We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

I believe there is a certain stigma about what kind of couples choose to elope in National Parks/Natural areas. I have found most people are under the assumption that marrying in the outdoors is for very active, ‘granola’ couples who like to participate in long hikes in challenging terrain. Or that you will need to be ‘super adventurous’ and incorporate extreme activities to make the day more memorable. And all of the above can come at a high cost or is unattainable for most couples.
I like to approach this in two parts as an elopement photographer; First, the outdoors are for everyone. You can absolutely be an active outdoor baddie and we can hike miles at the crack of dawn to catch some epic sunrise vows. But you can also be outdoorsy in the ‘let’s just walk a few feet away from the parking lot to this gorgeous vista point’ too. Second, you don’t have to fly half way across the world to some well known location just to have an epic elopement in the outdoors. Coming from the mid-west I have helped tons of budget minded couples find gorgeous locations in the outdoors close to home without breaking the bank.
When choosing your elopement photographer it’s important to find someone who is knowledgable in travel, location scouting, local permits and regulations and really listens to what your needs and wants are as a couple. You don’t have to travel far or spend your entire savings to enjoy marrying in the outdoors.

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Elizabeth Smith of Smith and Co. Photography, a mid-west (Indiana) based wedding/elopement/lifestyle photographer and educator. I taught elementary art for 13 years before I jumped into photography as a second-shooter with a friend who did weddings. I quickly fell in love and never looked back. Serving local weddings in central Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio is the bulk of what I do, but as a travel junkie adventure elopements in National Parks both near and far have a real pull on my heartstrings.
I also run an educational platform, Wilder Workshops, for photographers looking to break into the elopement industry. Through Wilder we visit 4-5 locations a year where I utilize real couples to model for mock elopements. Attendees learn about Leave No Trace, permits for the areas we visit, location scouting, and how to build ideal timelines for the area so that they can better serve their future couples. This has been a really wonderful way for me to blend my love of photography and teaching background while meeting some amazing people and making new friends.
As an avid outdoor lover I have found my work with elopement couples to be the most rewarding for myself and my business. Before starting photography I really enjoyed traveling across the US during school breaks. Nothing gets me more excited than sharing stories from the road with anyone who will listen. When I started working in elopement photography back in 2020 things just clicked. With the pandemic causing large weddings to be cancelled more and more couples were seeking an alternative way to say ‘I do.’ Having been well travelled myself I was able to recommend some of my favorite locations to couples seeking this route as an option. The Pacific Northwest has always been my favorite place and it’s been really amazing to help multiple couples navigate getting there for their special day. My services are pretty inclusive; I start by narrowing down a location with my couple, time of year if they don’t have a date, and plan an over all vibe (relaxed or adventurous). Then we cover how to get to the location, permits, accessing local vendors (hair and makeup, catering) and work around a few timeline options. Building timelines is one of my strong suits as I do thorough research on locations from how long it will actually take to travel from point a to b, but also what the parking situation will be like, current road conditions, what the crowded times will be, and when the best lighting is. There is a lot of research that goes into properly planning an elopement so it can be as stress free as possible.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I feel like a lot of us have a goal in life to be rich or wealthy. But what that looks like is different for everyone. I have a serious case of Wanderlust and am a dreamer at heart. Having a structured 9-5 type job feels soul crushing to me. As much as I loved teaching in a school setting the structure never felt natural to me. Teaching was also physically and emotionally exhausting which took a toll on my energy level at home with my own child and husband. When I stepped back and truly assessed what a rich lifestyle would look like for me it meant having the energy after a long day of work to play or carry on meaningful conversations. It meant being able to attend a doctors appointment on a weekday without having to use PTO. It meant being able to attend a yoga class, see a movie, or catch up at lunch with friends on my own schedule in the middle of the week. Being a business owner has afforded me all of those opportunities and more. I’ve been able to have standing lunch dates with friends on Thursdays who I wouldn’t see as much with everyones busy schedules otherwise. I’ve been able to take my daughter along on elopements all over the US to show her just how big our world is. (Coolest experience was taking a helicopter to a glacier in Alaska for a shoot. We are going to Iceland this summer.)
I don’t think I have photographed a single wedding or elopement where I haven’t thought to myself- or even said aloud- “I get to do THIS for a living” and to me that makes me a millionaire.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This is kind of a fun one- Facebook has been the main market for where I find clients/they find me and also where 90% of photographers will interact with Wilder Workshops. I am so proud to say that I average 2 (out of 10 max) attendees a workshop who end up booking clients at the locations based off the work they created at our workshops. Many more have also had their work published or received awards.
Networking is so key – tagging/sharing vendors and collaborators. Giving referrals etc. I promise this is going somewhere…
Recently (last month) there was an ISO photographer post on a Facebook Group for couples eloping. The image that was used with the ISO post was from a workshop I had hosted over the summer in the Cascades (posters didn’t know who’s photo it was- it was shot posted on pinterest). Several people commented the photo was from my workshop and the couple reached out to me to connect with help for planning their upcoming elopement. Long story short- I fly out in 3 days to photograph their dream winter elopement at this location.
I have no background in SEO strategies and online marketing – but I do know that posting and sharing/giving credit to collaborators goes a long way and always recommend it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.smithandcophotography.com
• Instagram: @smithandcophotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithandcophotography25
• Other: https://www.wilderworkshops.com

Image Credits

to self