10 questions with photographer Tiffany Kelly

Today’s interview is with Tiffany Kelly!

Congratulations on being the CMpro of the Month, Tiffany! Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into the world of photography?

Thank you so much! I’m so excited and honored!! Like a lot of us on Clickin Moms, I got into photography when I had my first daughter in 2011. I suddenly NEEDED to document and memorialize every little thing. I’m pretty sure that during childbirth your kids steal a little bit of your memory ability, so I knew I needed to capture these moments in order to remember them. I wanted to remember all those fleeting details, like her wrist rolls and first little smiles.

Also, around my daughter’s first birthday, I dropped out of my psychology Ph.D. program and quit my job at a research institute to stay at home with her. I was left feeling like I needed to use my brain, to challenge myself, to learn something technical. Photography fulfilled that need for me and let me be creative at the same time.

You love photographing families and children. Has being a mother influenced how you approach your sessions and how?

Definitely! I know what it’s like to be in the mom’s position so I always try to reassure her. The mamas usually seem stressed that their children are running around and being normal kids, and I assure them that it’s totally fine and we will still get amazing images. Because I love capturing authentic childhood, I try to get a mix of candid photos and more traditional portraits.

I’d love to know, what is your dream session and where it would take place?

What an awesome question! I would love to do a session for my daughters in a field of bluebonnets. They love wildflowers so I know they would be blown away to see those gorgeous fields. It would happen at golden hour and they would be perfect little children who do everything I say (you did say DREAM session, yes?).

You also have a love for macro photography. What is one tip that you would give to others want to dive into this genre?

I adore macro! It’s so therapeutic for me and it feeds my soul. My biggest tip is to slow down and really look at what you’re photographing. Take time to plan out where you want to focus and how you want to compose your image. Since macro subjects typically don’t move, you can take your time and be really thoughtful. Also, PRACTICE! Mastering macro takes a lot of practice and trial and error.

Have you ever considered dabbling in other photography niche’s like seniors and weddings? Why or why not?

I enjoy second shooting weddings, especially because it gives me creative freedom and I get to capture lots of details! I don’t think I could be a primary wedding photographer and a stay-at-home-mom to my 2 and 4-year-olds. I think I would cave under that much pressure! I would be open to photographing seniors, but I just really enjoy capturing little kids. I love that you can’t pose them and they don’t know how to be anything other than authentic. I only take a limited number of sessions since my kids keep me pretty busy, so I try to focus on the types of sessions that make my heart sing.

You are a Lightroom user. Can you share with us your favorite Lightroom tool and how you use it?

I looooove Lightroom! The radial filter is probably my favorite tool. My favorite way to use it is to brighten shadows only on my subject, while leaving shadows in the background dark. I love images where my subject pops against a dark, simple background. The sync feature is also pretty amazing – it allows me to edit my personal images really quickly and get back to spending time with my kiddos.

You are clearly a fan of backlighting. What advice can you offer for those struggling with backlighting?

Backlighting gives such a gorgeous dreamy look! My advice would be to spot meter and meter off your subject’s skin. I love using my 35mm for backlighting because I don’t have to worry about getting too much haze.

The off season is approaching. What do you do to nurture your business during that time when you’re not shooting as often?

I am ALWAYS shooting for myself! I photograph my kids or macro subjects pretty much every day. This winter I’m hoping to catch up on various classes and breakouts I’ve purchased and hopefully gain some new inspiration!

You’re a big supporter of sharing your knowledge with the photography community. Why is teaching so important to you?

I absolutely love teaching! It’s so rewarding to help people learn and then watch them grow and improve. I’m so grateful to everyone that helped me and taught me along the way, and I can only hope to inspire others in turn. As a mom who is always striving to improve my photos of my children, I love to support other moms who have that same goal.

Speaking of education, would you share with us a little about your upcoming Breakout, Up Close and Personal: Artistically Capturing the Details and Emotion of Everyday?

I am unbelievably excited about my breakout! It’s a dream come true for me and I’ve pored my heart and soul into it. I go into depth about how I create artistic images of my own children, from how I interact with them and evoke emotion, to how I use all different types of lighting, and how I capture movement and details in my imagery. I hope to leave students feeling inspired and well-equipped to capture authentic and personal images of their own children or clients’ children. I have a few bonus materials on my approach to macro photography as well. Being given this opportunity to teach has been so amazing and I cannot wait for the live run!!!

Thank you, Tiffany, for the fantastic interview! Make sure you head over to Tiffany’s website, facebook, pinterest, and instagram to view more of her gorgeous work and keep up with her happenings.

Save