We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffanie Yang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffanie, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am self-taught, learning from YouTube videos, online articles, and studying other photographer’s photos, but I learned most from just getting out there and shooting as much as possible. Time has probably been the most limiting factor throughout my experience as a photographer. Photography, like any other skill you learn, is extremely time consuming, and there are no shortcuts. However, learning how to frame your photos and expose correctly can greatly reduce the amount of time you’re working on post-processing to get the photo just how you want. I would say, understanding how to read your camera’s light meter and histogram are essential skills to learn.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Tiffanie and I’m an outdoor adventure and travel photographer based in the beautiful state of Washington. My dad was the person who got me into photography. I would always steal his DSLR to take photos and did that until I got a camera of my own. Growing up, I was very fortunate to have traveled a lot with my family, so I loved taking photos of all the places I visited. Travel and photography were hand in hand for me. I wanted to be able to capture beautiful places and share them with people in the hopes that it would inspire them to see the world with their own eyes. But it wasn’t until I moved to Washington State a few years ago that I started becoming more serious about my work. I was exposed to the world of hiking and backpacking, and my newfound interests amplified my passion for photography.

My life and work have not been the same since I’ve come out to the Pacific Northwest. I’ve taken photos and visited places I could only dream of. I’m proud of my growth in the last 4 years, both in my craft and in myself. I’ve gained so much more confidence in my creative abilities. I’ve collaborated with and curated content for brands who resonate with my values.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love that I can show others the beautiful views that I’ve been fortunate enough to witness with my own eyes. It’s incredibly rewarding learning that the photos and videos I share with my family, friends, and strangers inspire them to get outside their comfort zones and experience and capture their own adventures. I’ve noticed that since I’ve been seriously pursuing outdoor adventure photography, my parents have made more of an effort to go explore their local state parks every weekend, and we’ll end up exchanging and sharing photos. I’ve had people from my past, some of whom I’ve only had one conversation with, who have been following my journey, ask me for recommendations for camera gear and places to visit.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I’ve found that the best way to learn is to learn from others. I’ve attended a couple of photography seminars and workshops over the past few years, and I’ve found them so inspiring and helpful for my own journey. You can learn everything from basics to how to develop your own editing and photography style. I’ve mostly found these workshops through photographers advertising them on their Instagram accounts, but I also recommend checking out what your local camera store has to offer. They will often partner with local photographers to host events. For example, if you’re in the Seattle area, Glazer’s Camera and Kenmore Camera are two stores that I frequent that host events throughout the year.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/tiffanieyang
• Instagram: photosby.tiff
• Twitter: tiffanie_yang