Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Susie Lang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Susie, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
Generosity comes from recognizing the support I’ve experienced from mentors in my life. This generosity has come from older women (in particular) and continues to come from my partner of 40 years. In talking of generosity – it is the generosity of an open heart and care that I am able to offer to others around me. My generosity of spirit has come from deep within me. I have been in the “helping” profession for 50+ years, but, I believe this generosity of spirit is deep within the core of me. I was born with curiosity, wanting to understand the depths of others. I am learning later in my life, to be generous to, and with myself ~ it is this which continues to enable much more clarity with another. To be deeply heard and seen is one of my work passions – both photographically and in my psychotherapeutic relationships. Both empathy (being present for another) and generosity (being open to deeply hearing/seeing) work together, while having an evolving depth of understanding of myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an Australian-born Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Professional Portrait Photographer, living in NYC since 2004. In 2017, at the age of 60, I began to feel a sense of invisibility both in society and within myself. This pivotal moment inspired my ongoing photographic work, INSTAGRAM @women.60.plus, where I focus on capturing the essence of older women. My goal is to challenge the Western cultural narrative that often marginalizes women as they age, by giving them a voice and a visible presence.
Through my photography, I strive to reveal the inner beauty, wisdom, and resilience of women as we age. Each photoshoot is a deeply personal experience, where mutual connection allows for the expression of self-awareness and empowerment. The resulting images are a testament to the strength, honesty, and freedom these women embody.
Combined in both my work fields, culturally diverse women have further fueled my passion to capture the power of connection and the joy of shared experiences through my lens.
The most exciting part of my work is the mutual respect and connection that is generated between two individuals in a session, either in counseling or in a photoshoot. I have seen clients radiate. .
My new service is providing a “photo-therapy” experience, where we explore your inner feelings about self-awareness and personal development, focusing on the experience of being photographed – really, as a gift to yourself!
My vision is simple: to provide the space and opportunity, to continue empowering women to see and value themselves, celebrating the beauty of being truly seen and heard.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Having good professional support and constructive feedback in my work, which has often challenged my thinking and ways to create my further expanding fields of work.
2. Practice, practice, practice and with this comes the understanding and acceptance of continuing to learn patience in/for myself.
3. The gift of personal therapy, to define the person/artist/creator, I am destined to become.
For those, early in their journey ~ saying “yes” to possible opportunities while networking. Find a community where you feel comfortable and supported.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
In my work of @women.60.plus in the first few years, I often felt overwhelmed. I generated a lot of work for myself, to enable me to be “seen” as a portrait photographer in New York, particularly of older women. Coming here as an Australian, I had to find ways of creating my best opportunities. I realized soon on, that when “new” sitters would come into my field, I had to learn how to say “no” to those women, while offering alternate dates to do their photoshoots.
The ways I coped with overwhelmed feelings was to step away from photographing people – I pay much attention to my sitters, and I need to pay attention to myself. In support of, and to bring attention to myself, I would simply walk, be in nature, breathe and or just do simple tasks. I often wanted to be on my own – with or without my camera.
Contact Info:
- Website: susielangphoto.com susielangcounseling.com
- Instagram: @women.60.plus @populationportraits
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