Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Schrenk.
Liz, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Ever since I was a little girl, I saw myself as an artist. I loved to draw and held a deep admiration for my high school art teachers. I attended the University of Illinois where I received a BFA in Art Education and a BFA in Graphic Design. As a graduation requirement, I took one photography class, and I was… terrible. The technical aspects of photography overwhelmed me, and I found no joy in struggling to use a camera that I didn’t understand. After college, I found my first teaching job in District 214. They hired me to teach… photography. Driven to find success as an art teacher I became determined to love photography.
As a high school teacher I taught myself and fell in love with the magic of photography using hand-made pinhole cameras. I loved working in the darkroom and began creating art alongside my students. After six years, I became so passionate about photography that I applied to a Master’s degree program in Boston. While working on my MFA, I became pregnant with my first and decided to leave teaching and focus on being both a photographer and a stay-at-home-mom.
When I started this business in 2011, I was working as a fine artist by showing my photographs in gallery exhibitions around the country. A friend and former colleague reached out and asked if I would photograph his wedding (which happened to be televised on Bravo, but that’s another story). I was terrified at the idea of being responsible for such important images. But something about the way he asked me, the way he believed in me, opened my eyes to the possibilities that come along with simply saying “yes”.
My friend’s wedding inspired me to move forward with a business plan. I believed that I could take great wedding photographs, and chose the name Something Blue hoping that someday I would be working full time as a wedding photographer.
From the beginning, I have always been willing to say yes as opportunities presented themselves. After a slow first year, work started to come in more steadily, and I went from photographing 4 weddings a year to shooting over 35. In addition to a busy wedding schedule, I was photographing families, newborns, birthdays, real estate, boudoir, engagement sessions, and events. Along the way I had three more kids, and life started to feel very full.
I was introduced to Conrad by a friend and former colleague from high school District 214. She reached out to me as my business was really starting to pick up and asked “you seem busy, are you interested in hiring an intern?” Conrad was her student and lab assistant; an AP Art kid with a stunning portfolio and a commitment to growing as a photographer. She trusted him, believed in him, and I was happy to take a chance by saying “yes”. We shot our first wedding together in June, 2014, and since then have photographed over 100 weddings together. He has everything it takes to be a successful photographer – talent, determination, and charm – and working with him has made it possible for this business to flourish.
Conrad has been a huge help to me, from shooting weddings, families and events to working long hours on editing and processing photographs for clients. But as work continued to pour in I was starting to turn away so much business that I felt the need to bring more people on board. I first met Lindsay two years ago after giving a talk to a local MOPS group. She was passionate about photography and eager to improve her own skills so that she could take beautiful pictures of her baby boy. We became friends and kept up on social media, and as her son grew so did her photography skills. Last spring I worked with Lindsay in an Advanced Photography workshop and quickly realized the depth of her passion and talent. We talked about our goals moving forward and decided she would be a perfect fit in the Something Blue family.
As our calendar filled we needed one more photographer to round out our team, since we have at least 6 weekends coming up this year with multiple weddings. Conrad introduced me to Jessica, a friend and fellow photographer who specializes in portrait and fashion photography. Jessica has a unique talent for capturing personality through her images, all while making her subject look totally amazing. We are so excited to have her on the team; her sweet and joyful disposition and passion for creating portraits make her the perfect fit for Something Blue.
We are also really excited to add a videographer to our team. I have known Dan for almost as long as Conrad and Jessica have been alive! He is a wonderful friend with a great heart. An engineer by trade, Dan has developed his skills as a FAA certified drone pilot. He has long had a passion for making films and is excited to now put his many talents together to work as a wedding videographer.
I am proud of the team here at Something Blue Photography & Design, four photographers and a videographer united by a passion for capturing life’s most beautiful moments. I am so thankful that these talented people have come into my life that they are along for this ride. And I believe that there are great things to come.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As an artist, I started this company without any idea of how to run a business. I am only just now realizing that my role has evolved and I have become both a photographer and an entrepreneur. It is a daily struggle to keep up on client communication, social media and accounting in addition to the everyday workflow associated with being a photographer. Perhaps my biggest challenge has been finding and maintaining balance. I work from home and have four young children; it often feels very hard going off to a shoot or missing bedtime for a client meeting. But I tell my kids that my hope for them is that they too would find a career they love. I am so thankful for the opportunity to stay home with my children AND have a fulfilling and successful career – in spite of the challenges.
Please tell us about Something Blue Photography & Design.
Something Blue Photography & Design specializes in wedding, family, and commercial photography. I love that we offer so many different areas of expertise for our clients – we can shoot everything from newborns to engagements to boudoir to real estate photography. This flexibility sets us apart from other photographers; we are a collective of artists able to provide beautiful photographs in just about any situation.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Spending summer with family at our lake house in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
Contact Info:
- Address: 616 N. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60004 - Website: www.somethingblue-design.com
- Phone: 224-558-6854
- Email: liz@somethingblue-design.com
- Instagram: somethingbluephoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Something-Blue-Photography-Design-165802393515339/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/something-blue-photography-and-design-arlington-heights
Image Credit:
All images copyright Something Blue Photography & Design
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