Regular readers of this blog have often encountered comments by Susan Schwartz. Susan was a celebrated teacher in District 2 in New York City. Now she is retired and has become a very successful photographer. She mentioned recently that her work had been accepted for an exhibit, and another reader asked whether Susan would be willing to share her work here.
I asked her and she responded with this sampling of her superb photographs.
Enjoy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane, Thanks for sharing these incredible photographs! My husband and I both enjoyed them. Kas Winters
Beautiful photos!
So talented- what a joy to see a view through Susan’s lens. A fav- the duck photo- reminds me of a teacher, in a role of dedicated leader watching over students. Thanks.
Incredible pictures, so many good ones, the photo of the osprey eating the fish was outstanding. Being in the right place at the right time and having your camera at the ready…brilliant!
I enjoyed these beautiful and sometimes thought provoking photos.
Magnificent photos. They are so beautiful and diverse. Thank you for sharing.
Just magnificent, Susan!!! Thank you, so much, for sharing these. What an eye for color, texture, pattern, shape, and composition. Wow. Beautifully done.
Ah, the elements of design, which I studied in Graphic arts. Funny you should mention that. I want to reply to you, but do not want my reply to creep along the side… so Bob, if you would, go to my larger comment. And Thanks.
Wow!!! Goosebumps-making beautiful!! Each and every one! Thanks for sharing.
Wondrous photos. Love them all. Thank you, Susan.
Susan
Those are absolutely, positively fabulous!
You really have an eye for photography.
I especially like the one of Mt Moran in the Tetons.
I have visited Jackson many times, stood at the precise spot where you took the photo, rafted the Snake River and even climbed the Grand Teton.
Your photo brought back all the memories.
Thanks for sharing.
Breathtaking…every single one! Thank you for sharing these.
Thanks, Susan. Your Skillet Glacier shots ran me back al,out thirty years to our first visit to Teton. Awesome shots.
Let me guess. Before each shot, you drew up,a detailed photography plan complete with a long list of standards of photography each one and scaffolding for anyone who is colorblind (I am in that crowd). Didn’t do that? Better check the rubric.
Roy, This is a winner. But thank goodness Susan is not trapped in that nonsense. Susan has what photograhers call “having a great eye” (and fine camera).
The website shows the power of the internet for the international circulation of images, including gallery shows.
Also Roy, there are theme-based exhibitions there, with topics/themes I would certainly recommend as prompts for high school teachers and not just in photography.
Congratulations Susan and thanks for letting us see your work.
You are so welcome. And thank you for all the wonderful essays and articles you offer here.
LOL! The other elements of design are. there for you, line, form(negative and positive) and texture, as Bob pointed..
Breathtaking work, Susan. Clearly, the person behind these lenses knows how to see!!!!
I couldn’t help, looking at these, think how much I would enjoy discussing them with a class. OK, kids. Tell me why this is an absolutely awesome photograph!!! https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/thirty-for-suggestions-for-composing-the-frame/
When we get to the right spot in World History I just throw up a David or a Delacriox and ask the kids what they see.it is fascinating to see how much they get without much context.
Wow. Fantastic photos. If this is the beauty in New York, I’m saddened to live in Indiana.
Carol,
I bet Susan would find beauty in every corner of Indiana. She has a gift for beauty.
Indiana is a beautiful place. We have crossed through the big agricultural country (exciting envy in this former farmer). We have seen the limestone hills in the south and walked the streets of the utopian New Harmony. Beautiful state.
I have been in all the conterminous 48 but Wash, Ore, and Del. There is beauty all around.
Pretty amazing. Actually, I found myself taking a closer look at the photos of bridges. Something about those caught my eye, though the ones with animals are spectacular, too.
Interesting. I love bridges and have an album called structures, from which that photo is taken.
Go down to Nicholson,Pa, where a behemoth of a railroad trestle stretches across an entire valley between two mountains.
Oooooh!! Thank you, Susan, for sharing!
Resplendent! Thank you.
Extraordinary photos!
Extraordinary photos!
Extraordinarily amazing, Susan. Enjoy your new work as we all are!
My goodness.. You all gave ME goosebumps. Thank you one and all.
Thank you so much, Diane. I am so happy.
I want to publish a response that I began writing as a reply to Bob Shepherd; but it led me to reflect on my avocation, which is art. He recognized the way I use the 4 elements of design… which is exactly what powers my photos. Color is my favorite element and I was painting when I was 3,
But, I aisles sculpt, so forms often capture my attention in an image, and thus,many of my photos have carefully designed negative space. I do use texture as the major element In some, like the image of the elk in the grass ( at Yellowstone)
But it is line that fascinates me, and I used pen and ink to create little drawings for my high yearbook ( I wonder if Bernie Sanders ever noticed my drawings… he was president of my class. LOL)
But, in 1990, I was given total freedom (autonomy–OMG) to write the entire curriculum in Communication Arts (English; literacy) for the entire 7the grade at the new middle school in NYC. SO — I used art as motivation! I promised the kids, A WEEK of ART EVERY MONTH, IF EVERYONE did the work!. Lo and behold… the kids helped each other to meet this clear expectation.
And –as you all know,__ it was the students’ weekly Reader’s Letters to me, that became the focus of the Pew research! BUT the Secret — the trick to getting 13 year old kids to do the writing process – including editing — was that whole week of art.
I had taught art in East Ramapo, (when it was a real school system) and so I knew the 7th grade state objectives!
I bought ALL the supplies myself, and of course–the principal never paid me… but then… that is another story… which I am telling to Karen Horwitz in a podcast for the relaunch of her book “White Chalk Crime.”
Back to the JOY OF TEACHING ART: soooo…. in September I. bought ink, pens and brushes, and good paper, and in week four of Trimester 1– we looked at line drawings in the children’s books I loved, and in advertisements and magazines and looked at how lines lead the eye, and they learned to cross-hatch…and…
In October, I gave them charcoal, and pastels, and we talked about forms and shadows, and looked at children books that used dramatic forms and shapes.
In November, I bought then watercolors and tempura paints, and I showed them how to use washes, and to scumble, and to mix colors, as they learned about hue, tint, and tone, and shade.
In December, I gave them colored pencils, and we looked at Bill Peet’s wonderful books.
By June every student had a portfolio, and many of the students who also took my watercolor elective, used the work they did with me — to apply to La Guardia HS of Art.
But, the real reward, was meeting the parents of one of my students at a broadway show, and hearing how her talent was revealed for the FIRST TIME. in my English class —-and that she went on to graduate Fine Arts, and is now working as an artist.
But there is more— on facebook and Linked-in, I get comments like this; “Are you MY Mrs Schwartz?”… and so, the reward for what I accomplished in the nineties, was the contact (in my senior years) with my former students — now in their thirties and forties — who remember when we shared 10 months ( and more), They post photos of their children with messages of joy at re-establishing contact with their favorite teacher.
My oh my… I am so blessed… and now you all … wow!!!
I wish you could come to my exhibit. at the Pomona Cultural Exhibit in Pomona, New York
Address: 584 NY-306, Suffern, NY 10901 (Suffern is the official address for the GPS)
Let me explain… this is something unique… I printed them all ON METAL ! Many athe photos you see at Guru, and that gallery room is breathtaking.
It is curated by a brilliant artist ( Gde Artha) and this Fall Exhibit, is called ‘ATOP THE EARTH” because so many of my photos are mountains , trees, water…and because the other artist is a fabulous ceramists.
That unpretentious, old, Pomona historical building houses a galley that would hold its own in Soho or Madison Avenue. For almost decades, Gde finds and promotes the work of local Rockland artists and musicians. When I first retired, and took up the digital camera, he discovered me, and I had my first show. Just when I thought no one would ever see my art, he made this happen.
Please come if you live in the NY metro area. The Falls Show runs from (9/22 to 11/16) BUT it OPENS on Sept. 22 ( 5pm to 8PM) Downstairs, Gde, provides refreshments,,, yum– and flowers, and the MUSIC of a local group….and you will get to meet me (nee, nee) — but I WILL GET TO MEET YOU
… and you. could, spend the day, and peep the leaves in Harriman State Park, only 4 exits farther on the Palisades, and see the lakes that are featured in many of my photos, and then come — at 5 — to the opening.
Susan Lee Schwartz: I wish I’d been in one of your classes and had learned about art. I inherited an artistic ability from my father. I used it throughout my career to make bulletin boards and when in the International School of Kuala Lumpur, I used it to make drawings on the group tee shirts that my beginning band students would wear.
I grew up in Boise and there was no art instruction until middle school. I chose to continue on in band and never received any art instruction.
As I said, wish I’d been your student. Those kids are SO fortunate.
Oh MY. What a wonderful comment, and now I know more about who you are when I read your comments here…which I always do!
I send this NOT to take away from the beauty that Susan has photographed, but to let you see one of the best videos of our gorgeous earth. I get weepy at the beauty, the music and the message.
……..
Creation Calls
We live on a wonderful planet with majestic scenes of natural beauty| HD | Dutch subtitled
“Creation Calls” by Brian Doerksen is the soundtrack for this wonderful video featuring beautiful scenes from around the world.
Published on Jan 6, 2015
GORGEOUS… and so ironic, as the curator chose for theme of my show is “Atop The Earth.” because of the many gorgeous mountain landscapes that I photographed . I love it. Such a gift… thank you! I sent to my friends and family!
Thank you Diane for sharing my Aunt’s gorgeous photos. We are all proud and in awe of her work. As a fellow educator of 20+ years, I am always inspired to read your perspective, and follow your blog closely.
Thank you, Jennifer.