Bio      

Susan Bowen is a New York City based fine-art photographer renowned for her innovative use of the Holga, a plastic medium-format film camera. Her signature “holgaramas”—overlapping multiple exposure panoramas—capture the dynamic energy of urban life through in-camera techniques that embrace chance and spontaneity.

In recent years, Bowen’s artistic focus has expanded to include contemplative studies of everyday urban ephemera. Her recent series, such as ‘Splash, Splatter, Splat’, ‘Rounds Found Around’, and ‘Seeing Red’, delve into abstract compositions derived from street spills, found objects, and the vivid hues of city infrastructure.

Bowen’s photography has been featured in 27 solo exhibitions across the United States, including notable shows at the Soho Photo Gallery in New York City. Her accolades include three public art commissions, features in The Pictorial List, Photo Techniques and Light Leaks magazines, and contributions to publications like Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity and Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age

Statement

I’m a fine-art photographer based in New York City. My work focuses on things found on the street—marks, shapes, textures, and motion —transformed into abstract and expressive photographic compositions.

In the Holgaramas, I use overlapping film exposures to create long panoramic views of urban space. Rounds Found Around pairs circular objects from the street in striking diptychs. Splash, Splatter, Splat reveals the accidental beauty in spills and stains. Seeing Red focuses on the bold red markings of city infrastructure. The People Walking series captures motion and rhythm at street level, both in sharp detail and expressive blur.

Across all my series, I look for what’s easily missed and turn it into something worth seeing.