Invited Magazine issue 8 | Page 95

young art Lior Susana Photography Lior Susana was born on September 12, 1982, the first of five children, to a second generation Jewish family in Israel. Even at an early age Lior was drawn to the arts, enjoying painting and sculpting. Coming from an artistic family he felt a very deeply rooted connection to art; his grandfather excelling in photography and his father in painting. It was in his early teens that he discovered photography for himself. One day he came across the National Geographic collection held in his junior high-school library. Going through hundreds of issues he became more and more fascinated by the work of the great masters of photography. Recognizing and encouraging his passion his parents bought him his first analog reflex camera at the age of fifteen. He quickly began experimenting with various photographic styles and techniques; working mostly with 35mm films and black and white dark room techniques. As an enthusiastic teenage photographer he began developing his skills in photography while working for the local newspapers in his home town and documenting family events. Here he began training his artistic eye, capturing mostly black and white street, reportage, and landscape images. Shortly after his military service of three years for the Israeli Air Force, at the eager age of 22, Lior discovered his second great passion, travel. His wanderlust began in 2005 when he embarked on his first solo journey abroad, traversing India and Nepal. He traveled alone across the great expanse of the Himalayas for almosta year. Crossing from one challenging and daunting side to the other. He covered more than 800 kilometers on foot, his camera always inseparable, at his side, ready to capture the rare and mysterious secrets as the mountain revealed them. As he trekked this infamous, rocky land he came across and interacted with many of the indigenous peoples and learned of their different cultures and ways.