10 Questions with Sue Vo-Ho

Featured Spotlight COVER artist - ISSUE08

Sue Vo-Ho studied photography at the Cégep du Vieux-Montréal. Since 1998 she works in fields of photography as portrait, commercial, event and fine arts. Sue Vo-Ho’s photographs have been published in numerous magazines. She received Price and Honorable Mentions in contests as International Color Awards and Black and White Spider Awards. Her work such as City Memories and Herbarium in Urbe series was exhibited in various places likes Musée populaire de la Photographie, Art-Mûr Gallery, Connections Gallery, Bibliothèque Marc-Favreau, etc. She is showcased by Singulart Gallery and Grizzly Montreal. Since 2010, she has been teaching photography at CFP Lachine.

www.suevoho.com | @fleurdelotux

ARTIST STATEMENT

A native of Saguenay in Canada who grew up in the heart of Mother Nature, Sue Vo-Ho stands out as a photographer through her approach to memory and evanescence. The melancholy of open spaces inspires her work. Sue Vo-Ho finds her inspiration in the emptiness of nature or cities. Her preferred themes revolve around the desert, buildings, the ocean, urban landscapes and city walls and are tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Her very technical training in the use of argentic techniques has strongly influenced the way Sue Vo-Ho works with digital media today.  As soon as a shot is taken, she has a very precise view of what will come out in post-production.  Her photographs are often the result of superimposing argentic images that have been digitally reworked.  For example, she often resorts to the digitization of negatives.

California Dreaming | PROJECT DESCRIPTION

California, a state, bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one side, contains a dry environment, which creates a unique diversity of flora and rock formations, that enables its deserts to flourish. It's barren wastelands and endless horizon, provides simultaneously a calm and peaceful feeling and a supernatural landscape. Traveling across California, throughout the years, have filled me with nostalgia and joy. I appreciate what it has given me, the time to cherish the beauty of national parks and its immense deserts. I dream to one day return.

INTERVIEW

What is your first memory related to art? And how did you start experimenting with images?

My first memory is related to music. Classical music such as Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Bach was always playing in the background during my childhood. My mother played the piano, and when I was four years old, she began teaching it to me. I learned how to read sheet music before reading books. Thereafter, I studied cello and piano at the Conservatoire de musique de Chicoutimi. Visual art was also a part of my childhood. All the walls of my home were covered with paintings, mostly created by my father. I loved watching the different shades, particularly in the abstract ones. I started experimenting with images when my father bought me a used Minolta camera when I was about 8 years old. He showed me how to expose the film properly. My approach was really intuitive, but I took the time to frame each picture and think about the subject, since the film only had 24 exposures. So, I tried to have 24 good photos. I remember I could not wait to see my developed pictures. 

What is your aim as an artist?

Taking pictures is really important to me, it’s a need. Basically, this is how I express myself. My work reflects my mood. I like to expose the various dualities in me. I like to show the simple beauty around me, in the countryside and in the city. Obviously, I will be thrilled if people are moved by my images. I wish that if someone can see the beauty of things through my images, then they will pay more attention to the environment. 

Your career spans over 20 years. What is your favorite experience as an artist so far?

Overall, I consider myself very fortunate to be able to travel in order to work on my various projects. Traveling to different countries is so rewarding. This being said, I am really proud of my last solo exhibition Herbarium in Urbe. It’s a project on the importance of the biodiversity. I learned to identify many of the local flora species, and I photographed them. I spent two summers walking around my neighborhood discovering all the richness of the nature that surrounds me. This project is really introspective and personal, and it touched me that other people saw the beauty in my images. The exhibition is on display since June 2020. It allows me to communicate to people the importance of biodiversity.

Two recurring themes in your photography are memory and evanescence, and your photographs evoke a sense of suspension and melancholy. What do you find so fascinating about those themes? What message do you want to convey with your photos?

I find some comfort in melancholy, since it lets me take the time to appreciate the past times. Time flies so fast that I like to relive these events. Photography has the power to capture instants that are so furtive. It fascinates me to think that sometimes, I’m the only one to witness a specific moment. I am very conscious that the things that surround me are ephemeral. Therefore,  I try to appreciate them when they occur. When I take a picture, I also stop for a few minutes to take time to fully live the moment. My photos tend to show these brief moments. Over the past year, I have realized that these themes were emphasized with the present situation. I have been feeling very melancholic lately. 

Your series "California Dreaming" is a collection of shots taken in various parks around California. The photos are breathtakingly beautiful, yet they almost look like extraterrestrial landscapes. How did you reach this result, and what was it like to shoot this project?

When I shoot a project, I first analyze how I want to express it. The pre-production helps me through all the steps of my creative process. So, when I was shooting California Dreaming, I wanted to focus on the extraterrestrial aspect of the landscape. I was fascinated by the contrast between these places and my country. During my road trips through California, I took a lot of pictures. After a preselection, I printed them in order to choose the images for my series. When I was playing with the prints, I wanted to show how the landscapes seem to come from another planet. I had the same intent during post-production when working on the colours of my images. When I was in California, I took the time to feel every moment. I was sensitive to the sounds, wind, smells, and light. I was enchanted by the feeling of crossing this state. The desert fascinated me, with its endless horizons and biodiversity. This road trip was wonderful: days and days of traveling and photography. I felt like time had stopped and that I was in another reality. Being able to see all the wilderness of those landscape was an incredible chance. 

What was the most challenging part about the project, and what was the most enjoyable? 

Maybe the most challenging part was the digital file management. The backup process always brings me a certain amount of stress. I don’t want to lose any picture or run out of memory space. My entire trip to California was wonderful and I enjoyed every park, Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite, etc. But my favourite place was Death Valley National Park. Every landscape is magnificent. The diversity is incredible. Each place seems like visiting another planet. There was hardly anyone there, so it amplified the surreal feeling. 

On a more technical note, considering your training and experiences, what are your thoughts on digital and analog photography? Do you prefer one over the other, and do you have a different approach in general? And most of all, what do you think of the ever-growing interest in analog photography that we see these days?

Each medium has its own advantages. I first learned analog photography, and I still apply my analog knowledge to my digital work. So, I rarely crop my image in post-production. I try to have the best possible exposure during the shoot, and I use the Zone System technique during post-production. For most of my work, I prefer digital photography as the possibilities are endless. But for certain projects, I prefer to use a film. For example, my Mémoires de ces villes series is analog. This project is a research effort on the fragmentary, elusive, and interlace memories that are created when exploring a city. Therefore, the film was the perfect way to emphasize the nostalgic emotion of the series. It also allowed me to reflect before each shot since the film has a limited number of poses. I like the growing interest in analog photography as it keeps the film alive. It allows photographers to continue buying film. I also like the fact that people want to learn the complex analog technique and want to go back to basics.

Over the past year, we have witnessed a lot of changes in the art world and our lives in general. What is one thing that you miss about your life pre-Covid, and one thing you discovered that will stick with you from now on?

I had the incredible chance to be able to pursue my photographic work during the past year. I continued teaching photography, exposing my work, and shooting more pictures. However, I really miss being able to travel to other countries for my photographic projects. I did not necessarily discover a specific thing during this period, but before, I was always running out of time. So, when the first lockdown took place, I saw it as an opportunity to enjoy the time I had. My hard drives were filled with non-post-prod images. Thereby, I used this time to work on the post-production of various series like California Dreaming. I took advantage of this retrospective process to review this project.

What are you working on right now? Anything exciting you can tell us about or that you are particularly looking for?

With the arrival of spring, I continue to work on my Herbarium in Urbe series. I am very excited because I already discovered new plant species. At this time, I have more than 100 species in my urban herbarium. This project is perfect for the present context because I shoot alone, outside, in my neighborhood. It’s great to be so close to nature in a metropolis like Montréal. I will also create new images for my Mémoires de ces villes series. I am working on a book relating to that project. 

Finally, what are your plans for the future? What do you think (and wish) the future might hold for us?

The times are uncertain, so I go day by day. I would like to continue my current projects and start new ones. I hope we will soon be able to see our families like before, and to travel. I also hope the environmental cause will be more important in the future.