Meet Szu Hovakimyan of Szu Designs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Szu Hovakimyan.

Szu, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started when I moved to US from Poland in 2010. I used to love to learn and drown myself in academics. That was until I went to American high school and had to learn everything in my third language… That was tough! Middle of semester, I switched to a photo 1 class and I was convinced I went to the wrong class because everyone was talking about film and I thought it meant filmmaking just like photo meant photography. So I’m stressing about missing the first class and trying to babble something that makes sense to my teacher, she smiles at me, grabs a camera, and shows me how to load it with film. That’s when I realized I was in a film photography class and it was all good. She continued to be patient with me and showed me everything until I got it. Of course, it didn’t take long because I fell in love with it instantly. I got a camera and some directions on Friday and next Wednesday I had 2 wonderful prints, one of which won an award. It was for the first time in a year and a half that language didn’t prevent me from learning at a fast pace. I learned everything there was about film cameras, settings, the dark room, developing film, printing etc. in 2 weeks! I learned how to mat and mount photos, how to hand paint film prints, how to do sepia toning. You name it, I’ve done it! Photography class was what lifted my wings up.

I didn’t stop there. In the next years, I got into advanced photography, which was digital. I learned and worked with many different lighting systems like mole Richardson hot lights or photogenic strobes. I got so involved with photography at school that I was responsible for photographing all nominees to all dances, all cast members of plays and musicals, plus extra projects that came across our department. My senior year, I never left the photo room. All I did was photography and I loved every bit of it.

Going into film photography, I had no idea it would change my life like this. The artistry of film photography is what inspired me to become the photographer I am today. It was for all that hard work and dedication from both me and my teacher that I received such education in photography, without any language barrier.

After that it didn’t take long for me to go from employee to business owner. All the hardships I had to overcome were for me to become a boss of my own and run a company on my terms.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Is it ever a smooth road to success? Of course not. It was hard and it took a lot of failures. I used to work with another photographer for couple of years but it just didn’t give me the tools to create the career I wanted. I wanted to be better and bigger and I wanted to do it under my name. It took me some time to build up the courage for it and for a long time I struggled between staying with a safe job or risking it all to create my own company. It was a tough one to figure out and I really took a huge leap of faith in myself. Today I have a company I’m proud of.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company specializes in working with events, lifestyles, and brands. I keep my photography elegant and romantic, kind of fairytale like. I also offer personal styling and handmade props, outfits, accessories. I like to personally style each couple and client based on their personalities and/or what they expect from me. Hiring a photographer can get super stressful especially if the client is planning a wedding, or having a baby, so I try to make them enjoy the whole process, relax, have fun and not stress or worry. I’m really proud of the connections my clients and I make along the way. They let me in on their story and what it really means to them, it truly amazes me every day.

What were you like growing up?
I was a funny kid! I could change outfits a few times a day, I danced to every music my parents played (always classics, in every genre). When I outgrew some clothes, I used them to saw original Barbie clothes completely myself and by hand. I would bake and cook a lot. I never left my aunt’s garden where I planted flowers and picked fruits for our special waffles. I got into highly gifted music school where I played violin. I trained ballroom dance professionally for years. I was always doing something, swimming, figure skating, I run the school newspaper in middle school where I also organized all special events and bake sales. But I’d say the biggest thing about me and my personality has always been my contagious laugh! Everyone knows it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.szudesigns.com
• Phone: 347 784 7484
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/szudesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/szudesigns
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/szudesigns
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/szu-designs-burbank

Image Credit:
Szu

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