Studio Set for Endless Sorrow
Night Journey - Behind-the-Scenes
Working in her Dallas studio, Susan kae Grant constructs the environments for Night Journey from fabric, props, and other found materials, photographing the resulting shadows on a large backdrop with a digital camera tethered to a monitor.
She creates the backgrounds first, establishing the visual world in which each narrative will unfold.
Models are then invited into the studio, where Grant intuitively directs them through a series of gestures and poses, often working for several hours until a narrative begins to emerge
The process is intuitive, allowing the relationship between the environment, the model, light, and shadow to continually shape the image. At some point, the original idea, or inspirational phrase becomes secondary. What matters is the narrative unfolding in the moment.
The images that follow offer a glimpse Grant’s process of transforming simple materials, figures, light, and shadow into the imagined worlds of Night Journey.
Quiet Desperation
Studio Set - Quiet Desperation
Quiet Desperation
Sacred Encountes
Sacred Encountes
Studio Set - Sacred Encountes
Respite
Studio Set - Respite
Respite
Swept Away
Swept Away
Studio Set - Swept Away
They Were Mischievous
Studio Set - They Were Mischievous
They Were Mischievous
She Hunted the Night
Studio Set - She Hunted the Night
Studio Set - She Hunted the Night