We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lizzie Hillard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lizzie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

After marrying my husband, Keaton, in April 2021 at just 18 and 20 years old, we were just getting our feet off of the ground! Keaton decided to start his own Handyman business the day after we got back from our honeymoon! Soon after, his business took off and the Lord blessed and provided for us in every moment. I was still unsure as to what route I was going to take job wise! Being new to Texas, I was striving to plant my Photography business’ roots in Tyler; deep in a passionate community full of like-minded creative entrepreneurs!

After praying for months about which path to take, and even starting a course to get my Real Estate License, I felt the strongest urge to pursue my Photography business full force! In September 2021, I hosted my first styled shoot for photographers looking to create ideal content while being surrounded by an uplifting community. It was SO AMAZING, and the way that God provided in the midst of it blows my mind. I was able to establish friendships and business partners in the area and even network with some of the greatest vendors around. In November 2021, I stepped full time into my Photography business! As a newlywed and recent high school graduate, I’m happy to say that the reward outweighs the risks! Since then, I have scaled my business drastically, reaching more people than ever before, elevating my client experience, and offering more services than just photography. Without taking that leap of faith, I would not be where I am today. I’m SO thankful for how the Lord has provided for me, guided me, counseled me, and brought me a community of leaders in the Photography Industry that I can look to for advice!

Lizzie, 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?

Hi friends! My name is Lizzie Hillard! I’m a Texas based Intimate Wedding and Elopement Photographer, Educator for creatives, Creator of The Joined Collective, and Host of Rise Up! A Photography Podcast!

Photography became my hobby in middle school! Once I was in high school, I began taking senior photos of my friends, family portraits, and gender reveals. My sister, Haley, plays a big role in how I was introduced to wedding photography! After Haley launched her own wedding photography business, I became her second shooter for the weddings she booked. This was an amazing opportunity for me to learn how a wedding day works, the importance of having a timeline that flows properly, and honestly, so much as wedding photographer in general! I began to build my communication skills and relationships as a photographer. In the midst of that season, I realized this was what I wanted to do from then on.

I dabbled in wedding videography for a short term, only shooting about 3-4 weddings as a solo videographer. That season was so beneficial to me as the entrepreneur I am today; I was able to experience a different creative work before diving into what I am truly passionate about. I launched my business in April 2020! I soon moved to Tyler, Texas in November 2020 and began to plant my photography business roots here.

I experienced about a 6-7 month drought period once moving to Tyler. I’m from a small town called Madison, Georgia; mostly everyone in the community knows your name and who your family is. After being raised in Madison all of my life, Tyler was a huge change for me; not only personally, but in a business aspect, I now had to create a new name and brand for myself and a path towards where I wanted to go in the future. With the Lord by my side, He guided me through each decision putting me where I am today. He gave me a husband who so graciously gave me the time and opportunity to grow my business. He trusted me in each decision with no hesitation. Thank you, Keaton! :)

As a 19 year old, being a business woman, creative entrepreneur, and CEO of your own business is pretty cool! As the Lord placed each one of my footsteps, he’s brought me such an encouraging community to cheer me on along the way. I love to encourage other creative entrepreneurs in their walk and in which path they should take next in their business to elevate and rise up to the next level, whatever that is for them! As an Educator for creatives, I focus on serving these creatives personally and openly. Through my online & in-person Photography Mentorships, I meet with photographers and other creatives who are ready to invest more into their business. Whether to produce an improved client experience or simply automate the back-end of their business, I provide all of the tools and resources to do so. No matter the question, I search to provide an answer that’s applicable and a resource to accompany it.

Likewise, ever since my first styled shoot in 2021, I have fallen in love with hosting shoots that are creative, unique & brand-aligned! I created The Joined Collective, which delivers a connected approach for wildly passionate creatives who value an uplifting community, and seek to create their ideal content through a joined experience. This is a photographer’s one-stop-shop for photography education, content creation, and community! Hosting content days that are unique and a combination of my attendee’s dream content is my goal as the Host. I welcome all creatives here as an avenue to grow their business through creating content that’s aligned with their brand. Growth and connection is encouraged always, whether my attendee gains a new friend or snaps the perfect photo they’ve been dying to capture. This is just one way I can spread my wings and help others do the same!

I just recently launched my new podcast called Rise Up! A Photography Podcast! Whether you are just starting out in the photography industry or ready to revamp your business after years of experience, my podcast is just that for its listeners! I provide free tips and resources on how to elevate and rise up to the next level in your business. It’s really a creative entrepreneur’s go-to podcast for all things encouragement, guidance, and bestie conversations! There’s so much in store for this podcast!

To bring it back to the basics, being an Intimate Wedding and Elopement Photographer is my first passion! It’s so much more to me than a job; it’s being able to provide my couples with a personalized experience that’s completely catered to their needs and desires, it’s creating an authentic and genuine atmosphere during our session that leads to organic and fun photos, it’s being able so serve others and get to know such sweet human beings! After experiencing so many larger weddings, I’ve found intimate weddings to be more of my vibe these days. In relation, elopements are right up my alley as well! My husband and I love to travel and being able to do this as my job while bringing him along with me brings me so much joy. The experiences I witness and the people that I meet are so special to me.

I primarily work with couples! Couples sessions, proposals, engagement sessions, intimate weddings, and elopements are what I shoot the most! To sum it up, I would best describe my shooting style as organic, authentic, unrefined, creative, and connected! Through my original Lizzie Hillard Posing Method, I provide resources to my couples as soon as they inquire so I can get to know them to the best level! As I get to know my couples, I’m able to learn how they communicate with each other, which crosses over right into our session and time together. This helps me to create a fun, organic and authentic atmosphere during our session, so their photos will be a visual representation of their relationship that’s aligned 100%! Meaning it’s entirely unrefined and full of genuine connection, not awkward Pinterest poses!

I currently offer custom proposal guides for all of my intimate wedding and elopement couples! I understand how different non-traditional weddings can be, so I love hopping on pre-wedding consult calls with all of my brides to break down the nitty gritty details of their sweet day! Once again, this is just the beginning of my elevated client experience that all of my clients get to experience! As for couples, I provide my Couples Investment Guide upon inquiry which gives all of the details on my packages and their upcoming experience with me. After booking, my clients receive multiples guides and resources to better their experience and help them to prepare for our session!

Most importantly, I’m so thankful for all of the opportunities the Lord has brought me! It’s a major blessing to be in a position of influence in the photography industry!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I always knew about education, but I never truly understood the importance of it! Investing in education as an entrepreneur, that’s specifically aligned with your creative work, is a driving factor in elevating your business. If you do not invest in some type of education, mentor, or coach, you will find yourself stuck, lost, and burned out. This is no hit to anyone, but if you do not strive to grow and invest, whether in free education or paid education, you will go backwards in your business. By submerging yourself in education during the correct season, you are moving the pin forward in your business. You are enabling yourself to grow in knowledge and experience. You are opening your eyes to more, and that is so important for growth. If you find yourself in a season of preparation to launch, pivot, or close, make sure you seek educational resources and counsel to assist you along the way!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

To preface, I’m still learning this today! Your work does not have to look like everyone else’s! You were made unique and original by the Creator. Shouldn’t your creative work reflect that? I highly encourage you to ask yourself “why”. Why do you do what you do? Why do you take photos the way you do? Why do you create the way you do? And then ask yourself why do you do that? And why do you do that? It’s until you are layers deep of “why” when you find out the exact reason of something. When it comes to creating original content, you have to get layers deep to figure out why your work is original and how you strive to reach that look each time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizziehillard.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizziehillardphotography
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lizziehillardphotography
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizziephotog
• Other: Photography Education/Mentorships: https://lizziehillard.com/education The Joined Collective Instagram: https://instagram.com/thejoinedcollective Rise Up! A Photography Podcast: https://lizziehillard.com/education