Meet Suzzane Brown | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Suzzane Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Suzzane, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
It took me a long time to figure this one out but mastering the absolute art of taking care of yourself. I had heard many successful people in interviews say it before but it’s one of those things you dismiss casually because it sounds too simple. But the more successful you get, the more you realize the power of all those small foundational acts. When I started treating my body and mind like a temple – working out, cutting out sugar, drinking lots of water, drastically cutting back on tv, cutting out all distractions in my life so I could really get clear on what wasn’t efficient or working and then tackle those issues etc. When I started making it a habit to take incredible care of myself, my success started to take on a completely new level. Because when you really genuinely love and respect yourself at the base level of your body and mind, it gets a lot easier to make good/hard decisions in your work. And it becomes easier for clients to trust you and want to invest in you.

An important distinction here is that these things are not about looking a certain way or ‘being healthy.’ It’s about making the choice to really pour love into your mind and body as if it’s a shrine (which isn’t always intuitive to artists and creatives).

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a family photographer who shoots with all 35mm and medium format film. I think the best part about working with me, or the thing that really sets me apart from other family photographers, is the way that I really craft an experience for each family vs just posing people around and taking their picture for an hour.

I absolutely love getting to know the families I work with before we shoot and asking them questions about this phase of life. What’s important to them? When they are the happiest and most relaxed with their family, what does that kind of day look like for them or what kind of activities are they doing? I have spent 15 years mastering the art of getting to know people and helping them to see what is so beautiful about their lives and their family, and the little ways that they love on and interact with each other. I love to help guide families through play and challenges together and from there, from those genuinely memories and experiences we all have together, we make great art through photographs. I know how hard being a parent can be, and how much of a GIFT it can be to have a smooth, wonderful, fun and connective day together as a family. You know, the kind of day where you pack all the snacks in the bag and everyone gets along and you have fun together. You walk away feeling more bonded and connected toward each other! I love to empower parents with the tools they need to show up ready to have that kind of experience with me. Add on top of that, the feeling of getting the most incredible photos back of you and your loved ones where someone really saw you? It’s just magic.

I feel like I’ve gotten to where I am today with an insane hard work ethic and a focus on relationship building (both with my clients and with people in my community). I feel like my artwork is what it is because I had a really hard childhood. I grew up in a very emotionally violent family and so spending time with so many families now who show such healthy and beautiful love to each other, I just soak every bit of it up. I see it, and I appreciate it.

Growing my business has also required a lot of honest self reflection and determination to grow, which is not always easy or fun. But pushing through that discomfort has led me to my best stuff (in all areas of my artwork, business and life). I think if I were to have to look back on all of that growth in the last 15 years of my business, and had to sum up the lessons I’ve learned along the way, I would say that my best lessons have been about the power of gratitude and presence. When you learn that happiness is a choice that’s always accessible to you, no one or no thing can ever steal your joy (though that does not mean that you won’t ever feel sadness or experience pain or struggle). I think this core value I live by is something people find enjoyable about spending time being photographed by me. I love to bring that energy to the families I work with and invite them into that feeling/experience with me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think that being on the coast in general is the absolute best thing about the area.

Watching the sun set behind the ocean.
Going for a motorcycle ride up to Neptune’s Net and eating oysters.
Going to the water at night to listen to the waves or have a great conversation with someone you love.
Biking along the Strand through Manhattan Beach.
Sitting on the beach to listen to the waves and sit with your thoughts.
Going for a drive up the PCH to Cracked Crab in Pismo Beach for dinner and then driving home as you watch the sun set.

If I had someone in town and wanted to show them the best time ever, I would bring them to do all the things by the water.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this to my children – Elenni, Rhea & Adrian. As cliche as that is, truly the pressures and sacrifice of parenthood and loving those 3 little monkeys with all of my heart and soul has pushed me beyond what I ever thought my limits and capabilities were. It’s led me to joy and happiness that I never dreamt I was capable of. The respect I have for them, and what it means to take my time away from them, has helped motivate and inspire me to make hard decisions in my business like raising my pricing and being more efficient. And the personal work I’ve created with them while photographing my own life has been my greatest and most important work. The woman, artist and business owner I am today is entirely in thanks to them.

Website: www.simplybysuzy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/simplybysuzy

Image Credits
me! 🙂 Simply by Suzy Photography www.simplybysuzy.com