Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Ep. 8 Capturing Community: Liza Wolfe's Blend of Family and Photography in Virginia Beach
Discover how Liza Wolfe’s captivating journey from stay-at-home mom to successful entrepreneur and photographer makes her an inspiring figure in the Virginia Beach community. We sit down with Liza to uncover the rich family legacy that influenced her passion for photography and how moving with her Navy family opened new career paths. She enlightens us on the lesser-known realities of the photography business, emphasizing that the art of capturing moments is just a small piece of the puzzle. Learn why professional photography is essential for businesses in today’s social media-driven world, and how Liza has become a trusted partner for local boutiques seeking to elevate their branding.
Liza also shares personal anecdotes that reflect her love for family, including unique traditions that balance her life as a military spouse and entrepreneur. She discusses the challenges of operating a business during the pandemic and how her client-focused approach has remained pivotal. Get inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit, as she reveals the joy found in capturing dynamic, interactive moments through both photography and video. Listen to her insights on overcoming obstacles and why her work continues to make a positive impact on the local business community. Plus, find out how you can connect with Liza for her expert photography services and social media support.
Liza Wolfe Photography
Virginia Beach, VA
www.lizawolfephotography.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Denise Taylor.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Good Neighbors Podcast, virginia Beach. I'm here today with our neighbor, liza Wolf. With Liza Wolfe, photography or Photographer, or Photography Photography Photographer, whatever Photography photographer, whatever. Thanks for joining me, liza. Liza has been part of my team for some time and she is an important part of what I do out in the community, so I'm excited to interview you and just tell people more about what you do. Tell me how you got into the business of photography.
Speaker 3:Okay, many years ago, when I had young kids my second child was 10 months old I was living in the busy area of DC and everybody was doing something, so I wanted to be home with the kids, but I wanted to do something for myself as well, so I decided to give photography a try. It always been something I loved and was passionate about, runs thick in my family, and so I tried it for myself. And here I am, almost 10 years later, and turned into a full-time job.
Speaker 2:So you said you're in DC. What brought you to Virginia Beach? We are a Navy family, yeah, so we came here four years ago and, yeah, it's been great, and tell me about when you're talking about your family history with photography, do you, can you explore a little bit more about?
Speaker 3:that, yeah, yeah, my. I mean, I grew up my parents were always taking photos. My mom had all the albums, all you know, you know dated and everything, and I was there. I have a distinct memory of borrowing my brother's camera film camera and setting up my Barbies yes, like Olin Mills style. And you know, I think back on that moment. I'm like that was a little bit of foreshadowing. I don't know that most kids were doing something like that. No, so anyway, so yeah, and then my brother was a photojournalist, videographer, worked for news for many, many years and always had that influence on me.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Yeah, can you tell me about some of the myths or misconceptions of a photography business?
Speaker 3:Okay, yeah, totally. So you know, I was born when I went to who I basically like a mentor for me, who I basically like a mentor for me she I respected, her works wonderful. She did family photos for me, did some newborn photos, and she told me very clear, like it's not just about taking the photos, that's such a small portion of your job. And at that point I heard her. Now it's loud and clear, like that is such a small portion. That's the best part of my job is why I'm a photographer is capturing the moments, all of those things. But it is a small portion of my job and I think people think that I just snap, that some photographers we just snap and go and there it is, and you know. But there's a lot of work behind the scenes that goes into it, a lot of it from the business side building a business from scratch, gaining clients, gaining respect, relationships, obviously, admin, technical skills, you know all that kind of stuff, because photography goes in and out.
Speaker 2:It seems there's phases and waves of certain lighting or certain things, people, um, because, like you were saying, like the olin mills, we all grew up that. Well, I grew up with that, and now all the aesthetic is completely different from that, and then you've got right in the shots and you've got. I remember when people used to dress up and just all denim or all you know. So you kind of absolutely friend.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely you kind of move with the trend and also you kind of move like I've moved from. When I first started, I was doing a lot, mostly families. I was doing families for years and it was strictly, you know, newborn families, all that kind of stuff, minis. And then I would say about a year ago I told myself like like now my kids are all school age, I'm ready to go, I'm ready to work less while they're out of school, because I want to work when they're in school, I want to be busy when they're busy. And so fast forward, yeah, a year later, and I've really put the legwork in to get where I am working with businesses and I mean I obviously have a lot to thank you for that as well.
Speaker 2:We've worked together meeting businesses and, um, you know, working with the magazine the businesses that I've sent your way have been really happy with the work produced and definitely you're an easy person to work with. Tell me about some of the businesses that you've worked with, the types of businesses and how that's that's.
Speaker 3:Or more yeah, I would say, like one that you know, just recently I've been working more with local boutiques and that has been so much fun. I love empowering women, I love making women feel comfortable, confident, and that is a big part of that job is coming in and, yeah, having ideas, but also just, you know, going with the flow and making them feel comfortable, confident, happy. It shows in the photos. Yeah, I think that's a big. My biggest takeaway from most and I hold it close is that most people will tell me you made this really easy, you made me feel comfortable, and that's like that's a big achievement for me. That's my goal is to, you know, have fun and they've become friends of mine and you know it's, it's fun, it's a lot of yeah, it's a good time.
Speaker 2:So, in terms of businesses, we're in a really fast paced world right now Instagram feeds, facebook feeds how important is photography becoming to businesses and how often are you having to do branding shots for some of these small to medium sized businesses?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would say that obviously we've seen a big shift in that. It's people are looking at Instagram for their content, for and, in particular, if we're going to talk, you know, boutique, whatever like their stuff is coming is going in and out of those places so quick that sometimes, you know, I have different packaging, some I do a quarterly package with, I have one I do a monthly package with one, just as needed that kind of thing. But, um, yeah, I think it's important to be look professional and look, um, to have the aesthetic, uh, for people to really, you know, have a good vision of what, what you have and and what you stand for, and um, yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 2:I definitely think the business branding is so important right now and it has to be fresh. People know what is fresh and what is not in terms of content, um, and it's exciting to see something fresh. Yeah, so it's exciting to see new pictures of people on, new smiles and new cocktails and new, you know, wardrobes, and people don't want to go to the Instagram and see the same things over and over. Do you see a shift in some of the aesthetics that are coming out that you could share with with us? I don't know if you would be able to talk to some trends that you've seen coming out some trends that you've seen coming out.
Speaker 3:I mean, I think like right now, people are shifting to a little more, to more video stuff. So I think that's important. I've started to do more of that and playing around with that, because people want to see the movement, they want to see the people laughing, they want to see the people engaging and not just a post shot. Obviously, I do. I do a lot of candid, a lot of lifestyle, a lot of stuff like that. But even taking it a step further is showing the you know, them interacting. I think that's. I think videos become more important.
Speaker 2:Definitely. Yeah, well, you're. You're a lot of people that I speak with on this podcast. One of the things that I find in common with them is that they have found a passion that they enjoy doing and waking up and and going to work every day. Um, and it's that entrepreneur mindset, and so it sounds like you have found something that has married your passion and also your excitement to get outside of the home and work with other people and meet new people and provide a service that you're really good at Outside of work. I know you have four boys Three, three boys.
Speaker 3:I have four. You do yeah, three, three boys I have, I have four.
Speaker 2:I have you do, yeah, yeah, I have a husband, um and um. Can you tell me some of the fun things? What do you like to do outside of photography with your family?
Speaker 3:We love to be outside. We're definitely beach people. We like to bike. Honestly, I enjoy sitting and watching my boys interact because they are their own little crew. Um, they just they get along really well, um, their brothers, if there's a problem, they're going to solve it together. They're going to solve it on with each other. Um, it's just it's. We like to sit back and, like you know, sometimes we like to have dance parties. Those are fun, um, and they we like to cook together. Um, awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:So you have a really um unique tradition that you do, I think, for a certain birthday for your boys.
Speaker 3:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, tell me a little bit more, cause I can't remember what age it is.
Speaker 3:But yeah, so at eight we take our. I take. Each boy gets to choose where they want to go and their two grandmothers get to come with and we me, my mom, my mother-in-law we go somewhere exciting. And for my oldest we went to Paris, and for my oldest we went to Paris, and for my middle guy wanted to go to Hawaii. And I'm not sure my little littlest ones has mentioned Tokyo, but I don't know, that's a stretch. So we shall see.
Speaker 3:But we in the beginning we talked about something like that, you know when you're 12 and when you're eight, when you're 12, but it's kind of developed into that's a little much. So how about eight and how about 16? Yeah, and my husband would like to be involved on that one. He said he's made that clear. Yeah, so that's great.
Speaker 2:I love that. Um, so, with most, a lot of our listeners are going to be business owners and community members. What's one thing that you would share? That you've overcome some sort of obstacle in business or like life, and how you've kind of gotten through that to get to the next step?
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. I definitely have seen some challenges, especially starting up being a military spouse, starting a business in in DC area and then moving here. Gosh, three, four months into, covid and um had to start fresh during the height of the pandemic and it was meanwhile, you know, my husband being gone and things and such. That was a big challenge. But with a business, with owning a business and with you know, sometimes you can, you scale back, you come hard when you need to go hard and and so that's kind of what I did and I was. Luckily I was able to travel back to DC. I still have clients there. I traveled back there once in the fall, once in the spring, but in the beginning I was traveling back there more like five weekends a year. So, yeah, so I would say that yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, if somebody wants to get in touch with you for family photography, business photography, all of it. Girl Liza does commercial stuff. She does all the covers for my magazines and she's worked with a lot of the businesses I've worked with and does an amazing job and, quite frankly, has been one of the easiest people that I've ever worked with in this industry. How can people get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:I mean, I've got my website LizaWolfPhotographycom, and then, of course, instagram. I'm definitely there. Yeah, you can see all my current work there and yeah, and you're still helping people with some of their social media.
Speaker 2:Is that correct? Yes, yeah.
Speaker 3:I have a couple of clients right now that I run their social media and I have other clients that I help, you know, get content, help them organize, to get them organized to be able to post their own. So there's different ways I help with social media. Yep, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Thank you again, liza. It's LizaWolfePhotography. com. She has been an amazing part of my business and we're so glad you're in this community, liza, thank you so much for being here. Thank you, have a good day, you too.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpvirginiabeach. com. That's gnpvirginiabeach. com, or call 757-797-8352.