Interview with Suzan Alberts – full-time photographer and entrepreneur

Suzan Alberts is a Dutch photographer and entrepreneur. Her goal is to help people both in front of and behind the lens. She does this by making the people she photographs feel beautiful and showing them at their strongest. She also helps other photographers with the business side of photography through her online course.

In this interview, she tells us more about her work and entrepreneurship, and she shares some great tips.

From dream to full-time photographer

From a young age, Suzan went out with a small camera: back then, she dreamed of working in the film industry in Los Angeles. “That's why I decided to study Media & Entertainment Management. During my studies, I got the chance to do an internship in Los Angeles. That was truly a dream come true.” After graduating, she started working as a marketer, but her passion for photography didn't go away. “At some point I had a company with a friend, but she stepped out. My parents then said: why don't you start your own business as a photographer? But surely I couldn't do that? I had no training for it at all.” But the seed had been planted, and she started as a photographer. She got her first assignments via LinkedIn, and her network soon grew. “During that period, I even worked at Kamera Express for a while. I was also able to learn a lot about photography there.”

She has now been working as a full-time photographer for years. “I mainly shoot portraits, both in my own studio and on location,” says Suzan.

Whether it's a branding, fashion or beauty shoot doesn't matter to her: she wants to capture people as they are. Suzan would describe her images as colourful, sometimes with a touch of glamour, and always aimed at making the person in front of her camera shine. “Helping people and making them feel beautiful motivates me.” She explains that it's important to put the people in front of her camera at ease. “I do this by chatting away, for example, but I also guide them a bit during the shoot. That way, I can help them get the most out of the shoot.”

Helping entrepreneurs get the most out of their business

At the moment, she mainly works as a branding photographer for entrepreneurs, but she has also worked with various clients, including LinkedIn, Samsung, DHL and L'Oréal. “For example, I've taken a lot of headshots for companies.” Lately, she has mainly been working with female entrepreneurs. “I look at how I can help them get the most out of their business, and photography is a means to that end. I want to empower these women. With these photos, I show them that they matter and that they can show their success online too. That has become my mission.”

Photographer and entrepreneur

Suzan is an entrepreneur herself. “I think that, over time, you make the switch from photographer to entrepreneur. When you do this work every day, you always have to make it fun, but entrepreneurship is really important. At the moment, I see myself more as an entrepreneur than as a photographer.” She has also set up her own suit brand. “I wear a lot of suits myself because I work with many business clients, but those clothes weren't comfortable at all.” She decided to design suits herself and founded The Costume Shop. “I now wear my own suits almost all the time. These suits are actually comfortable.”

She was inspired to help other photographers with entrepreneurship and recently launched an online course. “I noticed that many photographers didn't really understand the business side of their company, and I understand that too. The business market for photography gets little attention. In fact, few people know what it means to be an entrepreneur as a photographer and how they can generate more revenue from it.” That was her reason to set up a course. “So far, the reactions have been very good. People are really happy with it.” That motivates her to keep going. “I'd love to help people with my work. Both the person in front of the camera and the person behind it.”

Tips

Want to start out as a photographer yourself, but not quite sure where to begin? Suzan shares three handy tips.

Tip 1: Take lots of photos! “In the beginning, it's important to practise a lot and put in plenty of hours. Discover what you enjoy and what you're good at.”

Tip 2: Enjoy it. “It's important to enjoy your work. If you want to do it full-time, you have to enjoy it. And the road to becoming a full-time photographer is fun too, so enjoy it.”

Tip 3: Always keep doing your own thing. “It's important not to copy the work of other photographers. Do what you're good at and keep doing it.”

Suzan's work

Website: https://suzanalberts.com/

Instagram: @suzan.albertsph

Gear

For her shoots, Suzan uses the following gear: a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV combined with various Canon and Sigma lenses. Good lights and light shapers are also indispensable for her, both on location and in the studio.