Born in Sydney, Australia, Suzanne Vreeland wandered the globe for a while before she finally met a Bayonne man, married him, and eventually moved here.
“I was a travel consultant in Sydney,” she said. “I went to college for travel and tourism.”
She arrived in the area in 1987 and did a variety of work, including personal training.
Then she became a professional photographer, taking headshots for a living, as well as a lot of volunteer work that included the Manhattan Special Olympics pictures.
“I worked in photo studios and moved more to event photography as the photographer for the consulates of Monaco and Australia, Harlem Gospel Choir, Rainforest Foundation, New York Special Olympics, and as a wedding photographer,” she said. “Once we decided to have a baby, I started doing corporate work [for the benefits], and currently work part-time at Forest Research in Jersey City.”
Yet no matter what the project, she believed that she was “blessed” with a great gift of vision, the most visible aspect of which was her photography – and has referred to the results as “miracles,” a gift from God that has allowed her to reach into people’s hearts by painting visuals through their eyes.
“The camera is a very powerful object,” she wrote in a poem. “To be blessed with the use of it is an incredible thing.”
For Vreeland, coming to Bayonne may even allow her to transmit what she sees as wonderful in the city to other people as she issues a poster containing some of those shots she considers special.
Although she has moved in and out of Bayonne since meeting her husband in 1987, the place always fascinated her, touching upon that photographic part of her brain. Somewhere in the back of her head she thought she would like to capture some of the images she saw here.
“When the baby was born, I thought about doing a book or a collage,” she said.
Poster full of images
What came out is a poster of 25 Bayonne images that includes St. Henry’s RC Church on Avenue C, a cherry tree grove at Stephen R. Gregg Park near Kennedy Boulevard, the Bayonne Bridge near First Street, the Masonic Hall, the Bayonne Library, and special places at special moments.
“Many of these shots are images that caught my eye while I was traveling around Bayonne,” she said. “I carry my camera. Bayonne is a charming town. I see enough material to do a series.”
Because some of the locations involved private homes and occasionally people, Vreeland has had to get releases in order to publish the poster.
The poster will be unveiled at a wine and cheese affair held at Chez Marie’s café on East 22nd Street on Friday, Nov. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – although the poster also will be available in various stores throughout town with 10 percent of the total sales donated to the Bayonne Historical Society.
“I’ve been consulting with Joe Ryan (a member of the Bayonne Historical Society) to get this together,” she said.