by Jemma Coleman
I was washing my hands before the program started at PPNCF one evening when I thought I recognized someone waiting for a potty stall. Man, she looks so familiar. Being the shy person I am, always thinking before speaking, I grabbed some paper towels and said, “Hey! Do I know you from somewhere? I’m Jemma!” She said she didn’t know and that her name was Sava- “Oh! Wait, you were in my class right? You go to Camp Weed growing up? Psychology major? Episcopalian? Gosh… hmmm.” -nnah. “What was your name again? Oh right Savannah. {*smiles*} Cool, well nice to meet you!”
Image by Jemma Coleman Photography
I had to know more about her, we were going to figure this out. So I tracked her down, interviewed her, then quit my job, moved to another town, and couldn’t find the notes for like three months. So some of this may or may not be stuff I just made up. Well, here goes… First awesome fact: Savannah was 21 when I met her in …. I can’t remember when it was, but she was 21 then. If you’re wondering who this chick is, she has long pretty brown hair and brown eyes, she likes jeans and thrift store finds – or just look at the photo. That’s her, Savannah Kaszas. Don’t ask me how to pronounce that. All I know is it comes much more easily if you do jazz hands while saying it. Don’t act like you didn’t watch Bring it On. Anyway, second thing I found out was that we have similar taste in kitchen towels and notebooks. Booya!
On to more meaningful things, Savannah is happily married to her hubby of two years, Tim. They are the proud parents of two cats and a dog, fondly named after songs they love. “Music means a lot to me.” Savannah enjoys singing and her brother plays guitar. If they had time, Savannah says she and Tim would go to more shows. Tim would like country shows, but since Savannah threatens to gag herself with spoons, they compromise. Chris Thile, who’s played with Nickel Creek was a great in-between show for them, lovely folk music that’ll put a jig in your step and a smile on your face. Check out the song Leaves Fall from his album Stealing Second and you’ll see what I mean.
Image by Jemma Coleman Photography
With such a southern name, I figured there had to be some country in this girl. Savannah was born in Alabama and then moved to Keystone Heights at the age of six. She went back to Alabama for visits and by the time she was twelve or thirteen had saved up $200 for her first camera, a film Canon Rebel. In love with the nostalgia of the old south, Savannah remarked, “I should have been born in 1963!” Remembering her middle-high school history classes and studying the work of Margaret Burke White, Savannah described her favorite images captured on that first camera. Broken fences, old places, landscapes; evidence of lives of the southern poor during the era of the Industrial Revolution.
Image by Savannah Rose Photography
I can see a little of that vintage old south in Savannah’s style and point out her ring, silver, kick-ass, and complete with cross-stitching. “I know! Isn’t it weird?” Savannah grins. “I drag Tim around consignment shops and thrift stores looking for stuff like this.” She wears a handmade wedding band on her left hand, the cross stitched ring and her great grandmother’s ring on the right, a few bracelets that could be vintage, modern copies, or just sentimental, and a kitty cat amber necklace over her Pink Floyd t-shirt. Super cute! Oops, did I just say that? I mean, she looks fly as hell.
Image by Jemma Coleman Photography
With all this personal insight and Savannah’s easy-going personality, she’s starting to feel more like an old friend than a new acquaintance. “I got it! You worked at Harmon’s!” Turns out Savannah worked for Harmon’s for quite some time while going to school at Santa Fe, during my prime Harmon’s shopping years! In her down time at work, she’d read all the photography books she could get her hands on. Working there she also learned the ins and outs of running a shop for printing, framing, and some developing, not to mention customer service, which was and still is her favorite aspect of the business. After getting her AA in Art Studio, she went on to UCF in Daytona for her B.S. in photography. It’s an hour and a half drive, but she loves the program.
Now, Savannah focuses her business on shooting weddings and portraits – particularly engagements and seniors. It all started when a friend saw a picture she took of a tree on myspace and loved it so much she asked Savannah to shoot her wedding. At first, Savannah said no, but with some persistence, the friend eventually convinced her and after that, Savannah was hooked. Since that first wedding, Savannah has pursued education and entered prints into competition. She attended the f-stops now workshop with the Rads & Susan Stripling in Atlanta, increasing her understanding of light, how to add to it, and how to fix it when it sucks. Almost getting a merit at the state convention just pushed Savannah harder. She attended all the business seminars at convention and joined PPNCF last year. Now she hopes she’ll be able to get more weddings at lovely venues and further develop her portfolio.
I got nosy about her stuff and I found out Savannah shoots with Canon and would love to pick up the 24-70 f/2.8L and the 70-200 f/2.8L. Along with that she’d love a new 7D, some pocket wizards, a lens baby, and “some kind of decent portable lights”. I asked what she used for editing and with some guilt and a slight wince Savannah said she used a PC. I told her not to worry about those Mac bullies. Later we slapped high fives. “Those Mac users are such suckers!” Who said that? Man, the dog ate that part of my notes. Such a shame.
When she’s not shooting, Savannah is messing around in Photoshop, reading modern romances, business books, historical literature, and mystery novels. There’s a good chance that while doing any of these, Jude, their 50 pound chocolate lab puppy will nose her on the back of the leg leaving a sizeable cold wet spot. “He always wants to play ball for hours.” Apparently Jude gets along great with Gypsy and Leroy Brown, their two kitties. Leroy Brown, an affectionate orange cat spends his time sauntering across keyboards and pawing Savannah in the face. Gypsy, described as “antisocial” employs the affectionate fake-out, gets you to pet her and then attacks in a blur of tabby gray fur & claws! As long as the cats don’t interrupt their watching Dexter (“The idea of killing bad guys appeals to me slightly,” Savannah muses.), their making of natural flavored water (watermelon lemon flavor please!), and pineapple upside down cakes (when do I get to come over?), Savannah promises not to dump cans of just given up Diet Coke on them. R.I.P. Diet Coke. R.I.P.
Image by Jemma Coleman Photography
This month we are getting excited to have a top sales coach give us cutting edge advice and strategies on how to increase sales. You can read more about our guest at 
Orlando: A Day in the Life: Shoot, Sort, Blog & Facebook with Gary Hughes.
Also, on October 25th, our very own PPNCF prez will be putting on a workshop in Ocala on Sports Photography Basics.
