Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Sutor.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am a mid-west Indiana girl that loves the country, city and of course sunny San Diego. I have always been drawn to photography, flipping through family albums, old high school yearbooks and fashion magazines and around the age of 10 I found I had a natural talent for drawing people. I took art my junior and senior of high school and decided to pursue it further and I attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati for a couple of years. I struggled to find a connection to a career in the arts at the time and ended up taking a path quite opposite from art, spending over 12 years in corporate finance. But I wouldn’t trade those years for anything, they taught me so much about business and finance.
After photographing a couple weddings for fun, in 2004 I took a huge leap, quit my corporate job, took everything I learned in the corporate world and my husband, Mat, and I launched Sutography Photo and Video. The business started in my hometown in Indiana but after several years, plus several long winters, we decided in 2009 to transition Sutography to San Diego, Mat’s hometown. Since then we have photographed over 350 weddings together and it has been so magical to be part of so many couples and families memories. In addition to photography, I am passionate about drawing, painting, videography and sculpting.
Over the last several years I have finished a collection of paintings, started using a 3D pen to create sculptures and participated in 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy. I also absolutely love capturing and editing video, I dabble in a new fusion of photo and videos called living photos or cinemagraphs and have been working this year to find avenues to create videos for entrepreneurs and artists. I have been very fortunate to find a way to create some type of visual art nearly every day and to connect with so many people along this journey.
Please tell us about your art.
As a visual artist, I am constantly framing images in my head even without a camera. I see photos in front of me constantly. As a photographer, I capture couples in love, engaged, married, these same couples often allow me to witness the next stage of their lives as they grow and have families. I get to watch children grow from a week old to 8 years old. It is truly one of the greatest gifts of being a photographer is having this special glimpse into someone’s lives and them trusting you to capture it.
As a videographer I get to see the story and put it together in a way that transcends a still image, hearing the sounds, seeing the sites, I am drawn to the movement. As a fine artist, everything I see becomes a potential painting, drawing or sculpture. My mind is like a pinball machine constantly being charged by the world I see and take in around me.
Whether it’s a classic wedding portrait, a drawing of a flower or a figurative abstract face, I aim to share the way I see the world in the medium that fits each scenario.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
My advice for other artists is to make time to create your art and believe in what you create. Whether you are an aspiring photographer, videographer, or fine artist, we are all striving for the same goal, to create compelling imagery that means something to us and hopefully to others. It can be a tough road of criticism and rejection, but holding true to yourself, making a plan and following through, can be a personal reward even if not necessarily a monetary reward. Try not to compare yourself, try not to be jealous of others and try to focus on your vision while also understanding the market of the field you are pursuing.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I work from my home studio in Rancho Penasquitos. I am either at my desk editing, communicating with clients or setting aside time to create new art. On the weekends I am typically witnessing a couple saying they’re I Do’s, celebrating with their family and friends or meeting up with a family to capture a new milestone in their adventure.
When I am not behind the camera or in the studio, I spend time with our teenage daughter and enjoy all the perks of living in San Diego.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 619-393-6623
- Email: info@sutography.com
- Instagram: instagram @hollyjanesart
- Facebook: sutography
- Twitter: sutography
- Website: wedding: www.sutography.com / art: www.hollyjanesutor.com
Image Credit:
Mat Sutor
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