Susan Greeff
SOTA Selective
Photography for me is not just about taking beautiful photos; it’s about that soulful connection with the landscape and capturing its essence, which I hope will send whispers of recognition to the viewer’s soul as well.
“Landscape has a vast and wonderful variety of presence. Expressed spiritually, each place has its own texture and spirit. No two places in Landscape are the same, and the landscape viewed or experienced from each place is different.”
John O’Donohue, The late Irish philosopher and poet: The Four Elements – Reflections on Nature
Selected Exhibitions:
Cape Town School of Photography: Student Exibition
What is your favourite film of all time?!
Forest Gump! Run Forest Run!
What music are you currently listening to and why?
I am listening to a variety of music that awakens my spirit and gives me a sense of freedom. In my car cd player: Leonard Cohen, David Garret’s Rock Symphonies, Kid Rock’s Born Free.
Which living artists do you most admire and why?
Yvette Weyers: her sculptures not only have a personal message but the essence of her work also connects with mine, making it a personal experience for me too.
Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?
I feel a connection with some of Ansel Adams work, on my resent trip to Namibia I took several photos of the straight road ahead or behind me, which he liked photographing as well.
Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?
Yvette Weyers at the 2011 KKNK. All her work has a personal message, a connection on a soul level and that’s what I strive to achieve in my photography as well.
What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?
What did I do to get a great shot? I don’t know technically, but mostly it was that moment when I was absolutely one with what I was shooting, regardless what the camera setting was.
What/ who inspired you to be an artist?
My mother always had her box camera nearby, photographing us children in a beautiful landscape or between the flowers in our garden (off course in line according to age) and my father’s love for travelling awakened in me that sense of connection with people, places and magic moments, that I saw in old yellow photographs in my mother’s albums.
Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any, the significance this location has.
I am so lucky that I can make my art anywhere my camera and I am, whether that be in a beautiful rural landscape or in my garden or among family and friends. The magic is in the moment of connection.
What do you like most about being an artist?
I love travelling, it sets my spirit free and as a photographer I just love that moment when my soul connects with something beautiful.
What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
Those rare photo’s (and sometimes it was a one shot only) that captured the essence of the subject so perfectly that hardly no post-editing is necessary.
What are your plans for the coming year?
I am planning to enroll for the Creative Workshop at the Cape Town School of Photography later this year. I am also planning to go on 2 road trips; one with my husband visiting a couple of natural hot springs around South Africa, and the other with my parents driving through the Karoo. I hope to capture some great images of the vastness and beauty of our country and people.