Meet Olivia Steuer | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Steuer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
“Making other people happy” is a very general way to put it, but this is has always been my goal with my life/business. Photoshoots can be a very vulnerable experience, so creating a safe space where my clients can feel seen and loved as they truly are, in some small way makes the world a better place.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets me apart from other photographers is my style and my personality. I also only work with women (because women are amazing, obviously). I have an editorial/edgy aesthetic, but it’s not unreachable/too cool for school. I feel like it’s usually only one or the other. I really like to connect with my clients on an emotional level, to make them feel safe and seen. I think being able to connect with my clients on a deeper level in turn creates more deep, real photographs.

I feel like each of these questions is its own story for me personally (because there’s a LOT haha), but I’ll answer the last one. I want the world to know that it is possible to be successful– speaking as a highly sensitive weirdo with anxiety & depression. It’s so cliche but the more I’ve believed in myself and loved myself, I’ve attracted those people who love me for who I am, and love my style. It took me a couple years to find my exact style, and during that time I would sometimes conform to other photographers’ styles because I thought that’s what my clients wanted. Don’t ever do that. Again, cliche but be true to yourself, especially when it comes to your art and business. Life is seriously way too short.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think the best thing to do when you’re visiting NYC is to walk everywhere and eat all the different kinds of food. It depends on what time of year they’re visiting, but let’s say it’s May (best time of year here). Every day we’d take on a new neighborhood, focusing mainly on the West Village, Soho, and Brooklyn. A few spots for food and activities: 1. Central Park. We’d go to Zabar’s on the UWS and get a bunch of food for a picnic and spend the day here.
2. Via Carota or Arther & Sons. Dinner here one night because it’s theee best Italian food.
3. Westlight. Amazing views of the city in Williamsburg and a great spot for a cocktail. After Westlight, we would go to Cafe Mogador for the best Mediterranean food. A great bar for a night cap would be Fresh Kills – they make your own unique cocktails. If they’re full, we will go there earlier another night and head to Luckydog (dogs everywhere).
4. Sauced. Go here one night for drinks – best wine bar (in my opinion).
5. One day we’d go shopping in Soho (all up and down Broadway and the side streets). For amazing happy hour oysters, we’d go to Bar Belly on the LES then make our way to Thai Diner for dinner.
6. Chelsea Market – great for lunch and exploring near the High Line (going there after is a must).
7. For coffee, we’d go to La Colombe, Bakeri, or Blue Bottle Coffee.
8. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream or Magnolia for desserts.
9. Caliente Cab for giant margaritas
10. Thrift shopping in Williamsburg + Bushwick is a must.

Honestly there’s so much more haha. It’s very hard to narrow this down! Mainly eating, drinking, shopping, and walking around.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people I could thank right now. Family, friends, teachers, managers, co-workers – I’ve always been surrounded by incredible people who’ve shaped me into who I am today.

But if I’m going to narrow it down to just one person, my dad is who I want to dedicate my shoutout to. Years ago when I just graduated college, I told him I was afraid to move away from home and started freaking out. He said “if you don’t do it now, you never will.” So I did it and never looked back. This led me to meeting amazing people in Denver, who showed me how creative I actually am (never considered myself creative). I started doing photography on the side, and moved to NYC a couple years later (my dream since I was 6 years old). Fast forward a few years later, I told him I wanted to quit my job in sales and get a job in marketing because I needed to be creative. He was so supportive and happy for me and said “Of course it’s risky, but if you don’t do it now, you never will. Now is the time.” This new chapter led me to the best marketing agency, who supported my career so much which eventually led to me becoming a full time freelance photographer. These couple times were major turning points for me, and his support made everything in my career/life possible. I would not be where I am without him! Truly.

Website: www.oliviasteuer.com

Instagram: @olivia.steuer

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/oliviasteuer/

Image Credits
Emily Denny Shelly Xu