Why Sue Bryce Rocked My World

It was kind of an impulse buy. An expensive one. But I've been reading Sue's blog for months now, pretty much since she started it, and she was finally coming to San Francisco. How could I resist?

Turns out, I'm really glad I didn't.

From the first moment of her two-day master class, I sat spellbound. Sue has this talent of just sucking you in and making you pay attention. I found myself taking notes even on the inane, "Connecticut? And where is that?" (Sue's from New Zealand, and currently lives in Australia.) "I'm a black belt in shopping." (Yes, me too.) And some wisdom from her mother: "Nobody would hate you unless they wanted to be you." Good way of looking at it.

We laughed a lot. We went to the Cheesecake Factory two days in a row, which by the way has pretty good huevos rancheros if you're in the mood, which I was. We practiced posing, and we soaked in her wisdom on everything from service and sales to posing and how to run a business, plus her attitude to beauty. "I spend an hour making the outside look pretty so that I can photograph the inside."

I'd say that you should grab any opportunity you get to go to her masterclass, but I think she's phasing it out. Still, she'll be around. If you have the chance to see her work, or even just meet her for a moment, I highly recommend it. There are those people that you just never forget, and Sue's one of them. If in ten years I could be half the person she is, both in business and in my personal life, I'd be thrilled.

Stuff of hers to check out: this great video interview with Catherine Hall, who was also at the workshop. Also, Sue's blog for photographers, chock full of wisdom on marketing and life. And her work on her website. Don't miss the before and afters, as well as the videos.

Sue, I'm sorry. I stole this image from your website. You see, I enjoyed the masterclass so much that I didn't take ANY pictures. Crazy, I know.