Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Lavendar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elizabeth, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Starting out in this industry is hard. Not only do you compare yourself to others, but when you ask for help, you are ghosted by those you look up to and envy. As my business began to grow and flourish, I’ve had numerous photographers asking for advice, help and even locations…and I help, I give advice AND I even given them locations. I realize that some see others in our industry and view them as “competition” however I just don’t see it that way. I believe clients that book me, do so because they want me. I believe they choose me first because of who I am, my personality and my heart for what what I’m doing and secondly choose me for my work.Though some may see that as “devalued” some may see it as “ridiculous”, but I truly believe our clients value their experience and relationships with us more than just the art we create.

I believe our industry needs more support. I believe our industry needs more compassion. But most of all, I believe our industry should pour knowledge into others wanting to grow.

It’s not about how much money you make, who fills their book up first, it’s about creating timeless images that last a lifetime for clients that love and adore you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner of Photos by Elizabeth, LLC based in Griffin Ga and I specialize in Wedding, Maternity + Newborn Photography.

I strive to provide my clients with an experience that is one of kind, meaning being all me 100% of the time. Though some laugh and giggle about the way I run my business, I believe that being raw and real with your clients brings you closer to them.

Wedding Photography is not easy, very fun, but not easy. It takes a strong personality to handle wedding parties and even more so, family portraits. I will say my second shooter, Cynthia Hutto and I have absolutely no problem at all wrangling in the groomsmen and handling the family portraits which is key to staying on time and having a happy bride. One of my things on wedding days is literally the detail shots. I have massive tool box (organized and labeled to my liking) fully of all kinds on knick backs, ribbon, stamps etc. to create the invitation/rings/shoes/ jewelry flat lays of my dreams. It’s crazy to even think about how much I have invested in just that tool box over the years.

For weddings and events we also offer another service, HITCH the Photo Camper! Myy husband, Triston Lavendar, and I gutted an old hunting camper down to the bones with a dream to add a little more fun to wedding days. I offer HITCH at a discounted rate to my brides because I just love watching them have the best time. HITCH was a vision I had in 2018 that got put on hold when life happened, as it does, but he FINALLY made his debut in October 2021 and he has been a HIT! HITCH has all kinds of funny hats, props and sunnies to add a little giggle to your day, prints your photo strips and even comes with a customized album for guest to leave a sweet message with all the cool stickers and funky pens! It has been a totally different experience, and every event is better than the last!

I have recently found a love for Maternity + Newborn Photography, and this love is unmatched. The beauty of creating a selfless love of a child warms my heart. Typically after I deliver a Maternity Session, the mother books me for Newborn the same day, and I get all invested in “my baby” lol. There is something so special about the bond I have created with my clients, because I kid you not, most of them text me the same day they deliver with a photo that says “I’m here.” It truly makes me feel like part of their family.

I am also very passionate about SANTA! Boy oh boy do I love my Baking with Santa. Every year in October I transform my home into “Santa’s House.” I kid you not, I spend a whole week decking the halls with 12+ Christmas trees, garlands, wreaths on all my doors and cabinets, all kinds of Christmas everything, simply to create the illusion of “Santa’s House.” My Baking with Santa Mini Sessions bring me so much joy. I cannot even explain the heart flutters I get when a client sees me in public or at another session and says “We drove by your house the other day and ____said “Mommy, isn’t that Santa’s house?” I just eat it up!

Though my business has grown over the years, I will never forget the journey. I will never forget the lack of support, I will never forget the “get a real job” and I will most certainly never forget the student loan debt of a Bachelors + Masters degree, as they were pursued because I simply didn’t believe my dreams were possible…until one day, with full support of my husband, after eight years of telling myself “I can’t do it..” I put in a two weeks notice and just…did it! I have been a photographer for 10 years now, and it took 8 years before I was able to see what I had within me.. After two years of being full time, I can’t even imagine doing anything else.

Being a photographer in a small town has taught me a lot of things.

1. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.
2. You are capable, but you must be consistent.
3. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t, because YOU CAN!

And never forget, you can’t chase the light if you don’t first create it within yourself.

xoxo,
Elizabeth

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience is hard, and even harder to talk about especially when it comes from a place no one wants to talk about. When I first started “taking pictures” or “doing little shoots” or “running a little business” I was so discouraged by my family. It is so hard to grow as a person, as a business etc. when you have little to no encouragement from the people you love the most. I remember one instance of making a phone call to a family member in the middle of the day and another family member in the background said “Tell her to stop calling, your’e working, she needs to get a real job..” I was LIVID. At this time, I had just quit my job of six years to pursue my dream, my craft, my passion and a family member basically said I was unemployed, and in that moment, I realized that, it didn’t matter what she had to say, it didn’t matter what she thought, all that mattered was that I was happy, I was doing what I loved and my bills were paid, so I was doing something right. But that was just one instance of discouragement, but that one instance…that one remark, made me a HUSTLER. Since then, my business has flourish, my client base has grown, and I’m reaching for all my goals and pursuing all my dreams, because if I believe in something, I CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. Resilience is key.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I don’t technically have a business partner but, I do have a right hand man that I couldn’t do my job without.

While working a Chick-fil-A in 2015 I met Cynthia Hutto. I didn’t work with her long as she was a Grand Opening Trainer for Chick-fil-A and traveled the country training new hires. However when she finally came home to stay, she became one of my clients.

After quite a few sessions of the years, she texted me in 2020 and said “Hey Lizzie, I’m thinking learning photography and I would love it if you could give me some guidance on cameras and lens.” After this (text) conversation, her equipment came in and two weeks later I was in a pickle, had a wedding and my second shooter ghosted me.. So, I texted Cynthia “Wanna second shoot with me on Saturday?” Though she had never once used her camera, she came with me, I began to teach her settings on site, and we have grown together perfectly.

She is loud. She reads my mind. She keeps up with my keys. She never follows the GPS and always misses at least two turns but, she’s always down to help with anything, work related or not, and she balances my ADHD perfectly.

Cynthia has now become my right hand for all my endeavors, and assist me in more than just weddings. I truly would not be able to do the amount of work I do, without the help of her, so some of my success stems from the support and assistance of Cynthia over the last two years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.photosbyelizabeth.org
• Instagram: @photosbyelizabeth__
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosbyelizabetht
• Other: TikTok: @photosbyelizabeth Pintrest: @photosbyelizabeth