We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tiffany Bailey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tiffany below.

Tiffany, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In the last thirteen years, I have shot many, many different sessions and participated in a menagerie of projects, both solo and in groups. Out of everything I’ve done, the most meaningful has been birth photography. I started photographing births eleven years ago, my first being a homebirth in Jackson, OH. I drove nervously and excitedly in the wee morning hours to document the beginning of life. As I twisted around the small, country roads of 93, the air felt electric, as if letting me know magic was about to happen. As I witnessed that sweet baby come earthside just before dawn on a cold, winter morning, my heart was forever changed. Since I’ve documented dozens of babies taking their first breaths and women becoming strong mommas. It’s a journey we take together as photographer and client to stop time forever.

Tiffany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

​I come from a small southern Ohio town, where I started dabbling in photography at the age of 10 after discovering a stash of half-used disposable cameras in the kitchen’s junk drawer. Since that day, I’ve been obsessed with documenting everything in life. Each moment is a gift, and I don’t want to forget a thing. I started Acorn & Oak Photography in early 2013 with only a handful of clients in my first year. I had no clue what a blessing this little business would be for me and my family. Flash forward nearly thirteen years, and I’ve had the honor of witnessing hundreds of people in love get married, babies come into the world, kids grow from toddlers to teenagers, and so much more! It’s been an honor watching the families I work with grow, smile, and make their dreams come true. It’s been so special to be by their side, witnessing their lives unfold. And, with each click of my shutter, I freeze those moments for them forever.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Growing up before the Internet, family photo albums were so important, a reflection of history and the people that came before you. I remember spending hours combing through my mom and grandma’s albums, collections that were decades old. People I’d never met before were there before me, as if still alive. I got to witness memories that came before me, and in some ways, I became part of them. I had looked through those old albums so many times that I had memorized every page, yet I came back to them again and again. That’s what I want for my clients… a road leading to the past, forever keeping the moments alive in our minds.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn perfectionism. Life is messy and moments aren’t always picture perfect, but those are no less important. Even if the plan goes completely out the window, it took me time to realize those photographs are just as important as perfectly posed, smiling faces. Now I love those candid snaps where people are letting their true personalities shine.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.acornoakphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acornoakphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acornoakphotography

Image Credits

Headshot by Marissa Ellis Photography