We recently connected with Liz Diewald and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Liz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I started taking photos back in highschool. I grew up in a home of 11 children, and I always remember my mom taking photos of us all the time. As I got older, I started going with her to scrapbooking days with her friends (back before everything was electronic). I then realized how much I loved capturing nature and people through photography. I shot my first wedding in 2015 for my brother’s best friend. I then fell in love with weddings and continued to shoot weddings when I could. I spent lots of time practicing on my younger siblings and would do whatever I could to grow and gain experience. Fast forward 9 years, and I have shot over 50 weddings. I have since lost 3/4 of my grandparents, and I have realized how invaluable photos are, especially the ones you have with family who has since passed away. I will forever be grateful to my mom for always taking photos and modeling how special it is to preserve lifelong memories.

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 a wedding and portrait photographer based in Upstate, NY. I focus primarily on weddings, engagements, and maternity sessions. I began my business in 2015 after I shot my first wedding. After completing nursing school and marrying the love of my life in 2019, we moved from PA to Upstate, NY. I then re-branded and focused on gaining clientele in NY. Since getting married in 2019, I have gone through a diagnosis of thyroid cancer, we got a puppy in 2021, we had our first baby in 2023, and now we are expecting a baby girl in January 2025. I love spending my free time with family and friends, enjoying the simple things in life such as a cup of coffee or a long walk along the Mohawk River. Additionally, I enjoy working out and running, although I haven’t run as much since becoming a mom. I also currently work twice a month at Albany Medical Center as a nurse in the Orthopedic Department. When I’m not shooting weddings or working at the hospital, I am home with my son, enjoying every moment with him as he grows and develops. With being a nurse for over 5 years, I have gained a lot of experience working with a variety of people, having to be productive in a stressful environment, and have learned how to problem solve. This has allowed me to serve wedding clients better, especially as wedding days can be long, stressful, and not always go according to plan. I love getting to know my clients and doing things such as creating their wedding timeline, to help alleviate their stress and allow them to better enjoy their wedding day. Additionally, I love creating wedding and engagement albums for my clients, so that they have the ability to regularly look at their cherished memories for years to come.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I began my business back in 2015 after I shot my first wedding. Back then, social media wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today. Over the years, social media has been a great tool for growing my business. While I don’t view myself as cool or trendy, I have realized the importance of social media with connecting with past, present, and future clients. Additionally, it has allowed me to get to know and interact with other local vendors, some who I have worked with, and some who I hope to work with in the future. While I’m sure there are much faster ways to grow an audience on social media, I have always desired to be authentic and grow things naturally. Over the years, I have shared not only about my business on social media, but also a lot of my personal life. Most people today want to connect with their wedding vendors, especially their wedding photographer. Being transparent about who I am, what I like, etc., I have been able to connect with people and relate to them, even before I meet them in person. Some ways I have been building my audience is following my clients, along with their family and friends. I always tag vendors I work with, and I always send them the completed wedding gallery for them to share on their social media (hello free marketing). I have also gone out of my way to personally meet up with fellow vendors in the industry, especially those who I hope to work with one day. I still have a long way to go with growing my social media audience, but I have seen a lot of growth over the past year just by doing these few things.

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

I began my business in 2015, while I was still in high school. I didn’t date much in high school or college, as I was very focused on getting good grades and working to pay my way through nursing school. While I was in nursing school, I decided to do some online dating, as I wasn’t really meeting new people in any social circles. I joined E-harmony a few months after doing online dating, and within two weeks, I met my future husband. While it was not love at first sight, our first date (which was at a Starbucks), lasted over 5 hours. We quickly realized we both enjoyed each other’s company and we grew as friends. A few months later, we realized we both loved each other, and a year after we met on E-harmony, we got married. We got married in November of 2019, and then moved to Upstate, NY. I rebranded my business after getting married. While my husband does not do a lot of photography, he helps me with the business side of things. He is very financial-minded, so he enjoys taking care of my taxes and helping me with the more administrative aspects to running a business. We work really well together, and I love having my life partner alongside me as I run my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizdiewaldphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizdiewaldphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diewaldphotography

Image Credits

Photos 1-4: Bridget Caitlin Photography
Photo 8: Rebecca Loomis Photography