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Susan Nel, an entrepreneur building a creative business that harnesses her passion for photography

February 7, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Susan Nel, founder of Susan Nel Photography (Namibia)

Susan Nel, founder of Susan Nel Photography (Namibia)

Startup Story

There is a well known saying that a picture says a thousand words, and in  Namibia, entrepreneur Susan Nel, founder of Susan Nel Photography is helping her clients to tell their own unique stories through powerful images.


LoA met with the talented Susan Nel in Namibia at a Lioness Lean In event to find out more.

What does your company do?

At Susan Nel Photography, we offer Corporate, CSR, and Conceptual Photography, Photography training, Social Media Content Creation, and Visual Digital Marketing Strategy. On the side, I’ve recently started my own photography decor range. 

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“I welcome photography, business chats. I love to teach others the skill of photography I so desperately wanted to learn when I was young and didn't have the means to do so. I also love to learn from others, through their successes and mistakes.”

What inspired you to start your company?

My fascination for photography started with the sound of a shutter click. I know it sounds strange, but the sound of an old film camera gave me goose bumps every time I heard it. I was 4 years old when my grandfather passed away. My mother took his hobby equipment home and when I was 11, I found them in her cupboard and started playing. Eventually I managed to convince them to buy me film. I grew up quite poor, so luxuries like films and development were not really available. However, I slowly continued to pursue this fascination with the shutter. By the age of 20 (and while studying my BCom in Marketing degree at the University of Stellenbosch) my family realized how serious I was about photography. I used to go to the B.A Arts classes to their photography darkroom when I got a chance. Eventually the begging to do extra photography classes paid off and I started studying and photographing all and everything I could afford.

Later I realized that it was no coincidence that I saw light everywhere - even before I took photography classes. I saw light, or the lack thereof, everywhere I went and in places no one around me was seeing them. This inspired me to keep shooting away.

After I started my first job in Namibia in 2006 as a marketing consultant, my sister in law asked me to photograph her wedding. That's how it all started. In 2009 we moved to the UK for a year where I stumbled across a few opportunities to work with famous photographers in the documentary and wedding industry. I learned a lot and came back to Namibia to have my business thrive in the wedding and commercial industry until 2016.

Wedding photography is like attending master classes - it teaches you all sorts of photography under all sorts of circumstances. It challenges you under pressure and it makes you aware of so much more than just the click of a shutter and the light. I realized that documentary style is the heart and soul of my photography and that I have a gift to anticipate and photograph emotion and moments. However, in Namibia at the time we were challenged to get to learn all sorts of photography avenues as the markets were too small to create your own niche market too soon. So instead I've tried my hand at every opportunity I could find and eventually I could say that I've owned my own studio. I did commercial photography, food photography, macro photography, industrial photography, conceptual, landscape, fine art and many more.

In 2017, I decided to follow my heart into Corporate Social Responsibility Photography. In 2018 we started our creative resource platform website called www.braveart.com.na along with a graphic design partner. (We won an innovation award from the Development bank of Namibia even before we actually launched the site). In 2019, I also started a decor range with Susan Nel Photography designs printed on them. In between all this, I still have many corporate, CSR and commercial photography work that keeps the pot going.

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“I am able to anticipate and photograph moments and emotion at a high level of quality and I always challenge myself to do more and better each time I pick up my camera.”

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Why should anyone use your service or product?

I have over 12 years of extensive experience. I am able to anticipate and photograph moments and emotion at a high level of quality and I always challenge myself to do more and better each time I pick up my camera. Mostly, however, is my love, fascination and absolute ability to connect with people in front of my lens and otherwise. To climb into their shoes and really SEE them and understand what and how to capture the essence. I am not afraid to share knowledge, to dig deeper and do go further to help others achieve their goals. Actually, I welcome photography / business chats. I love to teach others the skill of photography I so desperately wanted to learn when I was young and didn't have the means to do so. I also love to learn from others, through their successes and mistakes.

Tell us a little about your team

It's only me. I love the flexibility. When I am in need of an assistant, I hire one. When I need a designer, I team up with my friend at Kunshuis who started www.braveart.com.na with me. I always dream of having a PA, but financially I cannot afford someone yet.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

My father is a farmer in the Northern Cape. My mother a teacher. So no, I did not grow up with any entrepreneurial background. However, I do believe that growing up on a farm taught me how to think out of the box. How to dream, but also how to be practical. A skill that came in very handy many times during my journey so far.

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“Every day I am still learning something new. Like thinking of myself as being an entrepreneur.”

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

I have this dream to one day apply for and receive a photography grant to photograph ALL NGOs in Namibia that are fighting the fight against poverty and inequality.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Every day I am still learning something new. Like thinking of myself as being an entrepreneur. There is much to say for the learning journey of when to follow your inner "gut" feel and when to let practical reasoning assist you on your journey. When you've read them both right and success is the result, then the satisfaction sets in.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Get a mentor. Be a mentor to the next one. Never think you've arrived. Once that thought crosses your mind, the end of your entrepreneurial journey is close.

Contact or follow Susan Nel Photography

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL  susan@susannelphotography.com


Why LoA loves it….

There is nothing quite as powerful as a photograph to capture the essence of an individual or a brand, and it is an art-form that is highly prized amongst global brand builders. In Namibia, Susan Nel has built a business that understands the power of photography in all its forms, from recording those precious family moments in time, to capturing an entrepreneur’s leadership qualities in a portrait. She has built a reputation for telling powerful stories through the art of the photograph and working with clients to deliver those stories in a meaningful and highly personal way. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa

In Startup Story Tags Business Services, Media PR & Communications, Namibia
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