and tears. I desperately wanted to record these fleeting details to memory. Life (especially with a 3 year old) inevitably rushed me on. Still, I kept my camera at arm’s length, whether I felt creative or not.
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There is something about photography that feeds my soul.
It has for many, many years, but something about this season was different. It slowed me down. I wasn’t so focused on perfect poses in perfect places. Rather I was using my camera lens to appreciate so much of what I had right here. I had no agenda. I clicked away, as I was, in the mundane, in the small things, in practicing and creating something with my art.
"Rather than feeling burdened by time, the camera helped me appreciate it one small slice at a time. I discovered within these slices new worlds and hidden truths that previously went unseen."
The Creative Fight by Chris Orwig
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My husband made the suggestion to compile all our favorite images onto our TV’s screen saver. I didn’t think much of it until we found ourselves glued to image after dissolving image on the screen. We were laughing and reminiscing, loving a season of life less than two years passed. I had the epiphany that I was beginning to document a detailed tapestry of our lives. I felt so grateful and I wanted that for others.
Some of these photos were of my dad with my two boys. They became more meaningful when my dad died the same year I put together the slideshow, three months after a cancer diagnosis. At the same time my dad was sick my four-year-old son broke his arm. It was such a hard summer. I have a few images I made during this time give feelings and memories we can carry on as an important thread in our family's story. |
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I am Suzanna, a documentary photographer who uses a lot of love in my approach. I want to capture your joy or sorrow and even a little adventure by meeting you wherever you are in life. My images are captivating in their authenticity. They are to be enjoyed now, but also to be cherished in later seasons of life. My hope is that we all have photos to look back on with nostalgia. |
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