Browsing Instagram one day we stumbled across these minimalist yet wholly captivating pics by Soo Burnell. We instantly fell in-love with her work and contacted her to find out more about her style and inspiration. Read on to find out more……..
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am Soo Burnell I am a photographer and print maker working from my studio in Edinburgh
I have been interested in photography since I was 13 after I bought a darkroom with some money my late grandfather left me. I studied photography for 4 years here in Edinburgh and have been working as a professional photographer ever since (almost 20 years ago!) My passion for architecture came much later after building my own home. I absolutely fell in love with the whole process. If I wasn’t a photographer I would definitely be an architect!
Describe your style and where you find inspiration for your work.
I would describe my style as pretty minimal. I like to live and work in a calm environment and I think I have reflected this in the style of my home and studio with the emphasis being on the views of the landscape outside. I have found inspiration for my work in lots of places over the past few years, Copenhagen and Iceland being my favourite places to photograph and more recently here in my own city Edinburgh. Where I started my poolside series, I also take a lot on inspiration from film, particularly Wes Anderson. I love everything he does.
Tell us about your favourite print?
Its hard to pick one piece but the images of swimmers gliding under water really remind me of my childhood and of holidays spent sitting at the bottom of the pool – that silent weightlessness and calm.
Who is your typical customer?
I think my customers are everyone, they are people that are nostalgic about the pools, their childhood’s spent at the pools and the history that surrounds these buildings.
You are passionate about supporting British industry and work with carefully selected UK suppliers – tell us more about this ethos? How do you select suppliers, who are they, what challenges do you face?
I have built up a very special relationship with the man that prints my work, we have worked together for a very long time and I trust everything he does. I have worked with people all over the UK making products for my other shop SOOuK and I think it definitely pays off to search out the best people. I am 100% confident about the products I am sending out.
We love your Leith Victoria bath photography (actually that is how we discovered you) tell us more about this project?
I started photographing Poolside at the start of this year (2018) I have photographed all of Edinburgh’s victorian baths, we are incredibly lucky still to have 5 of these public baths (one private) still in use. Many others have been demolished or repurposed. I wanted to photograph the baths to show the beauty of the architecture and minimise all of the modern elements. I love geometry of the tiles, the lines on the bottom of the pool and the typography including the ‘Deep End’ signs. I was really inspired by the idea of having a slightly Wes Anderson feel to them especially with the pastel colour palette, and included the little swimmers to add a human element to the scene.
Where is your ‘Hidden Edinburgh’?
My hidden Edinburgh changes all the time! A wonder around the Botanics, the Modern Art Gallery, coffee in Artisan Roast in Stockbridge and a little look in Life story Edinburgh would be a great day, I went to the Lookout on top of Calton Hill last week, I haven’t been up there for years. I thought it was really special and the food was fantastic.
Discover more of Soo’s work over on her website. soo-burnell.com
