We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Leitzke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Elizabeth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned photography formally at the University of Miami where I earned a degree in Visual Communications. But overall, it’s a combination of my formal education and going on to learn on my own and from the local photography community. I’m not sure that I could have sped up the learning process, but I do know that if I had had a stronger foundation where photography is concerned, that it would have helped me make better use of my education. The most essential skills in photography are understanding the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and understanding how light works and then being able to apply those when you go out and shoot. As far as obstacles go, I realize now that when I was in college, I was not confident enough in my self or my abilities to do my education justice. At the time, it was more like I was just going through the motions and not really absorbing what I was being taught. I was afraid to go out and do the hard stuff, so I stayed in my comfort zone, which really did hold me back from taking advantage of being surrounded by so much information and opportunity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am from Jacksonville, FL but have also lived in South Florida. I am a photographer, mom (to both a daughter and a dog), and a lover of life. I got into photography when I was young and my mom had to buy a camera for her job. I had always loved photography and the way I felt when I looked at images that I really loved. I don’t know if, at the time, I was able to explain it, and I probably still can’t, but I knew that I wanted to create photographs that would make people feel what I felt when I looked at photo. I started by taking photos of everything around the house that would stay still long enough. In high school, I joined the yearbook staff and then went on to the University of Miami and got a degree in Visual Communications. Life took me in a direction away from photography for a while, although I would still take pictures as a hobby. In 2019, I decided to pursue my photography more seriously. I was living in South Florida where there is a lot of opportunity to photography wildlife, which was my main interest at the time. My daughter was very young, so I would put her in the stroller and we would go off on adventures (I was a stay a home mom). In 2020, after losing my husband unexpectedly and having to move back up to Jacksonville, photography became my escape and my drive. I knew that I didn’t want to get back into the corporate world when the time came to go back to work. Having a work/ life balance was so important to me because I was the only parent who could show up for my daughter. I had the time and the opportunity to work on making my photography a career. I found a mentor who is a wildlife photographer (that was still my focus) to help guide me and I dug my heels in and went out as often as I could to take photos. In an attempt to make money of course, I found a local shop owner that took a chance on me and let me put my photography in her store. This opportunity helped grow my confidence and helped it feel like my dream of becoming a photographer was actually attainable. As I continued on my journey, I began to try out other types of photography, which led me to buying a macro lens. Experimenting with that lens and a black backdrop that I had is what led me to my current style. I realized how much I love to see the details in my subjects and the black background gave the subjects a “pop”. It started with flowers and has grown from there.

My focus in on fine art photography, specializing in macro photography, although I love nature/ wildlife photography as well. My style and use of angles is what sets me apart from others. I try to shoot my subjects from interesting angles, providing an atypical perspective. I also like to shoot up close, usually with a single subject. You will see that in my wildlife photography as well.

As far as what I am most proud of, that would have to be overcoming all of the roadblocks I created for myself when it came to pursuing photography as a career. I didn’t realize that I had been doing it for so long. I was coming up with all the reasons why I couldn’t make a career out of photography but mostly that was me standing in my own way. I still try and put up roadblocks for myself, but now I am able to recognize when I am doing that and figure out to overcome it. Putting your art out into the world is very personal, especially when you are trying to make a living off of that art. It is so easy to come up with all the reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t. Learning how to navigate around the doubts and fears has been my biggest challenge and accomplishment and is still something I have to work on regularly.

The main thing that I want people to know is that I love photography with my whole heart and I try to make that love show through in my photos. I want people who view my photography to get a similar emotional response to my work that I got when I was young and looking at photos (and still do). I love to hear feedback about my work and have discussions about it as well. My work is always evolving as I learn new techniques and skills and I just hope that people want to join me as I continue to grow.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my opinion, the thing that society can do to best support artists and creatives is to take a step back and realize who and what they are supporting. Supporting an artist is helping a parent feed their family. It is helping a person build a foundation to continue creating the art they love so much. It is helping build up the confidence of an emerging artist. The great part about supporting creatives is that is does not have to be in the form of a purchase. In a world where things are getting more expensive and our pay is not necessarily keeping up, I know that buying something cheaper seems like the way better to go. Trust me, I know the struggle! However, with the emergence of social media, you don’t always have to purchase something to support an artist/creative. You can share a post or engage with it on some level. That interaction helps the artist reach new viewers who could turn into customers. When visiting an artist or their art in person, take a business card and keep a collection of them to reference when you are ready to make a purchase. If you see something that reminds you of someone, you can share that item with them. Also, you can make smaller purchases such as a smaller item the artist may sell or even a gift card if that is an option. If you could see the face of the artist when you purchase their work, you would realize the immense impact it has.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think that the resource I wish I new about earlier is my fellow photographer community. There are plenty of books, classes, magazines, etc., but what they cannot provide is the support you get from other people who share the same passions that you do. I have joined some local photographer groups and the support is immeasurable. They are also such a great source of knowledge. Being able to learn from and alongside my fellow photographers has been such an amazing experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.eaphotographystudio.art
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/e.a.photographystudio
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eaphoto683

Image Credits
Headshot: Keith Bartholomew