Rising Stars: Meet Elizabeth Buergler of Atlanta

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

Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Back when I was in third grade my family was about to take a cross country road trip. My grandfather, who was traveling with us, is a hobby photographer so he took me to the drug store and bought me my very first camera and a few rolls of film. He told me to take photos that told the story of our summer. For my 8th grade graduation and class trip to DC he gifted me an updated point and shoot with a zoom lens. I thought I had arrived! I kept his advice, “capture the story”. After both trips I was able to put together little scrapbooks of my trips that told the story of who I was, where I went, and what we did at that age. Fast forward through high school, college, a wedding, and many vacations, I was still taking photos wherever we went. When I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter, I knew I wanted to be able to capture her every moment. My husband bought me my first DSLR for my birthday just weeks before she was born. I took a few classes at the rec center and finally got the hang of “manual mode” but I still wasn’t satisfied with the results. Shortly after my second daughter was born I experienced a mental health crisis that landed me in the care of an excellent therapist. As part of my recovery my therapist suggested picking up a new hobby or digging deeper into one I enjoyed as a way to push through the hard days. I knew that with two little kids I needed a hobby that wouldn’t leave half finished projects all over the house for them to destroy. I decided to invest a little money into some photo editing software and more hands on classes. Through an amazing twist of fate, I replied to a Facebook post for another photographer looking for a model for a “cake smash” session and my daughter was about to turn 1. This photographer and I hit it off and she and I became fast friends. We started going to conferences together, giving each other peer reviews, shared business experiences, and swapped editing tricks. She and I started out as family photographers and over the last twelve years have gone in different directions with our specialties but remain each other’s biggest sounding boards and cheerleaders. During 2020 I had a devastating accident that fractured my shoulder and tore my labrum. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to return to photography. After months of physical therapy, surgery, and rehab, I was able to return in 2022 and pick up where I left off. Unfortunately, no sooner did I regain traction did my family need all of my time and attention. I kept just enough clients and business to keep the lights on, but I wasn’t able to grow the business to the levels I wanted. Thankfully, as those family issues resolved I could redirect all the time, energy, and tenacity back to my craft. I’ve been able to revisit business education, learning new skills, and have started growing a small team to help me reach all my hopes and dreams!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I touched on a few already, but in addition to injury and some family issues; all three of my kids and I have been diagnosed with some sort of neurodivergence and/or learning differences. It’s basically a full time job wading through evaluations, testing, therapies, medication changes, school meetings, etc until everyone hits a solid stride. It’s a lot to juggle on top of being a wife, mom, and solo entrepreneur.

Oh! Being an event photographer during a global pandemic is a little tricky too.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a branding and event photographer for small businesses and churches. I create images that feel like you and help tell your story. I especially love sitting with other females starting their own businesses and helping them get their brand vision out of their head and into an image to their future clients can understand who they’re hiring and what they do from the visuals.

I’m most proud of all of my work that gets published. As a teenager I would see religious books, pamphlets, bulletins, etc and wonder where the heck the terrible stock photos were coming from and how could I make it better. Now I am regularly producing content for a half dozen churches and ministries in Atlanta.

What sets me apart from others, at least according to my clients, is that I take time to build rapport with my clients from my littlest first communion portrait clients, to the executives hiring me for an 800 person gala.

What does success mean to you?
I view success as landing in a place where you’re both meeting your goals and maintaining healthy work-life balance. It’s not a number, but a feeling of peace, joy, and pride in who you are and what you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabethbuergler.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethbuerglerphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethbuerglerphotography