Marlene Neumann’s Centre for Photography and Light
Born and raised in East London, Marlene Neumann is a well-known and loved artist. Her studio and gallery, ‘The Centre for Photography and Light’, situated in Vincent, is one of our city’s hidden gems. The gardens of the centre are idyllic and are a reflection of Marlene’s character and a place where you immediately feel at ease.
A gentle yet determined spirit, Marlene has worked hard to get where she is today, from the humble beginnings of part-time photography workshops in a hired room in the evenings, to a dream of something more … something big.
Marlene studied at the East London satellite campus of the Port Elizabeth Technikon, where she obtained a Masters degree, specialising in Photography. She studied Alfred Stieglitz, the Master Photographer from the 1940’s and the man who changed the perception of photography. She then lectured in the Department of Art and Design at the Campus, leaving them 8 years ago to follow her dream. And it was just that, a dream. She had no plans, but rather a vision, a vision which she believes turned into a reality because of the philosphy she lives by – “if the intention is right, it will come.”
The Centre took just one year to complete and Marlene immediately continued her workshops from there. People from all over South Africa, from all walks of life, travel to attend them, and they have proven to be incredibly popular, not only because she is gifted at teaching photography, but because she is gifted at teaching life through photography. Her work is healing and many of her students have found peace through her classes. This, Marlene believes, is because you cannot separate emotion from photography. If a piece ‘speaks’ to an individual, it is often a sign of where that individual is in their own life. This is the beauty and strength of photography.
Through her workshops, Marlene teaches students how to explore the world through new eyes and how to express their creativity through the lens of a camera. Her courses cover the basics of digital photography and fine art of photography. She adds her own inspiring flavour to the workshops and her years of experience as a Master Fine Art Photographer, resulting in a very different type of workshop where the students are taught to find and explore their own creativity within themselves.
Workshops are held every Wednesday night over a period of 6 weeks, or over weekends (from Friday to Sunday). Students are given a whole new perspective on life and creativity on these courses and Marlene always receives rave reviews:
“Thanks for an amazing 6 week course … of friendship, fun, laughter, GROWTH! Thank you also for giving so much of yourself each week and teaching me not only how to take better photographs but more importantly, how to see life with all my senses! You have changed how I live life. You have definitely made me see life through new eyes … what a great experience!” – Lee-Ann Lavender
“This was the most moving, motivating and enriching experience. Thanks for taking us ‘out the box’ and for introducing us to a place filled with love, beauty and creativity.” – Lori Joubert
Marlene not only inspires those who attend her workshops – her inspirational talks at this year’s Canon SA Show were a huge success. It was a full house and the enthralled audience hung onto every word as Marlene took them on her visual journey. She was also recently invited as a guest speaker to the PSSA Photographers Congress in Barkly East and received a standing ovation with her talk on “Creative Photography, a Fine Art Expression.” Her talk at the Barkly East Congress was such a success that Marlene has already been booked for their 2016 Congress.
Marlene also exhibits at two of the country’s largest décor events – Homemakers JHB and Decorex JHB. The reaction to Marlene’s exhibitions is tremendous with people stopping and staring in awe at her photography.
Although Marlene covers many fields of photography – landscape, travel, wildlife – she says that her favourite field is landscape, having travelled extensively. She feels a strong connection to nature. Perhaps the fact that she feels landscape is the most difficult to photograph also plays a part in her favouring the field – it is the most challenging to capture and is an indication of how Marlene enjoys taking on these challenges and pushing her own boundaries.
Marlene first started taking photographs at the age of 14 and says she doesn’t think that she ever stopped. For her, photography always had a ‘magical’ feeling about it, as it happens in an instant. It was that instant that drew her to working with a camera and becoming the respected fine art photographer that she is today. Unlike many other photographers and artists, Marlene’s background as a designer has given her an added dimension to her work. Her interest in the ‘energy’ of things gives her work a unique flavour. Today, Marlene only ever shoots in black and white and for her landscape shots, she only works when there are clouds in the sky. Mood is essential at the time of taking the shot and she will never try to create it after the photograph has been taken. Whatever the focus of Marlene’s shots, be it landscape, wildlife or travel, she never takes lots of photographs, she simply waits for the right moment.
“A Fine Art photograph is taken long before you see it. It happens within yourself as an emotion … the camera can record it weeks later. Generally people are identified with their thoughts and their mind, rarely do they listen to their heart, let alone photograph from the heart. “ – Marlene Neumann
Marlene is fascinated by chemical processes and has been playing around and creating her own emulsions for a long time, ‘allowing the magic to happen’. She has five chemicals that she created and works with today and says that one image can take up to three months to complete as it is all dependent on the outcome she is looking for. Of course, many people are intrigued by her technique and when they ask how she achieves it, she replies, “Don’t look at the technique, look beyond it, look at what the image says to you.”
The results are simply stunning, and her work has been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Marlene was also a finalist in the ABSA Atelier Award for four consecutive years and was recognised as one of SA’s top eight Fine Art Photographers at an exhibition at the PhotoZA Gallery in JHB.
So what next for Marlene? Fuelled by her passion for teaching, she says that she would love to give inspirational speeches to share with and teach others what she has learnt through her own journey. She has also written a book, strongly linked with emotions, which she hopes will be published by the end of September. She says that her intention is not to write a bestseller, but to simply put down on paper what she feels she needs to share with others.
Through her incredible journey and determination at making her dream come true, Marlene has finally found what she has been looking for all her life – herself.
“Nature is a mirror to the beauty within ourselves … in photographing this beauty, we discover parts of ourselves that we never knew existed.” – Marlene Neumann