Susan Darrow

I first picked up a camera in high school to fulfill an art requirement, and never put it down. I've exchanged the messy chemicals for a digital camera and computer, but my passion for the art and craft of photography remains steadfast. Home is in the D.C. suburb of Rockville, Maryland, but I travel all over the country and world, camera in hand.

In my art, I explore the tension between light and shadow to reveal unseen detail and depth. My style emphasizes the use of dramatic contrast to carve out emotion and energy from my subjects. The scenes that attract me are varied. I love the lines and shapes of architecture. Moody skies haunt me. Water's movement and texture captivate me. Remnants of structures and objects that are forgotten, but not lost always draw my focus.

My formal photography education began with the classic techniques of exposure and composition. I learned to process negatives and images in the darkroom. To make the jump to digital in the early 2000s, I studied under several instructors at the Smithsonian Institution and have participitated in numerous in-person workshops.

VisArts Annual Rockville Art Festival, 2023, 2024
Tephra ICA Fine Arts Festival 2023, 2024, 2025
Frederick Festival of the Arts, 2023, 2024, 2025
Arts Club of Washington, D.C., 2023
Arlington Festival of the Arts, 2024
Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, 2024, 2025
Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show, 2024
Bethesda Row Arts Festival, 2024
Long’s Park Art Festival, 2025
Alexandria Old Town Arts Festival, 2024, 2025
Rittenhouse Square Fine Craft Show, 2025