Outgoing Portraits

PHOTOGRAPHY

Outgoing Portraits Susan Bittner

Her smile is infectious.

“I grow on you...like mold,” joked photographer Susan Bittner. Her personality is welcoming, fun and bubbly – “the good kind of crazy,” she described. A crazy that encourages other people to smile, have fun and relax when having their photos taken. Empowering people to love who they are is Susan’s life’s mission. “I see beauty in others where they can’t – it’s my superpower,” she said. “Being me, being transparent, gives people the freedom to open up, to be themselves, so I can capture that on film.” Taking photos was nothing new for her. In high school, Susan captured pictures and created photo albums for her own enjoyment. When she and a high school friend perused those photos one day on a trip down memory lane, the friend noticed Susan had even written on the backs of the pictures to document the occasions, prompting the friend to remark, “you were meant for this even then!”

In 2004, Susan was gifted a 35mm Canon film camera and began taking photos of her then 4-year-old daughter, learning about the different lenses and their effects, experimenting with different angles and creative settings. Coworkers and friends noticed the portraits framed on her desk and were amazed she had taken them, and, of course, asked her to take their photos. Everything snowballed from there. She photographed people, weddings, and then high school activities and sports as her daughter grew. Her “real job” at the time was working for Food Lion’s corporate office in North Carolina as an analyst. She soon discovered that her photography hobby made nearly as much income. And it was fun! The COVID-19 pandemic gave Susan the final push she needed to pursue photography full time. In 2020, Food Lion corporate offices went all-virtual and continued so for almost two years. Originally from Virginia and traveling there often to visit family and friends, Susan came to the realization that she could now work-from-home anywhere. In December 2021, she put her North Carolina house on the market to move back home. However, just as the house sold, Food Lion announced it was going back to in-person work beginning February 2022. She faced a dilemma of what to do next. “They always say if you’re doing something you love, it’s not work,” she said. “But I wondered, ‘If I make this my career, will I still love it?’” The answer has been a resounding yes. “Once it was a necessity, it opened my mind, freed my creative juices,” she said. “Once I decided to do this full time, you couldn’t stop me.” In August 2022, Outgoing Portraits was born in Virginia. Susan has been full speed ahead, working freelance for local publications, photographing brides and weddings, taking senior class portraits, involving herself in local school sports photography and attracting new clients through enthusiastic word of mouth. In construction is a full-service photography, boudoir and outdoor studio at her home in Lignum. She plans to partner with area businesses for hair and makeup, costumes, lighting, props, wine — even massage — to give clients an immersive, fun, and comfortable photoshoot experience. She envisions groups, businesses, bridal parties, families, enjoying time together there. “I love making people smile, making them feel comfortable,” she said. It shows through her work. Susan’s personality behind the camera brings out the creativity she captures in front of it.