To be the change you wish to see in the world, first you must open your eyes.
Next, go see the world and take lots of pictures. For Suzanne Teresa this is so much more than her favourite quote, it is how she lives her life and nourishes her passion for photography.
Spending the first half of her life in Ontario, Canada, Suzanne moved to British Columbia on the opposite coast at the age of 14. This move wetted her appetite for travel which she has been quenching ever since.
Her work has taken her more places than almost anyone she knows, London, all over Canada and the United States, Hong Kong, China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vanuatu, France and Mexico. One travel experience that really stands out for Suzanne is Vanuatu on Tanna Island in the South Pacific. The simplicity of life and the joyful people there inspired her spiritually and creatively. Residents of Vanuatu don't have luxuries, they have each other and with that they are blissfully happy. Better call Disneyland to break the news....
As a teenager, while others were pinning up posters of celebrities and athletes on their bedroom wall, Suzanne was shooting pictures of people she met, friends, places they'd been and all the adventures that transpired. From her first film camera, more than 1200 4X6 photographic prints covered the walls of her room. Like a daily visual diary the photos fuelled her interest in photography.
At 20, a friend who noticed her walls covered in photos told her not to waste her time pursuing any other career and suggested she follow her obvious love of photography. That she did. In 2001 she opened her company, ST Photoworks, and began shooting advertising and editorial portraiture. The next few years of learning would earn Suzanne 2 Agfa Photography awards and culminate in 2005 in an Arts degree, majoring in Psych and minoring in Liberal studies. During her time at Vancouver Island University Suzanne took every photography class they had and continued taking private studies with her photography teacher for two years. After graduation she continued educating herself with hands-on experience with mentors across the United States. Her studio then opened and became a dynamic creative space for shooting and experimenting, working with talented hair and make-up artists and models.
For Suzanne Teresa, her ultimate goal is to capture the moment when her model or subject comes into alignment with the vision she's already holding in her head. Prepare to be seen....