Susan Fisher — Intuitive Images
by Sally Hansen
The art of photography is the result of a human process of choices. In no particular order, the person on the shooting end of the camera has to decide on a subject, choose the lighting conditions, arrange the composition, pick between black-and-white or colour, go high-tech (e.g., digital SLR) or low-tech (e.g., pinhole or point-and-shoot film camera), frame the composition, consider focus and depth of field, and with high-tech, tinker with a staggering array of technical options. And that’s just the input side of the equation.
Photographer Susan Fisher follows her intuition. She quite carefully avoids over-analysing her shots. Sometimes she picks up one of her two pinhole cameras. Sometimes she uses her digital Nikon D200. Sometimes she uses her $20 plastic Holga film camera. The results are creative, original, free.
Her favourite subject matter is the human face and form. “I love people. Sometimes I see a person and I just walk up to them and say ‘I’d like to photograph you.’ If they look alarmed, I tell them I’m a member of a photography club (she is) and we’re working on a project (they do).” Susan recently participated with two other members of the Photography Matters Camera Club in an exhibition of portraits of people from Lanark County at Lux Photographic Service Inc. on Lake Avenue in Carleton Place.