Meet Elizabeth VanderStel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth VanderStel. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A quick bit about my personal life before we get into my photography journey. I am half Filipino, and I was born in Muskegon, MI but moved to Grand Rapids in 2008 and have been here ever since. I met my husband after I moved to Grand Rapids when we were 14. We started dating in 2011 and got married in 2015 the month we turned 21. Our first daughter was born in 2017, our son was stillborn in 2019, and our youngest daughter was born right in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. 

Ever since I was in middle school, I loved taking pictures. Back then I just had a cheap point-and-shoot camera that I would use to take selfies, pictures of my pets, flowers, etc. I loved to edit them with some free editing website. Fast forward to 2012 when I graduated high school, thanks to a graduation gift from my grandmother I was able to get my first DSLR camera. I decided on a Canon Rebel T3 and as soon as I got home, I started snapping pictures like crazy. After practicing with my new camera, I started doing a lot more photoshoots with friends and family over the next couple years. I started shooting more “professionally” 2016, this is when I started charging a little bit for sessions. In 2019 after our son was stillborn, I threw myself into work, and the number of sessions I did tripled, and since then my business has grown significantly. I started out only doing pictures of people I knew, and now I’m meeting so many new people, photographing strangers and friends and family of clients that have recommended me. I am so beyond thankful for this journey I’ve been on and the amazing clientele that I have. I sometimes still can’t believe that this all started out as a hobby and now I have a full-on business. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve been very fortunate that my journey has been fairly smooth overall. I’ve been very lucky to have such amazing clients so far. Being self-taught has brought its own challenges though. Learning out how to use editing software and figuring out what settings/presets to use to achieve the look I want, has been a very tedious process. I am personally bad about sometimes comparing my work to other photographers wondering if I should change my style if I could do better, that sort of thing. I try and remember that my clients love my work, and I shouldn’t be so critical of myself. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do all kinds of sessions but my favorite, and what I specialize in, is boudoir. I never meant to start doing boudoir, but it just kind of happened after doing my first random session. Being someone, whose body has changed so much over the years due to weight gain and having multiple children, it can be hard to love your body, but we are in an age of self-love right now and I think that’s amazing! Boudoir is all about embracing your body. I am so proud of the way I’ve helped so many women feel confident after their sessions. Reading their reactions to the pictures of themselves is the best thing ever. They didn’t realize they looked like that, they feel empowered, and for some it helped them take back what they thought was stolen from them. I like to think what sets me apart from other photographers is the time and attention I give to my clients. I am a firm believer in good communication and timely replies. I take the time to figure out what exactly my clients have envisioned for their shoot, and when it comes to boudoir, I make sure to ask them what they love most about themselves, and what things they might want to downplay. I think taking that extra time to figure out those specific details ensures that my clients love the product they get back in the end. 

Pricing:

• Senior/Engagement: $200
• Boudoir: $200+
• Family (4 members): $250 (+$10 for each additional member)
• Maternity + Newborn Package: $300
• “Regular” Sessions (headshots, pets, couples, small family, etc): $175

Contact Info:

• Email: liz@abbott.ms
• Website: https://lizvanderstelphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.v_photography1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizVanderStelPhotography