Stephanie Fysh

Bio

Stephanie Fysh comes to photography with a PhD-induced penchant for theory and a childhood aversion to cameras. She overcame that aversion when she borrowed a manual camera for a late honeymoon in the irresistibly photogenic New Orleans. Three children and a career or two later, she returned to photography and hasn't looked back — except to see what's hidden there.

Her photographs have been published in magazines, printed and sold as postcards, and featured by a variety of websites. She exhibited her work in the CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival in 2006 and 2007, and in an fall 2007 international juried group exhibition in Tallahassee, Florida's 621 Gallery. Her work hangs in private collections across North America. Interviews with Stephanie appear on Utata.org and on poet Sina Queyras's website Lemon Hound: Contemporary Arts & Letters, Interviews & Features.

Stephanie lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and children, and supports her photography and her yen for travel as a book editor.

Testimonial

It is with great glee that I out Stephanie as the mistress of the superficial. Especially since she's had me scrambling to find that damn acute key combo in order to do proper justice to her flickr moniker, which happens to be half my last-name-sake...

I've only met her in the real world once. And truly, Ms. Lú_ , once is not enough. We talked about Hudson Bay blankets, old haunts, being one day older than her, and eventually, her strikingly raw self-portraits.

Had lots to say and ask, especially of how soul-baring they were. Imagine my disappointment when she shrugged and confessed that there was NO UNDERLYING TALE to them. No secrets under the flesh, no story under the skin.

Just a warm body, a pose and a camera.

Still, Stephanie strolls head-up-high, capturing the neighbourhood I have frequented for my half-life in that new light, that new angle, that new mood/mode. Catching that magic that makes the old ho-hum brand new again.

As for her self-portraits: I still believe in their lies, preferring the diversions they silently whisper.

Testimonial written by Mondo Lulu