Artist’s name: Susannah Conway
Shop name and url: Unravelling - www.unravelling.etsy.com
Photo blog: http://unravelling.co.uk
Location: Dorset, UK

Where in your home/apartment/city is your studio located?

I work at my desk (a repro Edwardian table) in the corner of my living room that leads into the kitchen. There are windows behind me and in front of me, and as my apartment is housed in a converted attic I get plenty of daylight throughout the day. Working so close to the kitchen means the kettle is permanently switched on, supplying me with a steady stream of rooibos tea.


What equipment/tools do you use?

I have an iMac G4 and use Photoshop CS2 to make adjustments to my photographs. The majority of the images in my store were taken with a Holga, a toy camera from China that I am head over heels in love with. It takes 120 film, has one f-stop and doesn’t really focus as such, but using it feels very meditative to me. I have a digital SLR camera (Canon 5D) that I use for portrait sessions, but I find myself being drawn back to film more and more.




Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is inspiring you now?

I stick postcards, magazines tears and other bits of ephemera to my fridge door as it’s in my line of sight, and have books, magazines, photographs, cards, art prints and vintage LP sleeves covering every available surface in my home. I’m currently inspired by vintage objects and old photographs, the possibilities of Polaroid film, capturing moments of every day living and early morning walks along the shore. There are so many talented photographers on Flickr who inspire me, and I spend way too much time on the internet visiting design and photography blogs. Paintings, collage, sculpture, illustration, music, literature and fashion - all of it gets filed away in the picture library in my head (and here: http://unravelling.tumblr.com/)



How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)

I’m always taking photographs and can’t go anywhere without at least three cameras on me. When I worked as a journalist in London I preferred to work in complete silence but as a photographer I seem to need constant music around me, either from my iPod if I’m outside shooting or via iTunes on the computer. When I’m editing photographs I’ll work late into the night, and prefer to save my mornings for lie-ins, internet research and bits of admin. I’m currently annoying my neighbours by playing The Weepies’ new album, Hideaway, non-stop.



List 3 of your favorite artists:

Uta Barth - www.sieshoeke.com/artists/uta-barth, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uta_Barth
KayLynn Deveney - http://www.kaylynndeveney.com
Maria Vettese - port to port press



If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?

I’d love to have a large study in my house, a sunshiny room filled with books and art work on the walls, that has plenty of storage space as this is something I currently have very little of. Obviously I’d need an upgraded Mac, new neg scanner and printer and some extra L series lenses too. Oh, and I’d like the house to be in London, New York or San Francisco!

Thanks Susannah!