We recently connected with Miranda Tillinghast and have shared our conversation below.

Miranda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs feel they need to be 100% focused on their business and they put LIVING aside in life. I’ve managed to make LIVING my #1 priority all while making enough to LIVE and support me and my dogs lifestyle. We travel constantly and If I’m not exploring a new city or culture, or planning a fun new country to see then I feel I am not hitting my ultimate bucketlist of things I want to do before I die. I genuinely feel like many people are working to live, and I promised myself that I would do whatever I can to not ever feel like that. I want to live a full prosperous life that challenges me, teaches me and continuously allows me to grow — and without that I wont feel I am focusing on my Dharma. And Dharma is and should be your first priority, while everything else falls after.

So take the trip and stop constantly counting what you are spending versus making — Money will always come and go — life will not.

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?

Hello! My name is Miranda Tillinghast. I’m a destination photographer for lifestyle brands and people! I have a passion for creating lifestyle content for brands in my daily adventures! I first started learning about marketing in 2015 and have always had a passion for photography since I was a kid. I learned to use Social Media Influencing as a way of income when Instagram was first taking off and I definitely lived life to the fullest in that time span. Since then I have learned and juggled multiple ways of creating income and using all my gifts and passions for work. I offer photography for brands, families, elopements, headshots, etc. I have worked with companies like Fairmont, Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Show Me Your MuMu, Volcom, Monday Swimwear, MVMT, and SO SO SO much more. I’ve worked with over 100 brands, and have kept a lot of these brands in my circle. I’ve done repeat photography for the past 3 years with 3 of my brands, I love being trusted to always provide them adventure and in-the-moment photos and videos with new unique faces in all these places all over the world. I shoot these brands on my Canon, on my Drone, and on my Underwater Housing, and am always getting creative.

I have recently got into Media Marketing and helping brands manage their social accounts on Instagram and Tiktok to help them build a loyal clientele, grow their following, have engaging content, find influencers to work with and not work with, and stay up with the constantly moving algorithm. It has been incredible to watch another part of my creative side help brands grow their entire presence and in return their business.

I am most proud of my large hotel clientele and my tourism board clientele. I loved my trip to Tahiti with the Tahiti Tourism Group and Four Seasons — that trip was so photogenic and so memorable. Unfortunately at that time reels weren’t a thing — So i would love to return to different incredible trips I’ve had to capture video content!

I love reaching out to brands and helping them feel confident in hiring me for their look book, website photos, social media content, email content etc. It makes me so satisfied going on websites or getting emails in my inbox and seeing my work portrayed! I know and love what I do — And I don’t see myself leaving this passion anytime soon.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I grew up in a very small amish town in Pennsylvania– I feel this was a wonderful way to grow up but with that said it also limited me in knowing the true meaning of diversity. After highschool I went to UNCW and PITT for college and learned so much more about others ways of being brought up and then I started traveling more and more. And nothing WOWed me more than the incredible cultures that this world has. We are all so different yet we are somehow so similar. I’ve been able to stay quiet and take in other countries in my travels like a sponge — I have always wanted to just completely submerge in the way they live their lives to better understand them as people. I feel as though if you don’t travel or you aren’t brought up seeing all there is — you are just unknowledgeable because you only see what is in front of you.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I once was a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. I adored that occupation more than anything. Probably more than taking photos at the time. I was about to hit my 5-year mark with the company — which if you know the airlines — you know that is a big deal! I didn’t make that much as a flight attendant and I was able to work incredible flights around the world that helped me see the benefit of the job and not focus on the money. A majority of flight attendants had side jobs and always tried to help with their taxes, have tourism companies, or buy things abroad and bring them back to the USA to resell. I saw a lot of things but never told anyone because you always have each other’s backs. So I was a photographer in Hawaii at the time, and I traveled a lot on my off time with my benefits because what is better than FREE FLIGHTS !!! So I flew to places I only thought I’d be able to go to in my dreams. It was wonderful, And as a photographer — you know I’m taking photographs in all these places. Well one day someone showed some management that I was a photographer and taking photos on my trips. They ASSUMED I was making money on my trips — and at this time I actually was not. Brands would send me things in Hawaii all the time but I did not do any photoshoots that were paid photoshoots on the road to respect Deltas rules. Unfortunately no matter how many times I told them I did not, showed them my taxes, showed them my bank statements and more they would not believe me. On a flight attendants salary I was unable to afford a lawyer– and with that Delta took my wings, my pride and my future with the company and the future I planned for my future kids and husband away in a second without any care in the world.

I never felt more upset or devastated in my life. I felt like my entire identity was taken away from me. I had pretty bad depression after this — Didn’t know who I was and was even declined unemployment by them. So I had nothing. They left me with not a lick of money to try and figure out my next chapter of life and I wish so many times they’d realize their faul in firing me and hire me back where I was. I worked very hard for them and will always miss being a flight attendant.

Without being fired though, I cannot say I’d be where I am as a photographer or marketing manager. I don’t know what makes me more happy but I do know that without traveling I would not be filling my cup.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mirandatillinghast.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mirandatillinghast

Image Credits
I own photo rights.