Paula Suter

Screen Name: paulasuterphoto
Currently Living: Poulsbo
Member Since: 7/21/2008
Last Update: 7/28/2008
Gallery Type: Public

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Gallery: BlackWhite (46 images)

I first started working in black and white while living in Rochester Hills, Michigan over twenty years ago. I did some workshops and experimented with the Sabbatier Effect (sometimes referred to as solarization, i.e., flashing your negative or print with light for a split second during the development process). The result would always be a surprise, somewhere along the gamut of total to partial tone reversal. Seeing the magic before my eyes was the beginning of how I came to see my subjects from then on, with a graphic approach and a "lean eye". I noticed the more I pared down my subject of extraneous material, the better and more dramatic the tone reversal. It also educated my eye in terms of chiaroscuro... The reversal exaggerated the highlights and the shadows. High contrast images are interesting because they communicate strength and lend a sharpness to the scene that emphasizes the subject. I especially love to photograph common, everyday objects where the light produces a chiaroscuro effect which, for me, communicates powerfully the soul and vitality of the subject.