Meet Liz Anderson | Creative Director & Fashion Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Since the beginning of my career, I’ve balanced family life and photography/creative direction by attempting to weave them together as much as I can. This has ranged from wearing my youngest in a baby carrier (breastfeeding) while photographing a model, to including my 7 year old on set. This isn’t because I NEED to drag them along, more importantly I WANT my children to experience all the artistic elements included within my productions. My oldest understands composition, has opinions on my “location scouting” ideas & is also cognizant of how to be respectful around women. Children are a part of society, and I absolutely love that our current climate is more accepting of that (especially within the creative community).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Liz Anderson & my production/creative photography company is called Lady Daze Creative. In my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible fashion brands, inspiring business folks, and even a handful of celebrities. Together, we’ve gone on these wild rides, whipping up artistic editorial concoctions that have caught a slice of attention in the wide world of media. I feel extremely proud to say that the finished products produced by my artistic team of creatives have been published various times in Vogue, Esquire, Elle, Bazaar & Marie Claire!
When it comes to fashion editorial, I’m all about shaking things up. It starts with really getting to know my client’s needs and making sure their brand’s personality oozes originality from every frame. I live for adding an element of surprise, am always hopeful to reel in a broader audience.
Each project is an adventure, a genuine quest to craft something special. It’s not about control; it’s about sparking a bonfire of creativity with a skilled team of creatives! We jump into this collaborative journey together, with the ultimate goal of allowing a brand’s voice to shine bright and more uniquely than before.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve always been quirky in my tourism preferences. “Dressing to the nines” with my girlfriends at the fanciest restaurant in town is as enjoyable for me as dragging a friend to the estate sale of a reported hoarder’s home.  You know, the one that “may or may not smell” a bit like cat piss, but also “may or may not” have a fascinatingly vast collection of bespoke perfume bottles & 32 decorative plates ONLY featuring actress Vivian Lee (?). My mind always cooks up the funniest scenarios in those settings, and I dearly love friends who aren’t “running for the hills” when I show that side of my self……That said, as I answer this question, I am not so sure if I am fantastic company (lol) or a great person to act as a tour guide in any city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I first became an editorial photographer and producer, I had various mentors who were extremely honest in letting me know all the ways I needed to improve my craft. This was vital for my growth within the industry. However, years later & once I advanced in my abilities of both composition and flash, I needed to find a teacher who could broaden my abilities in more challenging capacities. I found a brilliant teacher (an old man named Hank.) Since the late 1950s Hank’s life has been spent chasing tornadoes (with his camera in hand) & has captured some of the earliest images of Oklahoma’s deadliest storms. Can you imagine the photography skill sets these original storm chasers must have had in order to capture the terrifying beauty of a tornado (using a freaking traditional film camera)???!!!! Prior to digital cameras, your shot had to be basically perfect and so precise, all the while shooting under such intense pressure! Needless to say, I want to learn ALL I CAN from Hank, so I routinely prioritize driving nearly an hour into a small farm town for intensive private classes with this quietly brilliant man! Hank helps me think about ways to trick my camera in its manual setting. He urges me to consider portraiture with the approaches you would usually reserve for vast landscapes, to study historical portraiture masters (Man Ray’s solarizations, Brassai’s shots of Parisian opium dens, Yva’s experimental double exposures). I really am just so fascinated by how radically “before their time” these early photographers were! Those who made their careers using an ability of tricking their camera in unusually artistic ways! I’m desperate to try to improve (not so much my “technical ability”) but rather,  the way I think about a photograph. I’m most thankful for mentors like Hank who help motivate me in this capacity! 

Website: Www.ladydazecreative.us

Instagram: @ladydazecreative

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ladydazecreative

Image Credits
Portrait of Liz Anderson by Crystal Lewis