The Trickiest Photo of My Entire Life

*The couple in this shoot asked that their names be kept private, but graciously agreed to let me share these photos.

Last week, I was asked to shoot a surprise marriage proposal for a couple whom I’ve never met, but with whom I share a mutual friend. The proposal was to happen at The Broad Museum, which I love, so of course I wanted to shoot this! My initial concern on logistics was if I would even be able to bring my camera into the museum.

Turns out, that was the easiest part of the shoot!

After getting more details, the future groom wanted to propose to his girlfriend in Kusama’s Infinity Room installation at The Broad in DTLA. For those of you who don’t know Kusama’s work, it’s incredible. And for those of you who don’t know this piece, Infinity Room in an immersive installation filled with mirrors on all sides and gorgeous colored light bulbs where participants have 45 seconds to be inside the room.

The proposal was to be a surprise (natch) and the future groom also didn’t want his future fiancé to know that I’d be sneaking into the room with them to take the photos—the goal was for me to be in the room, taking photos, without her knowing I was there while he proposed to her. There’s a 3 ft wide by maybe 10ft long “plank” in the room, which is the only place to stand. And in order to even go into the room in the first place, you have to show up in the morning in person and put your name on a list to make a reservation—so there’s no guarantee that you’ll even be able to get in.

Let me repeat…Infinity Room is A ROOM FILLED WITH MIRRORS ON ALL SIDES! FOR A PHOTOSHOOT! A SHOOT WHERE I HAVE TO BE DISCREET AND NOT APPEAR IN THE PHOTO! A SHOOT WHERE THE FUTURE BRIDE CAN’T EVEN KNOW THAT I’M IN THE ROOM! WHERE WE HAVE 45 SECONDS FOR HIM TO PROPOSE AND FOR ME TO GET THE SHOT!

I am always up for a challenge, but as we started talking this through, I began to realize just how very challenging this shoot would be. There are no re-dos in a proposal shoot. There is no repeating of those 45 seconds. This was it.

I realized that the groom and I were gonna have to go do a practice run. I’d been in the room once before, so I knew about the mirrors. I knew I was going to have to get the settings right and have them ready to go for the big moment. There would be no time for me to be fiddling with exposure for the proposal.

Luckily, the friend who connected us up in the first place also linked us with her friend, who works at the museum. We now had a co-pilot and co-conspirator!

The groom and I met at the museum two days before, and with the help of our museum friend, we were able to get into the Infinity Room and with an extra few seconds to practice. When we went in, I COMPLETELY did not remember that in addition to the room being filled with mirrors and lights, those lights are not static…the lights shift and change and flicker and brighten and dim within the span of those 45 seconds. There was not one master manual setting that I could make that would cover the whole sequence of light changes.

This was getting trickier by the moment!

The good news is that we came up with a plan on how I would sneak in behind them and where I’d be when we were in the room. Although I practiced my settings, I realized that there was no guarantee that I would be able to expose the images properly with the changing of the lights. I knew all that I could do for the upcoming day is to trust in myself and my experience and that I’d have to rely on that plus some luck. We did our best to mitigate any issues that we could run across.

So Saturday rolled around. I dressed all in black to keep myself concealed. I hung out by the entrance to the room and as planned, our museum friend escorted the couple to the line. I nonchalantly stepped in behind them. The groom and I pretended to not know each other. His girlfriend didn’t know me from Adam, so she didn’t even notice me in line.

When it was their turn for the room, I just quietly stepped in behind them, camera ready, shutter on silent.

The door closed. I crouched down. The lights began to flicker. And the future groom dropped on one knee, asking his girlfriend to be his wife. It was beyond magical. They hugged and kissed and she cried (and I cried!). I shot and shot away and after they had a moment, he turned her around and said, “Suzie is here and has been photographing the entire time.” She jumped back! She never even knew I was there!

I honestly was not even sure I’d be able to get the shot on the technical side. It truly was the most challenging shoot I’ve ever done. I also was not even sure we’d be able to keep the surprise with all the moving parts in logistics at the museum, but…

WE PULLED IT OFF!!!! Massive congrats to this beautiful couple!

I am SO so so happy to be able to share these magical pictures with you. They turned out better than I ever imagined. Sometimes you gotta take the leap, trust yourself and trust that all the parts will come together.

10 Easy BONUS Photography Tips

10 Easy BONUS Photography Tips

Last week, I shared 10 easy ways to instantly upgrade your photos using any type of camera. When I created the original post, I realized that there are a lot more than TEN easy ways to instantly upgrade your images. TEN is simply not enough! So I added more...check out these 10 *BONUS* tips to instantly upgrade your photography. 

To download the bonus tips as a PDF, click here

Click on each photo below to move through the slides.

xo Suzie

10 BONUS tips for instantly upgrading your photos!

1. Use natural light

   1. Turn off your flash

   2. Position your subject to face the front of the window or have the light light your subject from the side.

   3. Use soft curtains to diffuse the light if it's too direct.

2. Use good editing apps on your phone and desktop

   1. VSCO is my absolute FAVE editing app. They even have a social component which a lot of people don't knoe about. Follow my VSCO page here.

      1. VSCO also has Lightroom presets for purchase. I am obsessed! VSCO's presets inspired me to create my own. Available at Strong Creative Lab.

   2. I recently learned about the RNI app. I just started testing it, but it looks to have great filters built it. 

   3. For video, my fave apps are FILMIC for shooting and InShot for editing. PRO TIP: use a DJi stabilizer for shooting video on your phone. It's like having a sturdy-ass steady cam in a tiny-ass package.

   4. If you're editing with Lightroom on your desktop, jump on over to Strong Creative Lab to get with my uniquely designed presets! 

3. Turn on your grid on your phone camera or on your DSLR or mirrorless camera

   1. The grid will not only help you composition-wise in keeping with the Rule of Thirds, but it will also help you keep horizons and walls straight! It's SUPER important! 

      1. On an iPhone, go to Settings> Camera > grid ... toggle to "on"

4. Easily create Depth of Field

   1. Adding depth of field conjures  emotions, draws attention and isolates your subject in the frame. Depth of field (or DoF) refers to how much is in or out of focus in your photo. For more information and to access my Skillshare class on Depth of Field for free, click here! 

   2. To easily create Dof in your photos, push in CLOSE to your subject! You can choose focus points by tapping and holding your finger onto the screen. 

   3. If you have an iPhone 8 Plus or 10, turn on portrait mode.

5. Color

   1. Look for simple colors: repeating; complementary; repetitive, etc. 

6. SIMPLICITY

   1. Keep your image as simple as possible! If ever in doubt, remove things from the frame by moving your subject, you moving around the scene, or by pushing into your subject. You can leave lots of negative space! You will most likely never make an image TOO simple!

7. Look for interesting patterns and textures

   1. Do you se any repetitive lines or shapes? Unusual textures? If so, SHOOT IT!

8. Rule of odds

   1. As humans, we like to see things in odd numbers...when composing an image, ask yourself if you can reframe to include an odd number of subjects.

9. Magic hour

   1. iterally the BEST time to shoot! It’s usually an hour or so before sunset. It’s the best, most magical lighting for anything ever.

10. Laughter!

    1. If you’re shooting humans, one of the best emotions to capture is happiness--and laughter is an obvious cue point!  One crazy pro tip is if your subject is having a hard time smiling or laughing naturally, ask them to “fake” laugh...guaranteed, they will actually laugh and smile for real after they fake laug

BONUS! Bonus!!

Just shooot shooot shoooooot! Try all the things and see what you like! What you don’t like! TRY EVERYTHING!

10 Easy Tips To Instantly Upgrade Your Photos

10 Easy Photography Tips

Whether you're capturing photos on your phone, DSLR, or mirrorless camera, there are very simple ways you can instantly upgrade your images. 

Check out these 10 easy tips for an instant upgrade on your images! Click on each photo below to move through the slides.

To download this file as a PDF, click here.

Let me know how these helped your photos!

I AM an Extraordinary Woman

"18 Extraordinary Women You Need to Know Now."  Who, ME?!  Yup! There I am, listed as one of them.
My good friend and business coach, Bri Seeley,  recently highlighted me in an article she wrote at Influencive. She wrote a Facebook post just before Christmas and surprised us all with this article. 
I am beYOND honored to have been listed and featured on this article. THANK YOU, BRI!

To read about all these amazing women, please check the article here:

18 Extraordinary Women You Need to Know Now

Goodbye 2017

This morning I was clearing off the dead leaves of a bamboo tree that I bought this summer. I pruned the dead leaves with my hands in order to make room for the new, fresh green leaves and shoots to grow. I was thinking about when I bought this bamboo, I thought it was an easy plant to care for; that I didn't have to tend it very often and it would just flourish.

That's not what happened with my plant.

I kept telling myself that I'd water it "later." I told myself that it didn't really need my attention because bamboo is very hardy, right? My bamboo started turning brown. I admit that I continued to barely pay attention to it, even after noticing this.

Then suddenly I SAW it.

I saw what had happened when I didn't care for it and love it properly. My tree was practically all brown by this point. I felt so sad for the tree that it was dying due to my complacency and negligence.

Then I realized that I just had to start over. I had to acknowledge my mistakes, clear off the dead leaves and make a commitment to give it some love and tend to it. Now I can wait and watch for the rich green leaves that are now primed and ready for this new growth.

It's a very obvious metaphor for life, isn't it?

Sometimes things start out hardy and healthy and then suddenly life comes around and we are unable or we chose not to tend to them. We ignore them until the brown leaves appear and sometimes they get to a place that appears to be an ending. And maybe it is...but I know that we always have the promise of a new beginning. I know that beautiful, rich green leaves and shoots will come our way if we only make a choice to look at the browning leaves, roll our sleeves up, prune them off, and be ready to tend to this new beginning. It isn't easy and we can't be complacent.

If we want the new, we have to be ready to put in the work to release the old and tend to the new.

The promise of a new beginning is there. Always. It is a divine promise and it is within you to create it. 

And with this, I say a loving goodbye to 2017. I am ready for the new growth, the beginnings and this promise. 2018, let's get it.

South Africa & A Zulu Wedding

The lovely bride & groom

Late April, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa for my dear friends' traditional Zulu wedding.

I met Luyanda here in LA before she and her hubs, Jerry, moved back to her childhood hometown of Johannesburg, SA last fall. Luyanda and I met on a women's Facebook group when she was looking for a photographer and I was looking for a model. We became instant friends and not only that, we worked on a few projects together. Among them, I shot the lookbook and catalog for her clothing line, Revolt and I hired her to model for the campaign for the launch of Zenzee shoes, designed by another good friend, Sharon.  Luyanda is one of the funniest, strongest, most badass women I've known. When she told me about the wedding in South Africa and she asked me to be a bridesmaid, we did all the things we could to plan and prep for my first trip to SA to be such a special part of their day. 

Luyanda is Zulu and her husband is Mexican-American. Lu's parents wanted them to have a traditional wedding in the village where they have a family farm, about 4 hours from Joberg.  The wedding was absolutely incredible. The whole village came to the 4 hour ceremony which filled with dancing, singing and a presentation of gifts. At the reception, Lu's parents (founders and owners of Native Rhythms record label) fed every single person who was in attendance, from the village guests to the other wedding guests. After the wedding, everyone of all ages danced to the sounds of Kendrick Lamar and South African gqom music. It was a day I will never ever forget. 

Scroll through above for pictures from the wedding <3

We spent the days before and after the wedding exploring Johannesberg and Soweto. I stayed in Maboneng, a recently revived area that now draws young people and artists. The fashion in Joberg was off the hook! I saw a lot of very fashion forward threads mixed with vintage and dandy vibes alongside beautiful local fabrics. It definitely inspired me to start looking for more color in my very dark-colored wardrobe. And yes, I recognize the irony that I'm talking about all the color and these photos are all in black & white. Ha!

Scroll through above for fashion pics from Maboneng <3

Lu and Jerry brought his family and me (also in town from LA), to the Hector Pieterson Museum, which documented the Soweto uprising in 1976. It was a beautiful and sobering tribute. We later went to Nelson Mandela's home, now also a museum, which was incredible and inspiring as well. Human rights are still a huge issue in South Africa as racism is very rampant. Visiting both museums was a huge reminder that we still have so much work to do in our humanity and compassion for each other, as well as continuing to stand up for all of our rights. 

Joberg is an incredible city. I absolutely loved it. I was overwhelmed by the graciousness of my hosts, the people I spoke with on the streets, the beauty, the LIFE that is lived wholeheartedly, despite many challenges. The food, fashion and music were sublime. It was an inspiration and will continue to be so for the rest of my life.  I'm ready for my next trip back! 

xo
Suzie

 

Looking Ahead

As I've been moving through this journey called life, I've experienced some major changes in the last few years.  Honestly, I'm guessing we all have. It's been a crazy road for many of us replete with both challenges and joyful times to celebrate. I can't say it's been boring!

Along the way, I've discovered how to be vulnerable, how to surrender, how to honor myself through self-care and through setting boundaries. I've learned how to healthily give and receive. I've learned how to say yes to myself and I've learned that if your heart is not screaming "f*ck yeah" to something, it's a no.  Last but not least, I've learned to let my own light shine. I've started sharing some of my journey more publicly, after "hermit-ing" away for a while.  As I've become more open in sharing my experiences and lessons,  I've had friends and even people that I don't know reach out to me to let me know that my vulnerability and sharing more of myself on a personal level has been inspiring to them to do the same. 

And so, I've come to a place where I am no longer willing to hide behind my camera and my work. It's not enough for me anymore to simply display what I've created.  I want to continue authentically and vulnerably sharing with you on both personal and work levels: lessons I've learned along my journey, silly stories, art, fashion and music that inspires me, spiritual musings, BTS stories from shoots, systems that I use for success, and last but not least, photography tips, tricks and resources.

As I've been working on my re-brand and launch to better encompass my new intentions, I've also realized that the new driving goal behind it all is that I aim to serve as many of you as possible through my business. In addition to my regular photography and directing work (and side hobby of music!), I'll be offering more workshops in person (available soon online and streaming), free downloads, digital products, print purchasing, and specials.

Let's share this beautiful journey together. 
xo Suzie