Meet Marilyn Suriani of Marilyn Suriani Photography in Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marilyn Suriani.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
A Sociology/Psychology degree occupied my college years. I moved to Atlanta to embark on a career as a social worker and soon realized it was not my passion. I had an interest in interior design and enrolled in the art program at Georgia State University. After a few semesters, I took an elective photography class and fell in love with it, leaving interior design behind. One of my first college assignments was to photograph people in the streets of Atlanta. The first college degree gave me the confidence to approach complete strangers and to talk them into letting me photograph them. At that point I realized I wanted more than just casual contacts. Ultimately, this lead to many documentaries based in the city over a 15 year period, including my poignant Storefront Churches project featuring small urban congregations and Women In Prison focusing on the women and their lives inside. I was awarded numerous grants to produce these and other documentary projects.

Dancing Naked in the Material World, an in-depth study of exotic dancers in Atlanta, culminated in my book by the same name, a New York City gallery exhibition and an appearance on Sally Jesse Raphael show with four of the dancers. The book and gallery exhibit resulted in numerous radio and print interviews and reviews, the Philadelphia Inquirer calling it “fine urban anthropology”. Images from this work were displayed in the Deep South exhibition at the International Festival of Arles, France.

Moving on from documentaries led me to magazine, corporate and studio photography. I have been privileged to photograph many famous people in Atlanta and around the country for numerous publications: including John Lewis, civil rights hero; Andrew Young, ambassador, mayor and civli rights hero: Chuck Leavell, keyboard player for Rolling Stones; Michael Vick, major league quarterback; and Senator Newt Gingrich to name a few for numerous publications. Many became magazine cover shots. During this period I was hired by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as their senior photographer. A commission to produce a permanent installation for the 1996 Olympics, “Southern Trinities”, depicting life in the south using 4 mixed media triptychs @ 4’ x 12’ each, in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Gate E-17 was first foray into “big art”.

My most recent work is the result of moving out to a lake for 15 years. I decided to see what I could do as it was literally in my back yard. I began photographing the water in abstraction depicting the lyrical and temporal qualities of light and water, especially at larger sizes. The largest original photograph on glass in Atlanta, “Liquid Emerald”, a water image at 10’ x 28’ is installed in the valet lobby of a Buckhead office building. In 2016, another large installation “Waterway”was commissioned in Las Vegas in a newly renovated luxury condominium high rise, using three large water photos mounted on acrylic equalling a staggering 54 linear feet in the lobby corridor. This has led to work with art consultants and interior designers nationally. As I move forward, I am interested in combining photography using mixed media and a variety of artistic techniques.

My work can be found in the permanent collections of museums, corporations, private individuals and in high profile public spaces worldwide.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The life of a professional freelance photographer is hardly categorized as normal and financially steady. Knowing this means working extra hard to maintain current and future clients using continuous marketing methods. As a result the road has been quite smooth and financially rewarding at times. I continue to find new avenues and new techniques which makes a difference, as I continue to grow and change. I think that is the most important aspect. I am definitely up for the challenge. It is also helpful to have a variety of offerings for clients. It certainly doesn’t hurt that my 40 year career has produced such varied and popular work.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Marilyn Suriani Photography – what should we know?
What started as a hobby turned into a corporation which produces work for portraiture, healthcare, hospitality, museums, galleries, private collections and corporations. I am known for Big Water Art in big spaces and for Suriani Women, photographing women of all ages and allowing them to feel pampered, acknowledged and esteemed.

I have the ability to work with others easily including printers, architects, designers, and curators to give them what they need, from the initial photograph to final production and installation.

I am told I have an “eye” for composition. It always came easily for me from the beginning and it has given me the benefit of “getting the shot” without taking tons of pictures. For example, I spent 4 weekends on the water to produce “Liquid Emerald”, the large water image commissioned using certain colors and feel for corporate lobby and it was shot on the first day.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband deserves credit for sure. He had his own business and knows a good bit about how to set up a corporation and how to deal with clients in the most positive light. I could not have made this happen without his guidance.

My mentor and my teacher at Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Dennis Darling, had the biggest effect on me and my work. He is a documentary photographer whose work inspires me. I had seen his work in a gallery and I was mesmerized. I had to find out more about him.

My dear friend and photographer, Billy Howard, has always been an advocate and cheerleader. He hired me for a position at Emory University photography and the rest is history. We support each other.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2460 Peachtree Rd. NW
  #1811
  Atlanta, GA 30305
• Website: www.surianiphoto.com
• Phone: 404-316-8444
• Email: marilyn@surianiphoto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/surianiphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.suriani

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.