Meet Chad Suggs of Chad Suggs Photography in San Fernando Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Suggs.

Chad, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always enjoyed photography, but mainly it was something I did when going on vacation or exploring around the city I lived in. I love to travel and explore all that the world has to offer to learn new customs and cultures and capture that on camera. I’ve owned various point and shoot cameras as well as film cameras over the years, but when I purchased my first DSLR camera about 6 years ago I really began shooting almost every day and realized how much I continued to love photography.

By background, I worked in finance my entire career, mostly recently with a medical device company. When I was laid off in December 2015, I did a lot of soul searching about what the next step was going to be in my life. Call it midlife crisis or whatever, but I began wondering what value I was bringing to the world. Needless to say, I was burned out of my career and felt like I needed to shake things up. I took a photography class a few years ago at Santa Monica College where I learned a lot about the technical aspects of photography and learned a lot about my camera. And taking a class forces you to go out and shoot. It taught me a lot about composition. I also poured through countless photography books to learn new skills and look at great shots from other photographers. I’ve always wanted to start my own business, so I asked myself why not do photography. It’s a passion for me and I love to see the results of photographing people and things.

It’s not easy going from corporate world to artist building a business but I’m glad so far that I’ve made this choice. Like any business it will take time to build.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenge thus far has been going from steady paycheck to marketing a new business to get clientele. Having a constantly updated portfolio is key so you can showcase your work. Everyone has a camera these days, mostly in their phones, so this can be a challenge when you’re wanting people to buy prints of your personal work.

Also wearing all hats of the business is challenging, including social media, but marketing has been the most difficult. I’ve done Facebook ads when I really wasn’t sure what would work. Ultimately it didn’t get the results I wanted. Figuring out how best to use your time on the behind the scenes stuff is challenging, but can also be a great learning experience. I’m a very analytical person so I’m always questioning what is working and not working.

Chad Suggs Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My photography is mainly focused on Glamour/Contemporary Portraiture and Pet Photography. I really enjoy working with people during a session to see them transform.

Everyone is shy in front of a camera, including myself, but the key is to continue interacting with the client so you can capture those special moments.

For pet photography, the combination of people and pets can be combined to make for amazing pics showcasing the relationships between us and our pets. I have a beautiful dog, Zoe, who is often my stand in model when I’m trying new concepts in the studio. Pets are an absolutely fun and amazing subject to photograph, either with or without their humans.

My personal work involves many genres including nature, landscape, cityscape, street photography among a few. I put many of prints up for sale on my website.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success will be when I can enjoy what I’m doing and support myself doing it. And of course, getting recognized for your work. We only have one round on this planet so I intend to make the most of it.

Pricing:

• An in-studio session fee starts at $200. Prints are sold separately in Collections or A La Carte.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chadsuggsphoto.com
• Phone: 310-251-3740
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chadsuggsphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chadsuggsphoto/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chadsuggsphoto

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.