Today we’d like to introduce you to Zsuzsa Akos.
Hi Zsuzsa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m the photographer behind www.kidsdayphotography.com, which I launched in December 2024.
About 25 years ago, my parents gave me a simple compact film camera for a trip to South America. I created a little photo album from that journey, and ever since, I’ve carried a camera with me most of the time.
Aside from being self-taught, I sought out every opportunity to learn photography. I am a researcher too and the university I attended —Eötvös University in Hungary— offered photography courses from macro to portrait photography which were great resources. Many of my friends happened to be photographers, and I learned a great deal from them as well. Later, I also took courses at Pasadena City College, which I would recommend to everyone who is interested in photography and lives around Pasadena.
For a long time, photography was mostly a hobby for me. I photographed family and friends. During my PhD, I tracked birds using small GPS devices. To document my research projects, I took photos of them as well. I guess that gives me a background to be able to take technically challenging photos of fast-moving kids. The research was a success, and we had some great press coverage. Many of my pigeon photos were also published, and some made it as cover photos too.
I got my first full frame camera before our first child was born in 2017, and from then on, I primarily photographed children. We had a great group of families in my son’s daycare, and I enjoyed documenting the kids’ birthday parties and their everyday life in the daycare.
I have received lots of positive feedback for my photos and that made me realize that photography was a way I could give something meaningful to others too.
About a year after our second child was born, I applied to Bella Baby and began working as an in-hospital newborn photographer. I photographed 120 babies and their families during my time there. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone. It was great to meet families at their potentially happiest time of their life and to work with newborns. I enjoyed seeing the parents’ excitement as they viewed their photo galleries—and to know that they chose to purchase my work. I also had the opportunity to learn from fellow photographers, participate in internal competitions, and practice my craft regularly.
I started to work for myself in 2024 and launched Kids Day Photography, which specializes in kids’ event photography.
The last two years were mostly about photography for me, which I would not have been able to do without my husband’s help, who encourages me in whatever I’m up to. I also have to thank my kids, who regularly model for me and even come along for location scouting (especially if the location also has a playground).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I put together the website, kidsdayphotography.com, just before we had the Eaton Fire. We live nearby, and we had to evacuate and live displaced for a couple of months. I feel we were lucky that we had somewhere to move back to, but we had to deal with serious smoke damage. I guess that is not exactly the luckiest start. While we still are not fully back on our feet, I was able to work again from April. I am still in the growth phase, so probably if you ask me about a year from now, I could tell more about the road I am walking…
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Kids Day Photography is primarily for documentary-style children’s event photography. I photograph birthdays, and other special events. I also like documenting everyday life in daycare and preschool, which are usually great for yearbooks.
I have chosen this because I am passionate about capturing children’s emotions, interests and their interactions, using an artistic style. I take candid photos mostly without interfering with what’s happening around me. I also photograph the small details that help tell the full story.
I enjoy producing a gallery that brings back the feeling of the whole event. The goal is that if you browse through your gallery 10–20 years from now, those same feelings will come back. I also hope that people who couldn’t attend—whether they live far away or had other reasons—can still feel as if they were there.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I paraglided for 15 years. When I first started, we used small film cameras during competitions to prove that we had completed the task. We had to photograph turning points from the air, as well as our gliders after landing—ideally alongside recognizable landmarks. Later, GPS devices replaced cameras for task validation, but I continued to carry, this time my professional camera, a Nikon D90, to capture photos from the air. You can check those out too on my personal website at zsuzsaakos.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kidsdayphotography.com
- Other: https://zsuzsaakos.com/
Cameron Jacob Smith
