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

Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Owning your own business is the best and hardest at the same time. Even though having my own business allows me to have all the flexibility in the world, sometimes I find myself checking email 24/7 and working all nonstop. So I had to set boundaries, specially when it comes to social media since we need it to grow our businesses. If I am honest, sometimes I do wonder what it is like to have a job where I can clock in and clock out and leave work at work. Because I care so much about my business and clients, it’s so hard to turn my mind off sometimes. But I am extremely happy having my own business. I can block off months I need off and have flexibility during the week to spend time with my kids. And after doing this for over a decade, there is no way I can ever go back to having a boss.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am actually a biochemistry major who got into pharmacy school. In the middle of it all, I got married, got a puppy, and bought a camera to take pictures of that puppy. And that was it. I was hooked! I fell in love with photography and started practicing on things around my office and then friends and family.

Now I am a wedding photographer and I could not be happier. And I get to work with Gavin, my husband and the best second shooter. We have been published on top publications and get to work with the best clients and planners. Our work is rooted in storytelling – not trends, algorithms or just the pretty things. We capture every wedding with intention, artistry, and a deep understanding of the people and energy that make up the wedding celebration.

What sets us apart from our competition is our ability to get those in between moments and candid photographs while still having our clients look effortlessly elegant. We only take a limited amount of weddings a year so we really focus on our clients. We do not have associates and we do not cycle through different second shooters. And lastly, we are extremely proud to have 116 five star review from past clients. Our brides and groom truly do come first and we go above and beyond for our clients on the wedding day.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When you start a business, you think you need to be busy and to work with every client that emails you. And that could not be further from the truth. Around year 3, I really worked on honing in who my ideal client was. And I learned real fast that non ideal clients were draining me. So I focused on weddings that were inspiring and working with planners that I line up with. Today we only shoot max 15 weddings a year so we want to make sure these are clients that fully trust us and do not micromanage us. Our clients do not give us a shot list, but know we are getting everything with heart and precision. I do not want to be busy and to burn out. Instead, I want to photograph clients who are truly in the moment and trust me to capture everything.

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

When I first started this business, the hardest thing was when my mom told me to stop and go to pharmacy school. In all fairness, she had seen how hard I worked and how much I would succeed in pharmacy school. But I knew that I would be way happier photographing weddings than showing up to a nine to five. For a while I did feel like I was letting her down, but today she couldn’t be happier for me. Sometimes you need to stand up for what you believe in, even when family and friends disagree. And it can be super scary!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizfogartyphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizfogarty/
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/elizabeth-fogarty-germantown/c52c9a59bd86c757.html

Image Credits

Starting with the head shot with pink suit: Photo by Nikki Daskalakis. The rest of the photos are by me but planning by: Sara Muchnick, Grit and Grace, Michele Hodges, Arney Walker, Grit and Grace, and A Dominick.