Suzanne Delawar
SUZANNE DELAWAR STUDIOS
Winston Delawar always loved art and photography, but in college a professor told him he should become a teacher if he wanted a job immediately. Delawar took that to heart, becoming a teacher for kids with emotional behavior disorder.
He loved working with kids but said his heart remained with the arts.
“Eventually the passion took over,” said Delawar, 56. He started shooting weddings about 12 years ago.
A couple years later, 13-year-old daughter Suzanne tagged along as an assistant. After a year, she started shooting weddings by herself.
“I remember my mom dropping me off, kissing me goodbye,” said the younger Delawar, who goes by Suzy. “I remember the bride laughing.”
Father and daughter worked every weekend to make a name for themselves, getting a big break when they were hired by E! Entertainment Television to shoot production stills for Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami, featuring the Kardashian sisters.
“You get stuck with a label as a celebrity photographer,” said Winston Delawar, who lives in Davie. “People just automatically assume: good enough for the Kardashians, good enough for us.”
The company has photographed Y100 events, the Jingle Ball concert, Selena Gomez and others. Their celebrity wedding business is getting the most attention, thanks to gigs for the nuptials of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, and film producer Will Packer and wife Heather Hayslett. About 70 percent of their business comes from weddings that bring an average of $7,000-$10,00 for still photos and video. Those “moving” images have become a growing part of the business.
The Plantation-based company started as Winston Delawar Photography, but has been renamed Suzanne Delawar Studios. Winston Delawar focuses on bringing in business and doesn’t shoot much himself; the company has 11 photographers-cinematographers on staff.
“She’s the future, I’m the past,” the proud father said.
Although their office and home is in Broward, most shoots are in Miami, Palm Beach, Pennsylvania or other spots in the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean.
As they look to the future, the Delawars are eager to explore television production; Suzy would like to venture into movies.
“The weddings will always be No. 1 for me because that’s my first love,” Winston Delawar said. “We’re never going to become millionaires doing weddings.”
--- The Miami Herald
Enjoyed the mannequin challenge video.
ReplyDelete