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December 4, 2024 15 mins

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

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Denise Taylor.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to Good Neighbors Podcast, virginia
Beach.
I'm here today with ourneighbor, liza Wolf.
With Liza Wolfe, photography orPhotographer, or Photography
Photography Photographer,whatever Photography
photographer, whatever.
Thanks for joining me, liza.
Liza has been part of my teamfor some time and she is an

(00:34):
important part of what I do outin the community, so I'm excited
to interview you and just tellpeople more about what you do.
Tell me how you got into thebusiness of photography.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Okay, many years ago, when I had young kids my second
child was 10 months old I wasliving in the busy area of DC
and everybody was doingsomething, so I wanted to be

(01:10):
home with the kids, but I wantedto do something for myself as
well, so I decided to givephotography a try.
It always been something Iloved and was passionate about,
runs thick in my family, and soI tried it for myself.
And here I am, almost 10 yearslater, and turned into a

(01:33):
full-time job.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
So you said you're in DC.
What brought you to VirginiaBeach?
We are a Navy family, yeah, sowe came here four years ago and,
yeah, it's been great, and tellme about when you're talking
about your family history withphotography, do you, can you
explore a little bit more about?

Speaker 3 (01:55):
that, yeah, yeah, my.
I mean, I grew up my parentswere always taking photos.
My mom had all the albums, allyou know, you know dated and
everything, and I was there.
I have a distinct memory ofborrowing my brother's camera
film camera and setting up myBarbies yes, like Olin Mills

(02:18):
style.
And you know, I think back onthat moment.
I'm like that was a little bitof foreshadowing.
I don't know that most kidswere doing something like that.
No, so anyway, so yeah, andthen my brother was a
photojournalist, videographer,worked for news for many, many

(02:40):
years and always had thatinfluence on me.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
That's amazing.
Yeah, can you tell me aboutsome of the myths or
misconceptions of a photographybusiness?

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Okay, yeah, totally.
So you know, I was born when Iwent to who I basically like a
mentor for me, who I basicallylike 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'snot just about taking the photos

(03:16):
, that's such a small portion ofyour job.
And at that point I heard her.
Now it's loud and clear, likethat is such a small portion.
That's the best part of my jobis why I'm a photographer is
capturing the moments, all ofthose things.
But it is a small portion of myjob and I think people think

(03:41):
that I just snap, that somephotographers we just snap and
go and there it is, and you know.
But there's a lot of workbehind the scenes that goes into
it, a lot of it from thebusiness side building a
business from scratch, gainingclients, gaining respect,
relationships, obviously, admin,technical skills, you know all

(04:07):
that kind of stuff, becausephotography goes in and out.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
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, andnow 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 todress up and just all denim or

(04:32):
all you know.
So you kind of absolutelyfriend.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah, definitely you kind of move with the trend and
also you kind of move like I'vemoved from.
When I first started, I wasdoing a lot, mostly families.
I was doing families for yearsand it was strictly, you know,
newborn families, all that kindof stuff, minis.
And then I would say about ayear ago I told myself like like

(05:00):
now my kids are all school age,I'm ready to go, I'm ready to
work less while they're out ofschool, because I want to work
when they're in school, I wantto be busy when they're busy.
And so fast forward, yeah, ayear later, and I've really put
the legwork in to get where I amworking with businesses and I

(05:20):
mean I obviously have a lot tothank you for that as well.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
We've worked together meeting businesses and, um, you
know, working with the magazinethe businesses that I've sent
your way have been really happywith the work produced and
definitely you're an easy personto work with.
Tell me about some of thebusinesses that you've worked
with, the types of businessesand how that's that's.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
Or more yeah, I would say, like one that you know,
just recently I've been workingmore with local boutiques and
that has been so much fun.
I love empowering women, I lovemaking women feel comfortable,
confident, and that is a bigpart of that job is coming in

(06:14):
and, yeah, having ideas, butalso just, you know, going with
the flow and making them feelcomfortable, confident, happy.
It shows in the photos.
Yeah, I think that's a big.
My biggest takeaway from mostand I hold it close is that most

(06:36):
people will tell me you madethis really easy, you made me
feel comfortable, and that'slike 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 knowit's, it's fun, it's a lot of
yeah, it's a good time.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
So, in terms of businesses, we're in a really
fast paced world right nowInstagram feeds, facebook feeds
how important is photographybecoming to businesses and how
often are you having to dobranding shots for some of these
small to medium sizedbusinesses?

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Yeah, I would say that obviously we've seen a big
shift in that.
It's people are looking atInstagram for their content, for
and, in particular, if we'regoing to talk, you know,
boutique, whatever like theirstuff is coming is going in and
out of those places so quickthat sometimes, you know, I have

(07:34):
different packaging, some I doa quarterly package with, I have
one I do a monthly package withone, just as needed that kind
of thing.
But, um, yeah, I think it'simportant to be look
professional and look, um, tohave the aesthetic, uh, for
people to really, you know, havea good vision of what, what you

(07:58):
have and and what you stand for, and um, yeah, I think it's.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
I definitely think the business branding is so
important right now and it hasto be fresh.
People know what is fresh andwhat is not in terms of content,
um, and it's exciting to seesomething fresh.
Yeah, so it's exciting to seenew pictures of people on, new
smiles and new cocktails and new, you know, wardrobes, and
people don't want to go to theInstagram and see the same

(08:25):
things over and over.
Do you see a shift in some ofthe aesthetics that are coming
out that you could share withwith us?
I don't know if you would beable to talk to some trends that
you've seen coming out sometrends that you've seen coming

(08:47):
out.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
I mean, I think like right now, people are shifting
to a little more, to more videostuff.
So I think that's important.
I've started to do more of thatand playing around with that,
because people want to see themovement, they want to see the
people laughing, they want tosee the people engaging and not
just a post shot.
Obviously, I do.
I do a lot of candid, a lot oflifestyle, a lot of stuff like
that.
But even taking it a stepfurther is showing the you know,

(09:10):
them interacting.
I think that's.
I think videos become moreimportant.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Definitely.
Yeah, well, you're.
You're a lot of people that Ispeak with on this podcast.
One of the things that I findin common with them is that they
have found a passion that theyenjoy doing and waking up and
and going to work every day.
Um, and it's that entrepreneurmindset, and so it sounds like

(09:38):
you have found something thathas married your passion and
also your excitement to getoutside of the home and work
with other people and meet newpeople and provide a service
that you're really good atOutside of work.
I know you have four boys Three, three boys.

Speaker 3 (09:57):
I have four.
You do yeah, three, three boysI have, I have four.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
I have you do, yeah, yeah, I have a husband, um and
um.
Can you tell me some of the funthings?
What do you like to do outsideof photography with your family?

Speaker 3 (10:13):
We love to be outside .
We're definitely beach people.
We like to bike.
Honestly, I enjoy sitting andwatching my boys interact
because they are their ownlittle crew.
Um, they just they get alongreally well, um, their brothers,

(10:36):
if there's a problem, they'regoing to solve it together.
They're going to solve it onwith each other.
Um, it's just it's.
We like to sit back and, likeyou know, sometimes we like to
have dance parties.
Those are fun, um, and they welike to cook together.
Um, awesome yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
So you have a really um unique tradition that you do,
I think, for a certain birthdayfor your boys.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
Oh yes.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Yeah, yeah, tell me a little bit more, cause I can't
remember what age it is.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
But yeah, so at eight we take our.
I take.
Each boy gets to choose wherethey want to go and their two
grandmothers get to come withand we me, my mom, my
mother-in-law we go somewhereexciting.
And for my oldest we went toParis, and for my oldest we went

(11:32):
to Paris, and for my middle guywanted to go to Hawaii.
And I'm not sure my littlelittlest ones has mentioned
Tokyo, but I don't know, that'sa stretch.
So we shall see.
But we in the beginning wetalked about something like that
, you know when you're 12 andwhen you're eight, when you're
12, but it's kind of developedinto that's a little much.

(11:53):
So how about eight and howabout 16?
Yeah, and my husband would liketo be involved on that one.
He said he's made that clear.
Yeah, so that's great.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
I love that.
Um, so, with most, a lot of ourlisteners are going to be
business owners and communitymembers.
What's one thing that you wouldshare?
That you've overcome some sortof obstacle in business or like
life, and how you've kind ofgotten through that to get to

(12:26):
the next step?

Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah, definitely.
I definitely have seen somechallenges, 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 thepandemic and it was meanwhile,

(12:53):
you know, my husband being goneand things and such.
That was a big challenge.
But with a business, withowning a business and with you
know, sometimes you can, youscale back, you come hard when
you need to go hard and and sothat's kind of what I did and I
was.
Luckily I was able to travelback to DC.

(13:15):
I still have clients there.
I traveled back there once inthe fall, once in the spring,
but in the beginning I wastraveling back there more like
five weekends a year.
So, yeah, so I would say thatyeah.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Well, if somebody wants to get in touch with you
for family photography, businessphotography, all of it.
Girl Liza does commercial stuff.
She does all the covers for mymagazines and she's worked with
a lot of the businesses I'veworked with and does an amazing
job and, quite frankly, has beenone of the easiest people that

(13:51):
I've ever worked with in thisindustry.
How can people get in touchwith you?

Speaker 3 (13:58):
I mean, I've got my website LizaWolfPhotographycom,
and then, of course, instagram.
I'm definitely there.
Yeah, you can see all mycurrent work there and yeah, and
you're still helping peoplewith some of their social media.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Is that correct?
Yes, yeah.

Speaker 3 (14:14):
I have a couple of clients right now that I run
their social media and I haveother clients that I help, you
know, get content, help themorganize, to get them organized
to be able to post their own.
So there's different ways Ihelp with social media.
Yep, that's awesome.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Thank you again, liza .
It's LizaWolfePhotography.
com.
She has been an amazing part ofmy 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, youtoo.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpvirginiabeach.
com.
That's gnpvirginiabeach.
com, or call 757-797-8352.
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