Snapshots by Susan

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Snapshots by Susan Snapshots by Susan is the photography of Hull based photographer Susan Hagstrom.
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Today's tip is about using leading lines to direct the viewer's eye to the subject of your image. This image was made i...
10/15/2026

Today's tip is about using leading lines to direct the viewer's eye to the subject of your image. This image was made inside the iconic Cheapo Records store in Cambridge, Ma. The subject of the image is the guy in the aisle, leafing through vinyl records.

He's pretty much in the center of the image, which is normally a no-no but remember, most, if not all, photography rules were made to be broken! In this case, The records and cd's in foreground and the light panels on the ceiling, all act as leading lines, taking your eye right to the subject. I used a radial gradient around the subject to brighten him up, knowing that the viewer's eye is always drawn to the brightest part of the image.

This image was made with my Leica Q, which I'm now using for nearly all street photography. It's good in situations like this, because it's very small and doesn't attract attention. There's no flash but bumping up the ISO makes it decent in low light. Also using a larger aperture (low f stop) helps to let in light.

This isn't the most dynamic image but I do think it's a good example of using leading lines as a photographic tool.

Leica Q 28mm fixed lens hand held no flash
ISO 3200
f/3.2
ss 1/250th of a second

If you live in Hingham, the October edition of Greet Hingham should be on its way to your mailbox! This month's cover f...
10/11/2026

If you live in Hingham, the October edition of Greet Hingham should be on its way to your mailbox! This month's cover features Hingham entrepreneur and local servant, Victoria Donlan. Vicky lives very close to Wompatuck State Park and walks there every day so it was a no-brainer to take her portrait there.

It was a grey day but that's never a bad thing for taking portraits. You can bump up your ISO and easily add some warmth when processing the images. We went to a few different spots but this is a version of the image that landed on the cover. If you've seen these rock piles, or cairns, at the entrance, they may have been constructed by Vicky!

Read Vicky's story and see the additional images in the October magazine!

Canon R5 24-70mm lens hand held with flash
ISO 1600
f/8
ss 1/250th of a second

Today's tip is that colorful fall leaves provide a good opportunity to experiment with long exposure photography. The b...
10/09/2026

Today's tip is that colorful fall leaves provide a good opportunity to experiment with long exposure photography. The basic idea is to use a slow shutter speed, which means your shutter stays open for a longer time, allowing more light to enter the lens and hit the sensor. While the shutter is open, you move your camera to result in motion blur. However, there are several ways your camera can be moved!

In this case, I kept my camera horizontal, and moved it up and down but you can also go left to right, right to left or even in a circular motion. The result is different in every case. I noticed some brightly colored leaves on a stand of trees and you can see the result of the long shutter speed and the camera motion is these beautiful vertical streaks.

This is difficult to do in bright sunlight so you can use a neutral density filter to reduce the light but in this case, the area outside the tree was very shady so I was able to keep my shutter open for 1/2 second without a filter.

Canon R5 24-77 mm lens hand held no flash
ISO 100
f/16
ss .5 secods

Truly honored to help document this day that supports such a worthy cause
10/06/2026

Truly honored to help document this day that supports such a worthy cause

Today's image demonstrates the compositional tool of framing. While dining at the Bayside Restaurant in Westport, Ma., ...
10/04/2026

Today's image demonstrates the compositional tool of framing. While dining at the Bayside Restaurant in Westport, Ma., I noticed that the chefs were going back and forth, sometimes stopping in the doorway. I prepped my camera by increasing the ISO, since I was inside and it was a bit dark. I made several images of people walking back and standing in the doorway but when this subject stood still, looking at his phone I knew I had an opportunity to make a sharp image.

This could be considered an environmental portrait, since it captures a subject in his natural/work environment. The image is a little busy but in this case, I don't mind it because when you think of the subject's job, it's filled with chaos. I processed it in black and white because the color isn't important to the image and I think it gives it an antique feel, appropriate for an old-time diner.

Leica Q 28mm lens hand held no flash
ISO 3200
f/11
ss 1/250th of a second

If you follow me, you know I take a decent amount of professional portraits. They are posed images and there are many v...
10/01/2026

If you follow me, you know I take a decent amount of professional portraits. They are posed images and there are many variables, some in my control and some not. These portraits are posed photos and for the most part, they look great. But...

There's nothing like a candid portrait to get people looking their most natural selves, and here's a good example. I spotted this adorable baby early on in the event. When I spotted her with this man, I knew I wanted to make their portrait. I assumed the man was her grandfather but I was wrong! I don't know their relationship but it was easy to see that he was quite taken with her and it's easy to see why! I have a series that includes this image, both people looking at me and the two looking at each other. As a series, it's really quite lovely.

So here's the tip: unless you're a model, posed photos can often look stiff but if you can catch people candidly interacting, even if they see you taking their photo, the result can be a really beautiful image. There's no special equipment needed to make an image like this and an iPhone works great for this so give it a try at your next event.

Canon R5 24-70 mm lens, hand held with flash
ISO 2000
f/3.5
ss 1/60th of a second

Today's tip will help you with your travel photography and maybe with your all-around composition. I have often said th...
09/27/2026

Today's tip will help you with your travel photography and maybe with your all-around composition. I have often said that putting a person in your image will almost always make it more interesting. This is especially true for street shots and also for your travel photos, and here's a little twist on that theme.

I was recently walking around Cambridge and specifically on the Harvard campus. It was a beautiful fall day and I highly recommend this destination for a photo walk. The area is filled with great history, architecture and people. I noticed a long line of people and went to see what was going on. Everyone was lined up to have their photo taken with the statue of John Harvard. (John Harvard is thought of as the founder of the university but in fact, he was a major benefactor who left half of his estate and library to the school, which was founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony)

So here's the tip: instead of taking a photo of a landmark, or even taking a selfie of you with the landmark, make an image like this, that shows the landmark in its environment and include the line of people. This image would be even better if I had included more of the line.

Leica Q 28mm lens hand held no flash
ISO 200
f/2.8
ss 1/250th of a second

Everyone is concerned about privacy on the internet but no one more so than parents of young children and especially, ne...
09/23/2026

Everyone is concerned about privacy on the internet but no one more so than parents of young children and especially, new parents. This is a challenge for newborn (and family) photographers who want to display their portfolio but also want to respect their clients' wishes. Here are a few tips about how to meet this challenge.

I consider the privacy of my clients to be of the utmost importance so if I ever have a questions about posting photos, I just ask first. If the client says it's ok but they'd rather not have the child or children be identified, there are several ways to do this. If you are doing a newborn session, you can take lots of details shots of little hands, little fingers and toes, eyelashes, etc and you can post these without identifying the baby. You can also shoot from far away so that the entire scene is fairly blurred out.

This image shows another way to portray a sweet image while keeping it anonymous. I like this post because it shows the size of the baby's head, relative to Dad's hand. Mom's hand on Dad's arm completes the photo, showing a tender family moment. Even though you can't see the parents' faces, you imagine them, gazing down at their new bundle of joy.

Canon R5 24-70mm lens hand held with flash
ISO 3200
f/5.6
ss 1/250th of a second

Our Father, our King, forgive and pardon all of our iniquitiesOur Father, our King, inscribe us in the Book of Good Life...
09/20/2026

Our Father, our King, forgive and pardon all of our iniquities
Our Father, our King, inscribe us in the Book of Good Life
Our Father, our King, inscribe us in the Book of Redemption and Salvation
Our Father, our King, be gracious to us and answer us, for we have little merit; deal with us in charity and lovingkindness, and save us

Canon R5 24-70 mm lens, hand held with flash
ISO 2000
f/9
ss 1/60th of a second

Today's tip is to constantly have your head on a swivel when taking photos in a a new environment. Look up, look down, ...
09/17/2026

Today's tip is to constantly have your head on a swivel when taking photos in a a new environment. Look up, look down, look right, look left, look in front and look behind. Most likely, your perspective will change drastically depending on your vantage point.

In this case, while stopping for coffee in Rio's historic and famous Confeitaria Colombo, there were interesting scenes in every direction. The vibe here is fancy and ornate, with floor to ceiling mirrors, marble-topped tables and a stained glass skylight. But it wasn't until I ventured to the upper floor to look down that I could take in this scene, with the geometric flooring, interesting layout of the tables and a few brightly dressed diners.

I was traveling with my Leica Q, that has a fixed 28mm lens, so in one sense, it's good to take in a wide scene like this however, being inside and with no zoom or external flash, the image is a bit grainy. In this case, I'm ok with that trade-off, since it gives the image a more photojournalistic feel.

This image has been accepted into the Hull Artists annual Open Juried Photography Show and will be on display at the Nantasket Beach Resort Hotel from October 9th to November 15th. An opening reception will be held October 13th from 6-8 p.m. at the hotel. This image will be matted and framed and available for purchase. Another image of mine, also made in Brazil, was accepted into the show.

Leica Q 28mm lens
ISO 800
f/2.5
ss 1/125th of a second

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