East London photographer captures essence of being
Sometimes my deepest and most precious thoughts come to me when I walk along the
beach in the early hours of the morning. “The sea is so powerful and magnetic. It pulls us inward,deeper into ourselves. “I have named the sea “she” as I have an understanding that
the perfect pinnacle of balance between the male and female is divinity, that to me is feminine,” said photographer Marlene Neumann during the launch of her second book, Ebb & Flow on Saturday.
Living most of her week in a tiny cottage at the sea, Neumann says she draws her energy from the stunning East Coast where she fortifies her spirit with a daily early morning walk along the beach and swim in the ocean.
In her latest book, she used her cellphone to capture the sunrises and scenes that greet
her every day.
“Using a cellphone means I can sometimes barely see the end result. It is more about the
emotions behind the lens. Taking images does not lie within the camera but rather in
the heart of the photographer,” she said.

Neumann during the launch of Neumann’s second book, ‘Ebb & Flow’, last week Picture :SIVENATHI GOSA
Neumann said the book was for everyone who had been caught in the “ebb and flow of
life”.
“I have taken pictures for over 30 years. None of the images in this book are taken
with my expensive equipment but rather with an open heart and secondly my cellphone.
“When you are connected to the spirit of life there is no separation. The ebb and flow of
the ocean washed through me as I share these moments with you .
“I am a simple and wise soul, am enigma to myself and others. I am you,” she said.