Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Pressman.
Hi Suzanne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was lucky enough to have access to a darkroom in middle school, and I’ve had a camera by my side ever since. At 13 years old, growing up in Florida, I’d spend weekends wandering the boardwalk with my 35mm camera, unknowingly practicing what I now recognize as street photography. I became fascinated by capturing fleeting moments: the honest, strange, emotional, funny, and beautiful fragments of life that often go unnoticed.
In 2009 (only knowing, with little direction in my career, I was waiting tables. One day, the restaurant owner was taking photos of the menu with a digital camera. Never using one, I asked him if I could try it out. From then on, I was their official restaurant photographer and the owner gifted me a digital camera of my own! Everything took off from there.
I built a website, booked a few jobs through Craigslist, and suddenly found myself a professional photographer. Since then, my work has evolved tremendously. I began in weddings, photographing more than 200 celebrations, before expanding into commercial and lifestyle photography. No matter the subject, headshots, families, branding, or creative portraits, I’ve always been drawn to photographing people.
For me, photography is deeply spiritual. It grounds me, keeps me present, and allows me to connect more deeply with the unfolding world around me. I love collaborating with people from all walks of life and across all types of photography. At the heart of it all, I see myself as a human-centered storyteller.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like any creative path, the road has had both smooth stretches and uncertain ones. For nearly a decade, I specialized in weddings, spending almost every weekend documenting love stories. Word of mouth spread, my calendar stayed full, the work was steady, and I’m incredibly grateful for those years and the experience they gave me. Eventually, though, I realized I wanted my weekends back, which meant shifting my focus and exploring new directions in photography.
That transition led me into product photography, particularly jewelry and food, where I refined my technical skills and attention to detail. But over time, I found myself missing what drew me to photography in the first place: people. There were periods of downtime between jobs, and for a few years I truly embodied the “starving artist” lifestyle, but I never stopped creating or believing in where the work could lead.
Fortunately, I began landing commercial projects and quickly realized it perfectly combined my passion for storytelling, human connection, and helping businesses grow. Today, my focus is centered on commercial, lifestyle, branding, and portrait photography. It’s work that feels both creatively fulfilling and deeply collaborative.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Always leave room to experiment. Try new ideas, take creative risks, and allow yourself the freedom to explore, even when things don’t work out the way you planned. More often than not, that’s where the unexpected magic happens. Stay curious and keep on clicking!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pressmanphotography.com/
- Instagram: @pressmanphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pressmanphotography
