Meet Liz Erban | Wedding and Engagement Photographer

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

Hi Liz, what do you attribute your success to?
I’ve always firmly believed that you can only be successful if you take care of your people. So, quite honestly, the most important factor behind the success of my photography success has been that I care a heck ton about my clients. This means putting them first, going above and beyond whenever I have the opportunity, and showing them on a regular basis how much I value them (because I do). A lot of my current clients are people who have been referred to me by others I’ve worked with OR they’re returning clients I’ve worked with in the past who came back for more photos (i.e., anniversary pics, maternity pics, etc.).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a wedding photographer is a delicate balance between being a service provider and an artist. Serving my clients is my number one priority, and this means delivering on the expectations they have of me in regards to photo style, editing turnaround times, communication cadence, etc. But, my clients also hire me because I have a creative eye – and they want that to be apparent in the photos I deliver. I feel like I balance these expectations well. I like to draw a lot of inspiration from movies and personal artistic projects. I will occasionally test different compositions and poses out as self portraits on “creative development days” in my home studio. Most times though, I just like to be in-the-moment with my clients and draw on the ebb and flo of their energies. This enables me to produce artistic photos that are uniquely representation of each of my couples – without forcing them to be, look, or act like someone they’re not. I’ve learned that we can all only do the best that we can. Oftentimes we are the ones blocking our own paths – and that can severely taint our creative processes and our businesses’ successes in general. I’ve found that when I feel “stuck” creatively or am frustrated because things are not going how I imagined business-wise, I have to loosen my grip on what I think “should be”. Trusting myself, my process, and my experiences are essential. I want people to know that photography was and is never meant to be stressful. Photography is supposed to be fun and documentary of you as your true self.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am such a Joshua Tree nerd, and I am there every chance I get. I’d recommend renting a stylish little Airbnb either in Landers (for star gazing) or close to town (for walkable eateries). Have breakfast at Crossroads Cafe, pick up wine and snacks from Wine & Rock Shop in Yucca Valley, lunch at Natural Sisters (their vegan carrot cake is to die for), and dinner at La Copine or Pappy & Harriets. Of course, a drive, hike, walk, and climb in JTNP is essential, too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I really cannot give enough credit to the friends and colleagues I’ve met through Facebook. I never thought that I would have anything good to say about that silly app, but I can attribute so many of my learnings and relationships to the people I’ve met in various photography groups.

Website: www.lizerban.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lizerban

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lizerbanphoto

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/liz-erban-photo-mission-viejo?osq=liz+erban+photo