We recently connected with Tifanee Gladney and have shared our conversation below.

Tifanee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

It started as an elective class in high school. I took black and white photography where we learned various ways to shoot on film. That sparked my interest and made me want to continue to purse the craft, so I studied photography officially. I studied Visual Arts and Fine Arts in college, with a concentration in photography, and learned the craft from the beginning to now. The history, the film photography process, the digital processes, I wanted to make sure I had a real understanding of the art form.

I think ‘starting from the bottom’ was most essential for me. Taking the time to learn film, from scratch, making all the beginner mistakes that one cane make and really learning how to create the photos I wanted to create helped me be the artist I am today. There is nothing more crushing than spending hours shooting on film, then even more time developing the film to have it not turn out how you want and have to do it over again. It makes you be more intentional with your process.

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 Tifanée (pronounced tif-ah-nay) and I am a photographer from Baltimore, Maryland. After studying photography in both high school and college I grew to love having a way to express myself through art through my eyes. I offer photoshoots that capture the beauty in moments that may otherwise be missed. I’ve been told I create lasting memories! Birthday parties, events, fashion, editorial, documentary, headshots, portraits, graduation, I want to help people remember the moments that mean the most to them for years to come.

A few things set me apart from others: my love for the craft, my educational background in learning the craft, and my ability to make people feel at ease. Often times I had clients say ‘this is my first professional photoshoot, I’m so nervous, I don’t know how to pose, I don’t know what to do, etc’ and I simply reply with ‘”No worries, I got you!”. I take the time to make sure everyone feels comfortable and I personalize each shoot. Everything isn’t for everybody, and I want to make sure clients will walk out of their session satisfied.

I am most proud of the feedback and reactions I’ve received about my work. Knowing that I put a smile on someone’s face or went beyond someone’s expectations is the fuel I thrive on to keep going. I’m always learning and growing so the main thing I want future clients to know is they can be honest with me. If I provide something you don’t like, tell me and give me a chance to fix it. I want them to be satisfied with their images and I am willing to do the work to make sure they are. Photoshoots are investments, and I will always make sure my clients get their money’s worth.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Quality Customer Service.

In this day and age, customer service seems to just be completed disregarded as an important business tool. It doesn’t matter how good your product is, at the end of the day, if you don’t provide customer service as well, your business will suffer. We are all going through one of the most difficult times in our lives, it’s important to be mindful and considerate to others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Receiving any kind of recognition is most rewarding for me. Whether it be on a larger scale or a smaller scale, the fact that people are not only viewing my work but they are also responding positively to it is rewarding. They saw something in my work that they can relate to or that resonates with them, and it made them feel. When my artwork can evoke emotion in someone, that is most rewarding to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tgladphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgladphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tgladphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tifanee-gladney-18016393/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tgladphoto
• Other: https://linktr.ee/tgladphoto

Image Credits
Tifanee Gladney