Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lizzy Anderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lizzy, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
After getting home from a day of taking pictures or recording videos, I like to take a day to process and recover from my adventures. This little break allows me to review and edit my pictures/videos with a clear mind. When I start to feel burnout creeping in, I shift my creativity into a different direction. Mandala coloring books or diamond art paintings are generally my go-tos. I like to write once in a while, as well. When coloring or doing diamond art, I usually either have competition shows on Netflix or YouTube videos running as background noise. For some reason, it wipes away the stress/anxiety and helps me feel refreshed.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I started photography in 2015 when I was gifted my first camera. I spent the first few years figuring out what I wanted to do with photography, and by 2018, I found my style. I love the outdoors and getting lost in nature, so I want to travel to nature parks in my home state and showcase its beauty, as well as its history.
Minnesota has a lot of hidden beauty that isn’t often showcased. I wanted to go into further depth with showing off Minnesota and possibly reach more people, so I started YouTube in 2020. My YouTube channel became a space where I can share storytelling, research, and visual art. I wanted to share what I learned about these places and how they became what we see today.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Research, patience, and general visual/technical skills would have to be my top three that have had the most impact. Research is a two-sided coin because not only do I research the history of each location I go to, but I also spend a fair amount of time looking for locations to visit, as well. Finding parks and looking at what other people have photographed gives me an idea of what to expect, as well as inspiration for specific photo shoot ideas. I almost always wait until after I record my videos to look up the history, though. After recording, it makes me excited to learn even more, so researching the history becomes a lot of fun. Patience is also very important to me because it allows me to wait for the right moment to capture the perfect shot, persist through challenges (weather, crowds, technical issues), and maintain quality and authenticity during the editing process. Visual and technical know-how are critical in this field because they directly impact the quality and clarity of the content I’m creating. There are a lot of aspects that fall under the visual/technical umbrella, like camera settings, visual storytelling, having the right equipment, using it efficiently, and post-production quality. Learning how to become proficient with these skills has made a world of difference between my starting point and where I am today.
The best advice I can offer to someone starting is to be patient, learn the basics, and research, research, research. YouTube is a great resource for learning everything from what camera settings work best for the type of shoots you’re doing to learning how to use software like Adobe Premiere and all the different editing techniques. Keep practicing and take notes on what worked and what didn’t, make the necessary changes (if any), and keep moving forward.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My mom and husband are the two people who have helped me grow in my photography and YouTube journey. They look at my photos and watch my videos, and give me honest feedback. If they see something that can be improved on, they tell me and I work on that in future photos and videos.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyandersonphotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LzzyAnderson
- Other: Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzylentschphotography/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
