BLACKRAPID SPOTLIGHT: Suzi Pratt

Suzi Pratt

Gemini Connect Media

Pre-COVID: Event, Real Estate, and Restaurant Photographer

Currently: Travel and Camera Gear Photographer and YouTuber

“COVID took away 80% of my photography business practically overnight, so I shifted gears to focus on my retirement plan: travel photography (U.S. road trips) and making YouTube videos. But prior to COVID, I was always a jack of all trades when it came to photography – I firmly believe that the more types of photography you can master, the better your overall skill becomes.

“As an example, event photography is (or was) my bread and butter, but I use what I know about shooting real estate, products, music, and people into my overall approach for event coverage.”

Do You Have a Good Photo Tip for Us?

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. This relates to photography as a business in the sense of diversifying your income sources, even during “normal” times. I’ve always had side photography income in the form of writing educational blogs and selling stock photography.

For casual shooters, this tip applies in the sense of having a backup camera and making backups of your content. I can’t tell you how many times my main camera has malfunctioned on the field, or I accidentally formatted my memory card without backing up my shots. Actually, I haven’t made either mistake that often, but they are horrible and oftentimes costly mistakes to make.

Be Nice to Everyone You Meet on a Photoshoot

I had the pleasure of being the official photographer at the Seattle stop of Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour. I’ve been a longtime Taylor Swift fan and it was a lifelong dream come true to be able to photograph her. I had the first three songs to shoot (a standard concert photography rule), with the added bonus of being the exclusive photographer for two extra songs in the middle of the show when special guests appeared (Russell Wilson, Ciara, and Fetty Wap, for the Seattle show).

For the entire two songs, Taylor performed with such intensity and passion, and she was staring right at my lens the ENTIRE time. It was like she knew exactly where the camera was and was putting on a show just for me. Concert photographers love getting eye contact shots, and my entire memory card was filled with these moments.

Immediately after shooting, I was whisked backstage for “a representative from Taylor’s team” to review my images and pick the ones to be published on the wire. A lady appeared and swiftly started reviewing my images. Assuming she was a publicist and still in awe of the performance I had just shot, I started gushing to her about how much I love Taylor Swift and how she was the best performer I had ever photographed (still a true statement).

She grinned and agreed with me, and then let out a gasp when she came across this photo. “So FIERCE,” she declared, “Honey, come see how FIERCE our Taylor looks.”

It turned out Taylor’s parents were reviewing my images. 😮

What’s In Your Bag?

• Fujifilm X-T3 and 50-140mm f/2.8 lens
• Sony A7RIII and 24-70mm f/4 lens
• Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens
• Rode VideoMic Pro
• Canon 580EXII
• GoPro Hero 8 Black
• BlackRapid Double Strap
• Samsung Galaxy S10
• BlackRapid WandeR Strap

Social Media Links

If you’d like to see more of Suzi Pratt’s work, see her YouTube channel, or to follow her on social media, check out these links:

Photography Portfolio – suzi-pratt.com

Instagram – instagram.com/suzipratt

YouTube – youtube.com/c/GeminiConnectMedia