Article By: Zak Lodhi
Paths in life rarely follow a straight line. For photographer Suzanne Sahakian, the journey toward art unfolded through several chapters, each one shaping the perspective she brings to her work today. Originally drawn to ballet, Sahakian pursued dance, but when a knee injury ultimately changed that path, she redirected her efforts toward another demanding profession. She practiced law for 26 years as a commercial litigator. It wasn’t until 2011 that Sahakian decided to return to the artistic pursuits that had long been part of her life, focusing her energy on photography. Within a year, she became an associate artist at Chicago’s Greenleaf Art Center, where she began showing and selling her work. Today, Sahakian works out of home studios in Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her photography has appeared in numerous galleries and art spaces throughout Tucson, including the Southern Arizona Arts Guild (SAAG) Gallery, Steinfeld Gallery, Untitled Gallery, and Raices Taller 222 Art. Her work has also been exhibited online through the University of Arizona Museum of Art.
For several years, she served as Director of Steinfeld Gallery at the Steinfeld Warehouse Community Arts Center in Tucson’s historic Warehouse Arts District, maintaining a studio space there as well. The role placed her at the center of a vibrant creative community, allowing her to support other artists while continuing to expand her own body of work.
Sahakian’s photography is driven by observation and curiosity.
The camera, she believes, encourages a deeper awareness of the world, drawing attention to fleeting moments, subtle contrasts, and unexpected juxtapositions that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
Her images often capture that quiet energy. Urban scenes, natural landscapes, and botanical forms appear throughout her portfolio, transformed through careful composition and vibrant color. Many viewers are surprised to learn that the images are photographs rather than paintings. Through digital refinement, Sahakian intensifies color and detail, creating richly layered images that feel both realistic and painterly.
The process itself is an evolving act of discovery. What begins as a moment glimpsed with the eye changes as it passes through the lens of a camera, then again as it is refined digitally, and finally as it emerges in its printed form. Each stage adds another layer of interpretation.
Research also plays an important role in Sahakian’s work. Many of the locations she photographs carry historical or cultural significance, and learning the stories behind them adds depth to the images themselves. That awareness informs her compositions, allowing each photograph to serve as both a small narrative and a visual experience. Her photographic travels have taken her across Europe, including Paris, Amsterdam, and Scotland, and more recently through Ireland. At the same time, she remains deeply engaged with the landscapes and communities closer to home. Tucson and its surrounding regions, including Bisbee and Tubac, continue to inspire, as does Santa Fe’s artistic atmosphere.
Sahakian approaches her craft with a hands-on philosophy. Her studios operate much like boutique print workshops, where she personally prints, mats, and frames each photograph. Using professional Canon printers and Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta paper, she oversees every step of the process to ensure the final piece reflects her original vision. Sahakian often describes her images as offering viewers a brief pause from daily routine, a kind of visual retreat. Whether capturing a quiet street in Europe or a bloom unfolding in desert light, her work invites the viewer to slow down and notice the beauty embedded in everyday life.
In that sense, Suzanne Sahakian’s photography truly lives up to its title: a dance of color, movement, and observation, shaped by experience and guided by curiosity.
@suzannesahakianphotography
