
Susan Burnstine is an award-winning fine art and commercial
photographer originally from Chicago, now based in Los Angeles. Susan is
represented in galleries across the world, widely published throughout
the globe, teaches workshops internationally and has also written for
several photography magazines, including a monthly column for Black and
White Photography Magazine (UK).

Burnstine is one of the few photographers today avidly pursuing
alternative processes to create an idiosyncratic and deeply personal
visual landscape. Initially, she sought to find a way to portray her
dream-like visions entirely in-camera, rather than with post-processing
digital manipulations. To achieve this, she has created twenty-three
handmade film cameras and lenses that are frequently unpredictable and
technically challenging. The cameras are primarily made out of plastic,
vintage camera parts, and random household objects, with single-element
lenses molded from plastic and rubber. Learning to overcome their
extensive optical limitations required Burnstine to rely on instinct
and intuition -- the same tools that are key when attempting to
interpret dreams.