Dec 1, 2007 – Jan 22, 2008
New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery
1111 St. Mary St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Wed – Fri 3-6, Sat 11-4
Opening Saturday Dec 1, 6-9 pm
Gallery Talk Sunday Dec 2, 6pm
SPC Melvin Moore
Ellen Susan’s jewel-like photographs of contemporary American soldiers are at once intimate and revelatory. Utilizing the antique wet plate collodion process, she photographs soldiers primarily from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in her own community. Within each one of a kind glass plate negative Susan reaches beyond the uniforms and explores in stunningly minute detail the individuality of each soldier. “The anonymous visual presentation of multitudes of soldiers on television, newspapers and the internet became disconcerting, and I wanted to make pictures that focused on each soldier as a unique person who happened to be wearing a uniform,” says Susan. By using the beautiful yet arduous wet plate collodion process she carries on a tradition that harkens back to the Civil War.
Ellen Susan lives in Savannah, Georgia. She studied photography at the Massachusetts College of Art, and earned an MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design. The Soldier Portrait series was recently featured in an article on PopPhoto.com, American Photo’s online magazine, and was also selected for inclusion in Photo-Eye’s Photographer’s Showcase Gallery. The Photo Alliance is proud to present the first solo exhibition of this compelling work. In mid-February Susan will return to New Orleans to teach a wet plate collodion workshop.