This blog post is long overdue. A little less than a year ago, I had the happy coincidence of being in the same place and time as Susan Stripling. OK, as it turned out it was more happy than coincidental. Anyway… I didn’t know who she was. She was just this terribly sweet, lovable person who was happy to help me figure out a new technique on my camera. I was a bit more consumed with wrapping my head around this “thing” than who she was.
She asked to look at my LCD and then she exclaimed “You got it! That’s beautiful!” and suddenly I realized I had no idea who this person was and probably should introduce myself.
I extended my hand, “Hi, I’m Shari DeAngelo, by the way. Thank you.”
She replied, “I’m Susan, nice to meet you too.”
“Susan Who?” I asked
“Susan Stripling.”
I don’t know if I was jumping up and down first but the next thing I knew she and I were jumping up and down saying, “Yay!” all kinds of silly excited.
Now, I’m not the jumping up and down type. Seriously, I’m not. I knew who she was and was a fan of her work. She was actually the very first wedding photographer whose name I knew. I have no idea why she was jumping up and down.
But that’s what Susan Stripling will do to the people who meet her. Trust me. This is tried and true. I’m guessing there will be hundreds of brides and grooms who will agree with me on this. Her passion, energy and love for people and creating beautiful imagery is infectious. It comes as no surprise that she is one of the most sought after wedding photographers today.
I could go on and on about what Susan has taught me in the short time I’ve known her, but I actually have a really good reason for gushing on about her inside a blog post, usually reserved for photos.
She’s been putting out a series called Think Book Magazine (delivered electronically via pdf) which are geared towards the wedding photographer who may be interested in different approaches to difficult scenarios, such as lighting. I’ve gleaned much more than lighting and technical tips from her pages, and I’m guessing those, like me, might too. Personally I think her tips cover much of what any location shooter is faced with. In her latest edition (book #3) she includes 5-8 images from selected weddings with a full description of how each image was composed, lit, what equipment she used (and why)and includes exif data from the image. She then adds additional background information to follow her train of thought through the processes of each. What’s fabulous about this is that she covers all the problems she was facing. You’ll read it and say “oh yeah… been there” and probably, like me, wish you read this first.
So there ya have it, my first PSA (Photographers Service Announcement?). If I didn’t tell you, I’m afraid some may never know. She’s pretty low-key about advertising these things herself.
If you don’t know who Susan Stripling is, you should visit her blog here. The link to her Think Book Magazine series can be found here. She’s RSS worthy, by the way. It occurred to me, today, while going through the latest in her series (#3) that I only paid $1 per page and I gotta tell you, it’s worth more than that to me.
One last thing, as I shamelessly plug my new friend. Susan was kind enough to invite me to one of her workshops and I recommend them to anyone looking for a fresh new look at lighting, wanting to learn more about engaging yourself in the process of weddings or anyone just starting out in the Wedding Photography business. She’ll amaze you with her candid approach to dealing with issues that range from marketing yourself, processing workflow and client interactions. She packs a lot into one day and every attendee felt they got more than they paid for. Bring a notebook! She’ll give you tips about technology, albums, and then you’ll go off shooting what you’ve learned!
End Shameless Diversion. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
