Photography By Suzanne

"Poverty of means is no justification for poverty of spirit or imagination."
Pierre Renoir

My family was far from financially privileged. That was ok. I was not able to go to college. That was ok, too. You see, I have a theory about education: If I don’t have the means to pay someone to teach me, I need to teach myself. When my fourth child was three, I decided to teach myself photography. I began by studying the great masters; Renoir being my favorite. I learned of their lives, struggles and successes, as well as their posing, lighting and color of pallet. Then I read every book in the library regarding portrait photography. With a borrowed 35mm camera, I practiced by photographing my four children. One year later, we moved from Wisconsin to Colorado, and armed with that same borrowed 35mm camera and a $40.00 flash, I declared myself a photographer. It might be safe to say that I was too stupid to know how stupid I was, but what was lacking in knowledge was more than made up with “spirit and imagination.” An ad in the local paper suggested I would photograph weddings affordably. Couples responded, but… let’s review, shall we? All I had photographed up to this time was my four young children, so there was one 8x10 of each of them on the wall - not exactly Wedding, Couples, Boudoir Photography. Couples came and politely left. This just wasn’t the way I had imagined it, so…I went to a trophy shop, bought four blue ribbons and hung them on the corners of those 8x10 frames. The very next couple said, "Wow – blue ribbons!", and I was hired!

Here I am, 25 years later, still a photographer; only today, the volume of my work speaks for itself. I have taken thousands of commissioned portraits and photographed weddings across the country and internationally. My work and techniques have been published, and my portraits have been recognized with awards in national contests. My interior and “open air” studios are like no other since I personally built sets that include a wishing well, a cabin, and a pond with a pier touching the water’s edge. As a constant reminder of my beginnings, a 35mm camera pendant hangs around my neck. My "spirit and imagination" continuously enjoy new heights.

Confined to a wheelchair and having lost the use of his fingers due to crippling arthritis, Renoir would have a brush strapped to the palm of his hand allowing him to paint with the movement of his wrist. He said, "Surely I must be the luckiest man in the world, for all I can do is what I love most." When I’m old, I hope someone straps a camera to my hands because that’s how much I love what I do.

About Photography By Suzanne

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