SUSAN: Come in!
[rustling coming from behind the door]
MARIA: Hi, Susan! Hi Maria from B&H!
MARIA: How's it going?
Ha ha! [sighs]
It's going! I'm unpacking my studio in my new space!
MARIA: Awesome! I heard you were here, and I wanted to ask you 21 questions.
I would much rather answer 21 questions than unpack boxes, but
hopefully you don't mind I'm still doing this while we talk.
MARIA: No, of course. Go ahead! SUSAN: Awesome!
MARIA: So, tell us what kind of photography you shoot.
So, I mostly shoot weddings.
Um, but in the past couple of years, I've diversified a little bit.
I do a lot of theater,
some headshots, some portraits
and some commercial work, which is super fun
MARIA: Awesome!
And has COVID affected your workflow?
[Susan laughs] I mean, look at the mess!
Yeah, COVID basically turned my whole business upside down, um...
I was set to move studios--I mean, first and foremost just the logistical part--
I was set to move my studio at the beginning of April,
but COVID hit, obviously, as we all know, at the beginning of March.
I shot a wedding on March 7th.
The following weekend, everybody got shut down. We couldn't work anymore.
And I had to move my studio, instead of at the end of the month, um...
In about 48 hours.
So, movers showed up.
We packed. They threw boxes in here, and I didn't come back for three months.
MARIA: Oh my God!
Uh, it cleared pretty much my entire wedding calendar.
I was supposed to have around about...
I think I had 37 weddings booked for this year.
And... At this point, currently, I have 12.
I've shot one. MARIA: Wow...
I have one coming up next week, but honestly I expect my calendar to fully clear.
And I just keep trying to joke that this year is the unpaid sabbatical that I did not ask for...
SUSAN: Or want! [laughs]
But, um, you know, back in the studio unpacking and...
SUSAN: We'll see what happens!
MARIA: Sure! SUSAN: Yeah!
MARIA: And so, what got you started in photography?
SUSAN: Oops! [box slams on the floor]
[Maria chuckles] SUSAN: Well, obviously, I was not a mover to start with!
Um, what got me started in photography was...
Honestly, a desire to own my own business.
I was 23. I had just had my first daughter.
And I was staying at home with her.
And I am not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom.
And I was trying to figure out something that I could do on the weekends.
And I thought, "I like photography. I want to own my own business."
"Maybe I could shoot weddings"
because I was under the hilarious delusion that wedding photographers only work on Saturday's.
[Susan laughs]
As every wedding photographer laughs at that.
Um, but yeah, I started my business as a wedding photographer in Tallahassee, Florida.
Part time, just to have something to do, so that I could be home with my daughter during the week.
And that was that, pretty much.
MARIA: And you're Canon Explorer of Light SUSAN: I am!
MARIA: Can you tell me what that means to you?
Ah, without crying? Yeah... [Maria laughs]
[Susan laughs]
Um, when I very first started going to conventions
and seeing people speak and teach and talk about photography,
I was really drawn towards the Explorers of Light
and their experience and their ability, and it just...
You know how you set goals that are like,
"This is what I want to achieve with my life or with my business"?
I just always thought that that was, kind of, the pinnacle of achievement.
Um, and I...
I don't want to say I set my mind towards that
because, obviously, I'm here to work for my clients and...
And the industry recognition is beautiful, but it's not first and foremost.
But, to me, it means that I've spent 20 years building a good, ethical, strong business
where I take care of people and make beautiful work.
And it's just a lovely validation of all of that, basically.
MARIA: Great! And what was your first camera?
[Susan laughs]
My first camera, um, was a Canon Rebel...
Because that's what the camera store in the mall had in stock.
MARIA: [laughs] And what's your go-to camera and lens now?
Oh! Go-to camera right now is the EOS R.
Um, but I have ordered the newest camera, the R5.
And, um, if Canon is watching, I would really like to get that in the mail, pretty soon!
So, you know, let's ship that one out quickly!
But I have been all, um, EOS R for the past...
Gosh, I'd say, like, a year and a half, now.
Or, since it came out. I adopted it pretty quickly.
My favorite lens is the 50 1.2 and the 85 1.2. Both are RF lenses.
I love them!
MARIA: And do you dabble on other types of photography, aside from weddings and portraits?
You know, I didn't. I did not used to.
And when COVID hit and I basically just, sort of, stopped working,
um, I decided that what better time than the present to start figuring out other types of photography
because, when the world opens back up again...
Hopefully [laughs] Uh...
It would be nice to be even more diversified than I am.
So, I've been working on real estate photography.
Actually, I'm working with a company called Dwellsy,
who helps property managers and renters find each other.
And I've helped them develop this thing called Lightbox,
which is like the connection between photographers and realtors or property owners, really.
And so, in conjunction with that, I've been learning real estate photography,
which is crazy and fascinating.
And I've also started doing more macro, fine art photography.
Uh, setting up a shop. Selling things in the shop.
I do these daily walks, and I take lots of pictures--
MARIA: Cool! SUSAN: Of flowers!
Because apparently, that's who I am now! [Maria laughs]
MARIA: And so, for me being a woman, I get inspired by other women being successful in the industry.
SUSAN: Yes!
MARIA: Why do you think it's important that we show representation of women and people of color
in photos and out and about in the industry?
I mean, part of me just hates that we even have to say "why is it important"
because it should just be a given.
No one is going to enter an industry where they can't see themselves.
Or go to a convention where they can't see themselves and...
for a very long time and when I got started in photography it was a very...
Men in their 40s and 50s. That's all I saw. I didn't see myself.
I mean, even as--I realize the privilege that comes with being a white woman.
Um, it's--trust me that is not lost on me.
Um, but I didn't see myself in our industry,
and I can't even imagine how much more difficult it would be, um,
for other people to not see themselves in the industry, so.
This isn't what the world looks like, and this isn't what our industry looks like, and...
I don't even think that it should be a discussion that we're having.
I think it should just be something that we're doing because...
It's the right thing.
MARIA: And so, you're so busy normally without COVID [Susan laughs loudly]
SUSAN: "You are usually so busy." Correct!
MARIA: You take so much time to do education and teach at different conferences.
Why take the time?
Part of it is back to what I was just saying,
when I got started in the industry, I didn't see myself.
And I had a really--I don't want to say a hard time learning from, like, older men.
That's not it at all, but I wanted to see people that...
looked like me and were me having success.
Right? Because I saw these success stories of, like, guys
with wives who stayed at home and like raised the kids while they worked.
But, where were the moms that were doing it?
And the women that were doing it? and women in their 20s that were doing it?
And I think that it's really important for, again, people to be able to see themselves.
But also, this isn't an easy industry,
and I made a lot of mistakes when I was getting started.
And if someone had told me not to do some of the stupid stuff I did at the beginning,
I would have definitely been in a better place. So, I sort of feel like it's a responsibility
of sorts to give back in the way that I wish I had when i was starting out, basically.
MARIA: So, can you tell me what the wedding school is?
SUSAN: Yes, I can! Um...
I understand that not everybody wants to or can go to in-person workshops,
and the way I tend to learn best is in my pajamas at about 3:00 in the morning while looking at the internet.
So, The Wedding School...
I started it so that people could get access to everything that they wanted
about photographing weddings without having to get on a plane and come to a workshop.
And, a lot of times, you know, I would go to a workshop and...
Would learn a lot of things, but I would have super-specific questions that didn't necessarily get answered.
So, I have hundreds and hundreds of hours of videos and textbooks and documents and worksheets so that...
Everyone can find exactly what they're looking for, whether it's...
Photography 101 advice, or...
"I've been in business for 20 years, and I'm trying to revamp a questionnaire that I send to my clients."
It's all out there for people on their own time.
MARIA: And so, switch it up a little bit SUSAN: Yeah!
MARIA: So, what are some tips for somebody in the wedding business, like yourself,
how do they pivot during this time like you did? [Susan laughs]
Um, well after you're done panicking.
Um, and freaking out and finding a therapist, which is basically what I did.
Um, pivoting during this time in the photography industry, I don't want to say
it's impossible, but it's really, really hard.
And there are a lot of educators out there that are like, "Just pivot!"
But, how do you pivot to something in photography when your business is
based on people being in front of your camera? Like, that's really hard to do.
So, I started thinking about what could I do that was not necessarily,
um, specific to people being in my studio or in front of me.
So the first thing that I started doing was
I work with some corporate clients to photograph a product.
So, I developed a kind of a way for them to send product to me,
And then, they can FaceTime me, and we can do these corporate shoots,
basically me working by myself, but they're art directing via zoom or via FaceTime.
It's...
What I'm doing right now in terms of pivoting isn't so much about
desperately making money--which, trust me, we all desperately need to make money--
It's honing my skills for things where that when we get to
level four of opening up that I'm ready for it.
So, I've been working on food photography and product photography and real estate photography,
so that I can go back into the photography field with less people.
Because weddings in full force won't come back until Broadway comes back.
And that could be--I don't want to be a downer, but it could be a really long time.
MARIA: So-- SUE: Yes! MARIA: What's for lunch?
Oh, good question!
Uh, I left to come talk to you while my daughter was actually making waffles and bacon.
So, I didn't get any of that.
What's for lunch will probably be, like I could try to sound cool,
but it's a lie.
I'll probably make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and eat boiled peanuts.
I'm southern, and I really miss, like, buying boiled peanuts on the side of the road.
So... And if it's not a thing you know you should really look it up because it's great.
I, uh, bought some peanuts and boiled my own
So I'll be having a peanut butter jelly sandwich and boiled peanuts for lunch.
MARIA: Wow, so cool! [Susan laughs]
If you like that sort of thing, yes.
MARIA: So what's your favorite moment when shooting a wedding?
SUSAN: My favorite moment when shooting a wedding...
My favorite moment is when clients forget you're there.
Right? Like, you get started, and you're shooting prep
and everyone's very conscious that you're in the room.
But there's always almost like a light-switch moment,
where clients forget that you're there as a photographer
and just start being themselves.
And that's when the day is, you know, you're not trying to make people feel comfortable. It's...
Everyone's accepting of you being there, and the moments start becoming even more organic and real.
Sometimes it takes five minutes. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes. Sometimes it takes an hour.
But I can always feel that switch flip, and I love it. That's my favorite time.
Because then the moments are real and genuine and authentic.
And I love that! MARIA: Sure!
And, off the top of your head, how many weddings have you shot? Ever.
Off the top of my head? Somewhere over a thousand MARIA: Wow!
[Susan laughs] Yeah!... Yes
MARIA: What's one of the most challenging shoots you've ever had to do?
The most challenging shoots I've ever had to do. I shot, um [chuckles]
Gucci Mane's wedding.
Which was crazy!
Uh, and they had not conveyed to me beforehand the importance of having social media images
on site that night.
So, I didn't have a laptop. I did not have a way to download anything. I was in Miami.
Um, so I had to on the fly learn how to wi-fi images to my phone,
and then edit them to myself.
Or edit them myself and then send them over while shooting the wedding.
It was...
Needless to say, if you ever shoot anything like that--
a celebrity event or anything that's going to require publicity--ask.
Ask lots of questions beforehand, so you don't end up being me and learning on the job.
MARIA: Yeah... And if you could only shoot with one lens forever, which would it be?
That's mean!
[Maria laughs] That's a very difficult question. One lens forever
50 1.2. The RF 50 1.2.
MARIA: And if you weren't a photographer, what would you be?
[Susan laughs]
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a funeral director.
MARIA: Whoa! SUSAN: True story!
Um, and I didn't because when I told most of my friends that, they said
"Ew" [both laugh]
So, honestly if um...
Yes, I did watch a lot of Six Feet Under as a child.
And by child I mean early adult.
Um yeah, I'm still actually really fascinated by...
The American way of death and...
How it could be done better, and so I would be a funeral director.
MARIA: Amazing! SUSAN: Yeah!
MARIA: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice I've ever received: "It's not personal. It's just business."
I know that sounds super, super basic, but...
Honestly, having that in the back of my head at all points in time
has made me running my own business and dealing with my clients a lot easier.
That doesn't mean you don't care about them.
It doesn't mean that you don't do everything that you can for them.
It just means that you can't take the problems of your work home in your heart every single day.
You have to be able to leave some of it behind.
MARIA: And, aside from your camera, what's your favorite piece of gear?
Aside from my camera, my favorite piece of gear. My MagMod modifiers.
For my flashes. I love them.
I love them.
MARIA: All right, toughest question of all... SUSAN: Okay
MARIA: If there were to be a movie about your life,
[Susan laughs] MARIA: who would play you?
If there were going to be a movie about my life, who would play me? Um...
Well, that's difficult. Um...
Meryl Streep.
[Maria laughs] SUSAN: Obviously. That would be pretty excellent...
Yeah, I'll go with Meryl Streep because she can be anybody, right?
Like, she could be anybody.
MARIA: And last question-- SUSAN: Yes!
MARIA: Who should we interview next?
[Susan sighs] You know who I would really love to hear from?
I would love to hear from Lola Melani.
She's a maternity and fashion photographer here in New York.
She does beautiful, beautiful work.
And her process is fascinating to me.
So, you should--and also I want to see inside of her studio.
So if you could just go do that. [Maria laughs]
That would be great.
And I swear I know how to unpack.
I just can't figure out what to cut next
to get the mirror out of this thing.
MARIA: Alright, so I'll let you concentrate on that.
[Susan laughs] Good idea!
MARIA: Thanks so much for answering all my questions SUSAN: Thank you!
And hopefully next time you come back it will be much cleaner in here!
MARIA: Yes SUSAN: Thank you!
MARIA: See ya!