So, Susan did my maternity photos and I loved them. I didn't think I could love any photo more until she did my family session with my now 6 month old kiddo. We went to Susan's studio, on what I swear was the hottest day of all time and although I felt hot and sweaty and yucky, the pictures turned out fabulous. The ones of my husband and my kid are just PRICELESS and they make me so happy. Susan has a way of capturing the moment so that all the joy and expression and emotion just comes through. If there wasn't a photo to prove it, you'd never know there was a photographer documenting the moment and for me, that's the style I like. Nothing too posed or contrived, just us being us, and Susan coincidentally snapping a few photos in our general direction. read more

Fresh Simple True - upsidedowny baby! - Session Photography Near Me

Susan is so great! I hired her to take some portraits and she totally understood what I was looking for, using natural light in my own space, which made me feel super comfortable. I *loved* how they came out. She's professional but also warm and easygoing; her prices were also really reasonable when compared to others in my area. Richmond is lucky to have her! read more

We absolutely love Susan! We have now had Susan do not 1, not 2, but 4 different sessions with our family. The first two were for engagement and wedding (see my previous review on her 5 star work there - the review is dated 8/14/11) and when Susan started doing more portrait photography - we knew she'd be perfect to capture our maternity and newborn photos! You know when you see other families hang their portraits...they are always the same posed style - same forced head tilt, same stiff posture. Susan does something to capture you (and your family) in a more natural environment. Her style is so comfortable and she brings the best out in you. She kinda goes with the flow and captures amazing images in your everyday, regular persona. She's also great at working with suggestions and what you'd like from your portrait photography session. We had some ideas for photos...like taking some of our newborn daughter and all her cute board books. Susan grabbed on to that idea and improved it - giving us something unique that had the elements we were looking for. Susan is also amazing when it comes to responding via email and setting up contracts, etc via email. I loved how quickly she'd respond when I had questions or shared ideas for photos for our upcoming portrait session. We're really happy with the result. Long Beach is extremely lucky to have Susan in their area and we would recommend her to anyone who wants to add a bit more of their personal character and charm into their portraits. read more

After spending an hour clicking away on craigslist, page after page, I was beginning to lose hope on finding the perfect photographer for my wedding day. (I had only a month to plan it!) All the pictures from all the other photographers looked EXACTLY the same: fluffy, fuzzy with some soft blurring. Knowing myself and my husband, we would both didn't like that style. We wanted something fresh, simple and pure. That's when I saw Susan's ad on craigslist. I immediately sat up from my slumped position in front of my laptop and immediately fell in love with the Courthouse wedding pictures. I furiously clicked around to find her website and fell in love with her overall style! (It also helped that she loves dogs!) So, I showed her website to my husband and he and I both agreed that we wanted to contact Susan. After initial e-mail contact, Susan, my husband and I met up at a near-by eatery and chit-chatted over dinner. She was easy going, fun and professional! Susan really dedicates herself to her commitments and she is a true joy to work with. Everything was a smooth and easy and most of all, she really made it easy for us to fit her into our budget. (To be honest, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to afford a wedding photographer because of our limited budget.) She is also very good about replying and answering all questions I had and her turn-around time for getting the pictures back is just beyond what I expected! (IT WAS FAST!!!) If you're like me and like simple, fresh and artistic pictures, go with Susan. She is truly amazing in everything she does. :) read more

This last month the portrait that Susan shot for me was printed alongside an article that I co-authored with a colleague and everyone who spotted it raved about... the portrait. Just the portrait. They went on and on and on about the portrait. Not a word about the article. So thanks, Susan. Tons. But seriously: I owe you Sabo, for making me look so good. read more

This review is way overdue! I had a photoshoot with Susan for my college graduation announcements and, for those who know me, I HAD to have my baby (a pug/chihuahua) with me in my photos. We went to her home and did the photoshoot there. She was very professional and had so many treats and neat gadgets to keep my baby's attention! She sent me the photos a couple of days later and they were great! I highly recommend her and will use her for my photo needs in the future! Thank you, Susan! read more

Where to begin... If only I could give ten stars... I can't even begin to explain how much of a drag it is to try and find a photographer with an artistic eye, that doesn't include "BLUR" or "PROM." Let alone a style that expresses the people we are. (I was beginning to think I was being too picky.) Who wants wedding or engagement photos that look like everyone else's? As soon as I found Susan's website, it was like a weight had been lifted. I can't even remember how I found her... I had looked at so many photography websites I was blue in the face. What is different about Susan is that she truly expresses herself in the photos she takes. This is her form of art, and she is damn good at it. She is passionate about her photography, and she is a doll to work with. It is hard for me to write a review when I can't find the words to express how amazing the photos were. They left us (and our friends!) awestruck. We looked tight. Legit. Too legit to quit. And who doesn't love someone that luuurrrves dogs as much as she does? Shoot. read more

I was fortunate enough to have Susan as my engagement photo and wedding photographer. Her photos stood out for me, because they weren't cookie cutter photos, they are real, unique moments captured. Susan listened to all of our ideas for what we wanted, and came up with more ideas to improve upon our vision. The only problem that we had with our photos with was figuring out which were the best, because there were so many good ones! Susan also took amazing portraits of our three dogs. Wrangling them and getting them all in one photo is no easy feat. She got the photo in much less than an hour and the dogs had a blast. She's very professional but also extremely fun to be around. My husband isn't exactly a picture person, but he never seemed to mind her taking his photo. As quality photographers come, her pricing is also very fair. If you have the chance to book with her, seriously take it. read more

Susan is really as good as it gets!! I first meet Susan in a professional manner (both working with rescue dogs) and quickly fell in love with her and her photography! I've know Susan for 5 years now and have done 4 shoots with her (with plans to do another next month), my walls are covered with her prints, and we even have some of her prints up at my work! I use hate getting my own photo taken because I never felt photogenic, but Susan creates magic with her lens. She captures more then just a look, but whole emotion- and it shows in her work. If you are looking for an amazing photographer, look no further! Trust me, the only thing you wont love, is having to pick which photo to hang where (I'm running out of wall space). read more

Susan took all of our wedding photos and I'm so grateful that she did. Coming across more as a friend that took photos, rather than that of a hired professional made us feel relaxed and at ease the whole time. Fresh ideas on shots and "poses" also made for some excellent pictures. However, don't let my use of the term "friend" allow you to think that Susan is no professional. Her shots speak for themselves. The polar opposite of amateur, in fact. Both my wife and I couldn't be happier and we both urge you to use Susan for any projects that she can do for you. 100% happy customer right here. Thanks, Susan! read more

Susan did two sessions for us and we could not be any happier with the results. The setups were done before hand in the studio, she recommended the types of clothing that would be suit the shoot, our dog loved her, and it took a little over an hour to do each shoot. She is always prompt and has a plan already laid out. The photos themselves came out so good. The look and the feel for our dog's personality was spot on. The images were edited and uploaded within days of the shoot and she even sent us some single previews. I would definitely recommend her to anyone. read more

Susan was able to come to my location to take some photos of me with my senior dog and my much younger dog too. The photographs were awesome and really captured the spirit of Nacho and Iris and the bond that we all shared. I will cherish these photos forever now that Nacho is no longer with me. read more

Fresh Simple True - Session Photography Near Me

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I have been lucky enough to have had two photo shoots with Susan.The first was at my wedding almost four years ago. As people who despise the artificial, posed photograph, to me and my husband, Susan was an absolute GODSEND. The photos she took of our day were AMAZING....and exactly what we wanted: stunning and artful without being contrived. Looking through the book she later did for us still brings tears to my eyes, as the images are so beautiful and, well, just...real. When I look at the photos I don't just see the people I love...or flowers...or a cake. I can feel the joy and excitement of the day. I don't have the slightest idea how she managed to capture so much emotion so skillfully and effortlessly in photographs...I just know she did and I'm SO grateful! Add to this that Susan was super sweet, professional and helpful at an otherwise very stressful time AND her pricing was waaaay better than others we had inquired about. Awesome. When our son was born a few months ago and we decided to have newborn photos taken we knew just who to call. This time Susan came to our home and for three hours managed to keep a couple of stressed-out, sleep-deprived, first-time parents calm while their admittedly uncooperative (mommy hadn't gotten the whole 'nap' thing down yet...oops!) newborn son did his level best to fuss and cry through the entire shoot. Nevertheless, Susan remained just as reassuring and kind as she'd been before, even managing to coax our (*ahem*) excitable, camera-shy black lab mix into sitting still for some shots with us! The most incredible thing, however, was that, as before, the photos are not only striking, but they convey the emotional experience of that time in our lives: the exhilaration, the fear, the tenderness. Somehow, thankfully, not the crying and fussing. ;-) Sadly, for those of you who are getting married, Susan informed me she is no longer shooting weddings. Bummer. BUT, if you are reading these reviews because you appreciate a striking image and there is a person (or people) or animal that you adore and would like to have photographed, you must contact Susan. Like, RIGHT NOW. You'll be so glad you did. read more

I wrote her an inquiry about doing photos for a small wedding. According to other posts on here she did weddings. Well she emailed me back saying she only does court weddings and she wouldn't be able to help me. Very cold, didn't even congratulate on getting engaged, or offer any other services. I have to ask...were all of your weddings court weddings? I feel like she just didn't want to work with me because I inquired about the cost. read more

Susan Sabo and her photography can be summed up in a few words/phrases; innovative, personable and out of the box. We had the pleasure of meeting with Susan early on in our engagement picture planning process. From the first meeting she has this upbeat attitude filled with charisma & an excitement for pictures that are not run of the mill. She has novel ideas and uses locations & visual cues that evoke greater emotions than the standard hand in hand looking into the future crap that is so prevalent in so many engagement/wedding photos these days. If you are looking for a photog to take these types of pictures, look elsewhere... now. While she is not overbearing in any sense of the word, she knows what will work and is able to pull off those shots with very little direction. This woman is a professional in every sense of the word. When she needs a laugh she will evoke it from the couple. She is good at her craft and you would be at a loss to not use her and the many talents she possesses. A photographer of her caliber could easily charge much more than she does, but she follows her simple motto; fresh, simple and pure. In this day and age of money grubbing companies who will take you for all you're worth because the word wedding is attached to something, Susan offers her impeccable services for a nominal fee and produces results in a very short time. We are forever grateful to have these professional pictures that did not require us to take out a 2nd mortgage to afford. Bottom line; if you are looking for some pictures that will exude emotion and creativity, look no further. Susan Sabo is your choice. If you are looking for the same run of the mill poised prom pictures for your wedding or special day, please do yourself (and Susan) a favor and look elsewhere. She is not that kind of photographer and you will both be happier having never met. We cannot recommend Susan enough. Thank you for the special moments you created. read more

I enjoyed the photo shoot with Susan...she used a great back drop....she put me and my dogs at ease....we (the dogs and I) had a good time and susan was very patient. the quality of the photos was great as I have seen other people's work. She captured the essence of me and my dogs. read more

Susan is a great photographer with a great eye. We did our Christmas photo's with our dogs and she has such a great eye, we are really pleased with the photo's and recommend her services. It is rare to find someone who truly goes all the way and is knowledgeable in her trade. read more

All I can say is I am so glad I saw her web site a few months before the wedding. Me and Jill had Susan Sabo do our engagement photo, day of the wedding photo and day after wedding photo and we got more than what we paid for. She is as professional as anyone in her field but what I like about her the most is that she understands you and she will work with you. The price is also great I believe I paid her half of what other photographers was asking. I would definitely give her a call again. read more

My family and I have had the wonderful opportunity to have Susan as our photographer on many occasions. She has captured our four legged family members as well as new babies and growing kids. She is magic. The photos that she has captured are just amazing and I feel so lucky that I can cherish those moments now forever. I love her style of photography and she makes you feel very comfortable and at ease in front of the camera. She knows just how to catch those little moments that are hard to get with babies, kids and animals. My husband and I are so happy that we had found Susan and will be making sure we meet up with her every time she comes back to visit CA. read more

Susan is the best! She puts 100% into her work. Susan has helped our dog rescue, Hearts for Hounds, on so many different levels. She volunteers her time with the dogs and ALWAYS participates in charity events utilizing her talents to generate funds to benefit our community-whether for people or animals. Finding a photographer who can be as diverse as Susan is difficult. Finding a photographer that has the passion and the compassion is next to impossible. Finding a photographer who will put her all and all into every shot and every project is a miracle. I see the love in her photos. One can tell that she doesn't just take pictures, it's an art form with every snap shot. read more

Susan is an avant-garde photographer. Besides liking her personally, I was impressed with her professionally... Returning emails/texts/phone calls right away, her eye for beauty beyond what most people recognize, and her ability to make others feel comfortable. My photos were mailed within a week of my order. They were packaged safetly, with a note to the postal workers, ensuring their safe arrival. They are beautiful, stunning! Oh... My dog instantly loved her as well!! read more

Susan is an amazing artist, her work is awesome, and she captures beautiful moments! When I saw her work with the wings background, I fell in love with the idea for my dog. As my dog is getting older, I wanted to get professional pictures done of her. The wings background that Susan uses was just right for our life story! When I rescued my pit bull over 10 years ago at a no kill shelter, her name was Angel. Since she has been in my life, that is what she has been....an angel with wings who came into my life and rescued me. The pictures I now have of her are amazing and I'm so glad that I was introduced to her and her work. Thank you Susan for being amazing! read more

We hired Susan for a family portrait with our dogs. She was great! On time and prices are spot on. She gave us the pictures on time too. She connected with the dogs and got them to do things we cant! I cant recommend her enough. read more

It's hard to know where to begin. Susan did an absolutely amazing job shooting our wedding. All of the pictures were taken with a very artistic eye and I gratefully say none of them look like standard cheesy wedding pic fare. Aside from doing the wedding party posed shots (which again were totally unconventional!), I don't think I recall noticing her presence at any point except for when she had all the kids surround me and blow bubbles which was total magic! She also shot my engagement photos, there had to be hundreds of them. I had the c.d at a party I went to where some friends wanted to see them. Once we started showing them the audience was captivated, even people that didn't know us and I think that is because what she creates is really captivating, sometimes silly and totally amazing art. She is great to work with and there aren't enough stars to rate her work! read more

Our wedding and reception were held on March 6, 2010 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Pedro. We interviewed photographers several months prior to the event and were so incredibly fortunate to find Susan. I can't even tell you how impressed we are with what Susan captured. Truly amazing. She and her husband worked the room like magicians and it is clear that they put a lot of care and creativity into making the pictures perfect. We are forever thankful for the beautiful mementos to remind us always of our special day. We are all really blown away by Susan's work. I highly recommend Susan Sabo Photography! read more

Susan is an amazing photographer, hands down. She's actually been photographing my family for the last five years. She's earned her stellar reputation as a wedding photographer, but it's her portraits that I have to give a shout-out to. Some of my most prized possessions are the books we created with her photography of my pregnancy with my third little boy. She shot me over the course of the entire pregnancy: alone, with my two older boys, and us as a family. The shots were beautiful, goofy, revealing, inspiring. What she has is an eye and a sensitivity that's able to capture in a truly cool way everything you're hoping to show in a photo. The angles she shoots from, the way she processes the color -- the ideas she has are tremendous. She took an up close b&w shot in natural light of my then-two-year-old little boy in our family room that made him look like Mick Jagger circa 1966's "Aftermath." Honestly. She's also a great collaborator, open and encouraging of your ideas and making them happen. We just finished a family photo shoot with her a week ago, and I'm eagerly awaiting the final edited shots. There will be many more to come. read more