Meet Isabel Marie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Marie. 

Hi Isabel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I begin my entrepreneurial lifestyle when I began my photography company (takenbyisabel.info) my sophomore year of high school. I had always loved photography and was so excited when I realized I could make a business out of it. My favorite photos and most popular sessions are for high school seniors. I love being able to capture such a special time in someone’s life. Capturing their beauty and helping build their confidence are the most rewarding things to come from my business. I take senior sessions to families as well as editorials! 

Another thing I have always been passionate about is fitness. I grew up as an athlete playing soccer, tennis, and more! Once I stopped playing high school sports, I needed a new way to fulfill my love for health and fitness. This is when my love for the gym began and heavy weightlifting soon after. Along my fitness/weightlifting journey, I decided to start my fitness Instagram page @isabelmariefit (now @itsisabelmarie.) I started my fitness/lifestyle account wanting to help other women get started and feel more comfortable in the gym. I was once in their shoes and accounts that posted workouts/motivation and tips in the gym really helped me gain confidence when it came to training in the gym. I hope my content is able to inspire other women who were once in my position! 

My favorite benefit of starting my Instagram has to be the community of women I have met and become friends with. Until my junior year of college, especially with covid taking out my freshman year) I felt as though I had not met my “people.” Since starting my account I have met so many wonderful women in and out of Ohio State and I am beyond thankful. 

Meeting this incredible community at Ohio State, then inspired my idea for The Barbell Babes Women’s Lifting Çlub at OSU (@barbell babes.osu.) I had already met such an amazing group of women, I wanted to provide an opportunity for others to find “their people” at school too. I wanted Barbell Babes to create an environment for like-minded people to meet in a more comfortable setting. Meeting people in the gym, especially during rush hours, can be a stressful and intimidating move. There isn’t much time during a quick workout in between classes and school to really meet people without interrupting a good stress-relieving workout. Our events and meetings through Barbell Babes will be a fun and uplifting environment to meet other female lifters that share a common passion. 

Recently in November of 2022, Barbell Babes collaborated with Sparked Society Gym in Columbus to create and lifting fundraiser for Nationwide Children’s On Our Sleeves Foundation for children’s mental health. This event was so inspiring as our community, along with friends and family, were able to exercise and donate to support an amazing cause. All gym day passes, merchandise and drinks contributed to the donation. I am so excited to see what 2023 brings! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I defiantly would not say it has been a smooth ride, but I have learned so much along the way! The biggest struggle I faced with my photography company was building a client base in the beginning. This took a lot of problem-solving like advertising, building a website, and offering free sessions to build my portfolio. Eventually, over the course of a couple years I was gaining a lot of exposure for my photos by word of mouth, and eventually, people began to find me on Instagram. But this experience has made me patient and helped me realize that success doesn’t come overnight. But it is all worth it! 

Regarding the Barbell Babes lifting club, there is always the anxiety of no one being interested. It also is a long process starting a club/community from scratch. But the stress/worry that came along with this, was so worth it! I have met so many new incredible people and the launch of the club came with an overwhelmingly amount of support. I encourage people to take risk with their ideas even if they don’t know if people will like it! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The biggest park of my life currently is my photography company Taken By Isabel. I am now a junior in college and began my company as a sophomore in high school and my passion keeps on growing! I shoot seniors, families, couples, brands, you name it! I am constantly expanding my brand and my skills. I would say I am most known for my senior photos and the “golden hour” look. I love to capture as much natural lighting and landscape I can when taking my senior photos and it seems to be. A big hit. I specially am requested when shooting senior portraits to include the golden hour shots a majority of the time. I have no complaints because this is my absolute favorite thing to shoot. It is incredible how much beauty there is during golden hour and the natural glow effect it has on these portraits. I would say what separates my work from others is the personalization and experience I feel I provide to my customers. I make sure that the subject of my shoot is completely comfortable and natural when it comes to their photos. I love to talk about anything with my customers and I hope my outgoing personality creates comfort when it comes to their sessions. I also feel that what separates my work is my flexibility and wiliness to try new things. I love helping build personal-priced packages if they need something different than my listed ones. I also love trying new locations suggested by my customer that I have never tried before. This really tests my creativity and is constantly keeping me on my toes! 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Columbus is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. This creates an amazing environment for creativity, innovation, and diversity. From German Village, Italian Village, the Short North, Arena District, and more, it makes me realize how much their is to explore here. As a photographer, the creative opportunities are also endless. There is such a diverse range of settings to the huge buildings in the city to the brick roads of German Village. There are so many restaurants and places of entertainment, such as my favorite the Ohio Theatre. I love this city and the more I explore the more I fall in love with Columbus! 

Contact Info:

• Website: takenbyisabel.info
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsisabelmarie/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/isabel-schiefferle-280b81173
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsisabelmarie/featured
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsisabelmarie