Susan Stripling

Susan Stripling Susan Stripling takes pictures at weddings. And she likes it. (*PLEASE* don't message me through Facebook. Kindly email me instead! Thanks!)

Wedding, portrait, and theatre photographer.

I’m 48 and I want to talk about it.Somebody in the industry argued that couples should hire photographers their own age....
09/01/2026

I’m 48 and I want to talk about it.
Somebody in the industry argued that couples should hire photographers their own age. Post’s gone, not naming anybody, but the idea’s been around a while so here we are and let’s talk about it.

The reasoning behind the post was that someone your age gets you, relaxes you, catches the real stuff. Which describes GOOD PHOTOGRAPHERS and not one single thing about how old they are. I’ve watched 26-year-olds walk into a room of strangers and have ten new best friends in four minutes. I’ve watched people my age fail at it completely.

My age tells you nothing about your wedding. Not whether I’ll get your family, not whether I’ll be useful when you’re running forty minutes behind. I know which rooms have twelve good minutes of light and where it lands. I know what happens when hair and makeup runs long and how to fix it before anyone notices.

Experience can happen when you’re young or apparently one foot in the grave, which is what that post made me feel like I was.
Hire whoever’s pictures you can’t stop looking at. Hire who you like talking to.

But if you want to hire me and are dying to know how old I am - I’m 48. Do with that what you will!

20+ years in and here is the list of stuff that will make me do a double take every time. Some of it makes sense. Some o...
07/29/2026

20+ years in and here is the list of stuff that will make me do a double take every time. Some of it makes sense. Some of it does not. Grandmas on repeat. Whatever is happening on slide 16. Me being in peril near bodies of water. And also, apparently, mannequins.

I teach double exposures a lot, which means I spend a lot of time convincing people that they’re not nearly as complicat...
07/09/2026

I teach double exposures a lot, which means I spend a lot of time convincing people that they’re not nearly as complicated as they look.

The funny part is that I still approach them with roughly the same level of sophistication I had twenty years ago.

“Huh. I wonder what would happen if I put those two things together.”

Sometimes it’s a silhouette and a skyline.

Sometimes it’s a couple and a tree.

Sometimes it’s an absolutely terrible idea that should never see the light of day. I don't show ya'll those. 😂

Every time one comes together, a small part of my brain is convinced I’ve performed a magic trick. I haven’t. I just pointed a camera at two things instead of one to tell a story.

(Twenty years later and apparently that’s still enough to make my day.)

For a long time, wedding photography meant one day.I’d arrive in the morning, leave at the end of the reception, and tha...
07/07/2026

For a long time, wedding photography meant one day.

I’d arrive in the morning, leave at the end of the reception, and that was the story.

These days, many weddings are weekends. People are flying across the country. Across the world. Families are gathering in the same place for the first time in years. Friends are meeting each other. Grandparents are telling stories. College roommates are staying up too late.

The wedding day is still the center of it all, but it isn’t the whole story.

Some of my favorite photographs happen at a welcome dinner when people are seeing each other for the first time. Some happen at a luncheon the day before. Some happen at brunch the next morning when everyone is exhausted and happy and nobody has anywhere left to be.

When couples ask whether weekend coverage is worth it, this is usually what I think about.

Not the extra hours.

The extra memories.

Let's hang out all weekend, shall we?

With and

Wedding luncheon:
Welcome party:
Wedding venue:
Event planner:
Floral design:
Videography:

I teach double exposures a lot, which means I spend a lot of time convincing people that they’re not nearly as complicat...
07/03/2026

I teach double exposures a lot, which means I spend a lot of time convincing people that they’re not nearly as complicated as they look.

The funny part is that I still approach them with roughly the same level of sophistication I had twenty years ago.

“Huh. I wonder what would happen if I put those two things together.”

Sometimes it’s a silhouette and a skyline.

Sometimes it’s a couple and a tree.

Sometimes it’s an absolutely terrible idea that should never see the light of day.

Every time one comes together, a small part of my brain is convinced I’ve performed a magic trick. I haven’t. I just pointed a camera at two things instead of one.

(Twenty years later and apparently that’s still enough to make my day.)

I called these locations overrated and then spent the entire carousel explaining why I love them.That’s the thing about ...
07/02/2026

I called these locations overrated and then spent the entire carousel explaining why I love them.

That’s the thing about New York. The famous places are famous for a reason.

The goal isn’t finding locations nobody has heard of. It’s finding a way to make iconic places feel like your own.

Except the Carrie Bradshaw stoop. And the Rockefeller Tree.

I’m standing by those. Even I have limits.

When I first started photographing weddings, I spent a lot of time chasing the big moments. The first kiss. The first da...
06/30/2026

When I first started photographing weddings, I spent a lot of time chasing the big moments. The first kiss. The first dance. The entrance into the reception. That list full of specifics that The Knot told me I HAD to get.

And don’t get me wrong, I still photograph all of those things. I LOVE those things. They’re important for a reason.

But somewhere along the way, I realized that the photographs I return to most often aren’t always the obvious ones.

They’re the moments in between.

The moment right before someone walks down the aisle. The moment after a hug ends but before people let go of each other. The conversation happening in the corner while everyone else is focused on something else. The flower person who has wandered away from the dance floor and fallen asleep on a chair. The parent taking a deep breath. The couple sitting together for thirty seconds when they think nobody is looking.

I don’t know if twenty years of photographing weddings has taught me to look for those moments, or if photographing weddings for twenty years has simply convinced me that those moments are the story.

The big events tell you what happened.

The moments in between tell you what it felt like.

Or maybe I'm just getting all soft in my old age, who knows?

One of the questions I get asked all the time is “Where should we get ready?”And my answer is almost never, “Whichever h...
06/27/2026

One of the questions I get asked all the time is “Where should we get ready?”

And my answer is almost never, “Whichever hotel is closest.”

The room you get ready in affects everything.

- The light.
- The space.
- The background in your photographs.
- Whether twelve people can comfortably exist in the room at the same time without someone sitting on a suitcase.

A beautiful getting ready location can make the entire first half of the wedding day feel calmer. Here are just a few of my many NYC favorites:

• The Bowery Hotel
• The Ludlow
• 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
• The Plaza
• The Greenwich Hotel
• The Lotte New York Palace
• The Wythe Hotel

And here’s the thing most people don’t realize:

I’m not necessarily looking for the fanciest room. I’m looking for good windows, enough space to move around, and a place where you can actually enjoy the morning instead of feeling crammed into a shoebox with six garment bags and a bodega breakfast sandwich.

If you’re planning a New York wedding and trying to decide where to stay, ask your photographer before you book.

We’ve SEEN some things.

Every wedding has THAT kid.You know the one.The kid who has no interest in the timeline, no interest in the centerpieces...
06/26/2026

Every wedding has THAT kid.

You know the one.

The kid who has no interest in the timeline, no interest in the centerpieces, no interest in whether the DJ is playing the right song, and absolutely no interest in whatever conversation the adults are having.

This kid had DISCOVERED the dance floor.

The conservatory at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is one of the most beautiful reception spaces I’ve ever photographed, blah blah Instagram caption.

I didn’t really see any of that.

At this precise moment, all I saw was a tiny person in a giant room having the absolute time of her sweet little life.

When people ask me how I “find” photographs, this is usually the answer. I’m not looking for camera settings or lighting setups or a checklist of compositions. I’m looking for moments that make me stop what I’m doing and pay attention.

This one was impossible to miss.

(Also, I have a strong suspicion that this child had a significantly better evening than the rest of us. And the rest of us had a GOOD evening.)

I finally photographed a wedding event at Longwood Gardens.A few thoughts:First, the place is enormous.Second, I could p...
06/25/2026

I finally photographed a wedding event at Longwood Gardens.

A few thoughts:

First, the place is enormous.

Second, I could probably photograph there for a week and still find new places to make portraits.

And third, if you’re the kind of person who wants gardens, architecture, water features, greenhouses, and approximately one million different backgrounds without ever getting in a car, this place is *ridiculous*.

I was there for a wedding weekend luncheon and spent most of the afternoon alternating between photographing people and saying, “Wait, what’s over there?”

If Longwood Gardens is on your wedding venue wish list, I completely understand why.

(Now I just need an excuse to go back.)

Address

380 W 38th Street Unit 1501
New York, NY
10018

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 8pm
Sunday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+19172098425

Website

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