After 7+ years of being a San Antonio portrait and event photographer, I’m working on transitioning to commercial work, but I need to practice developing my style and building my portfolio. Being a college student on a tight budget, I’ve had to be resourceful and creative in finding products to photograph and equipment use. These are a few of my favorite images taken with affordable products and a one light setup.

I love walking through the makeup isles and looking for the inexpensive products and photographing them to look like they came from a high-end makeup catalogue.

I’m frequently asked how I achieve my white backgrounds on my flat lays, and it’s as simple as a $3 white foam board, taking control of my light, and a little touch of photoshop. Most of the time, I am able to reuse the board for shots, but other shots, like the one below where I incorporated the actual nail polish, require a one-time use.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from photographing for school, it’s don’t make excuses, make your best work. 

Do you want to see more posts like this? Tweet me @boldjoyphoto with the hashtag #BJPblog and let me know what you want to see next!

To see more of what I do, visit my website!

About the Photographer:

Elizabeth Leland is a senior at The Art Institute of San Antonio where she is earning her BFA in digital photography. 

After picking up a camera in 2007, Elizabeth developed a love for interacting with people and making genuine connections through the lens. She practiced her photography skills on any person, place, and thing she could fit within the frame of her camera.

Elizabeth continued to grow in photography and took every opportunity she could to learn from small business owners, established photographers, and teachers. She has worked happily as a portrait and event photographer for most of her career, and found her passion in commercial photography.