Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Walker.
Susan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been photographing people for over 20 years (and even longer than that in my mind), but always as a side hobby. It was about 6 years ago that I made the decision to go into business. It has been a long journey. Photographing people and the Business of Photography are two very different things. I realized rather quickly that owning a photography business is more about business than it is about photographing. And as a creative, the “business” part is sometimes quite difficult to grasp. There have been many times I wanted to quit, because it just didn’t seem possible. But there has always been that hunger…that desire to create, and every time I feel static or just feel like giving up, I tap into that. And I think that’s what gets me through that hurdle. It helps me fall in love with my craft again.
I have to say that this year has been the turning point for me, though. The creative part and the business part of Elia Photography have finally settled together, and I’m finding a wonderful balance in that marriage.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I’m still on that road, and it’s quite bouncy and rocky at times, and I think it will always be that way… which I kind of like, really. Smooth roads allow me to become distracted and I lose interest, and sometimes focus. When it’s too smooth, I don’t think I work as hard. I become a comfortable and frankly, a little lazy.
There are always the same struggles….How do I market myself? Is my work good enough, etc…. I think the struggles I have are mostly what’s in my head. They’re all fear-based questions…Am I good enough? Will people want my product? Can I deliver what I’ve promised? Once I shift my thoughts to my client and what THEY need, rather than what I need, things tend to fall into place better. Because, really, at the end of the day, it’s about that client and their experience. Will they walk away from that day fulfilled in what we created together? That’s the ultimate goal for me. That’s when I know I’ve done my best for them.
Please tell us about Elia Photography.
I own a portrait studio. We do everything from head shots to family, but my absolute love is photographing women–EVERY woman. Every woman who’s ever looked in the mirror and didn’t love who she saw, and every woman who’s looked in that mirror and absolutely loved everything about herself…Truly every woman. I’ve had young women in my studio who are about to leave their adolescence and step into their adult life, who are in that “not-a-child phase” anymore, but have also not embraced the woman they’ll become, and I’ve also photographed a woman who was 94 years old and knew she was at the end of her journey, but still holding on to the woman she was. They were so different, but so similar in the sense that each of them had the same desire to be SEEN…to be really seen as who THEY were in that moment.
More than all of the technical stuff, I think I’m able to connect with people on another level, where they trust me enough to see beyond just their face. I have a favorite quote from the movie “As Good As It Gets” where Greg Kinnear’s character says, “You look at someone long enough, you discover their humanity.” And I think that’s what sets me apart. When I hold someone’s gaze, and create that space for them, there’s an instant when I get to see both their vulnerability and light come through, and it’s so raw and beautiful. It’s an extraordinary thing to be a part of something like that. It’s truly humbling. I feel so blessed to be able to do it.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t think I would do anything differently, actually. I spent my 20’s traveling and my 30’s raising a family, and I was almost 40 when I decided to create this business. And I think I needed to do what I did in my 20’s and 30’s to give me the confidence and backbone to do this now. If I had started this in my 20’s, I don’t know that I’d still be here doing it. I don’t think I could have been a business owner back then. It has taken me almost 40 years to really own my space, and it has been quite a ride! I’ve loved every minute of it, though.
Contact Info:
- Address: 913 Elm Street
Manchester, NH - Website: www.eliaphotography.com
- Phone: 603.505.2268
- Email: info@eliaphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliaphotography_susan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EliaPhotography/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/eliaphotography
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