We recently connected with Tiffany Gurholt and have shared our conversation below.

Tiffany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

No one can humble you like a teenager! I spent 16 years teaching Middle and High School English. There, I was taught not only how to deal with a number of personalities in the classroom but also their parents. My most valuable lesson was patience and hearing people out. I was able to create strong relationships with both my students and their families. I think this helps me now because I’m able to connect with pretty much any type of personality. I listen my client’s vision, but I also try to get to know them and make them feel comfortable in the little time we have together. I make them feel safe, comfortable, and seen. These are all things I did with my students in the classroom. Photography is all about the connection between the subject and the photographer. If you can’t make a connection, you cannot portray the emotion of the subject in your photo.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have a major in English and eduction, and a masters in education. I spent my first 16 years of my career in a classroom with students and mentoring fellow teachers. I’ve always loved photography, but it wasn’t until I had children that I really explored it seriously. I began by taking an in person “momtography” type class. After I learned how to use a camera and lightroom, then I began online courses to learn how to edit in photoshop. It was here that I met Whitney, my business partner. Together, she and I started WTF Fotografy, a business that offers tutorials and photoshop resources for other photographers. We’re the perfect pair, even though we’re pretty much exact opposites. She is the tech guru, and I’m the teacher. I love that I can continue my love for teaching and pair it with my love for photography. I think we’re different from other companies that offer similar products because we are always available and willing to help anyone who purchases or is interested in purchasing our products. If we don’t have it, we’ll make it. If someone doesn’t understand how to use it, we’ll create a tutorial. We’re all about helping other photographers become the best they can be. I’m proud that the actions and resources I use on each and every edit come from our shop. I use everything we sell, and I think it has helped make my clients happy with exceptional edits.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I’ve eluded to this previously, but I met Whitney through an online platform she and I were both working on. We connected when we realized that we were only an hour and a half away from one another. We hit it off right away, but she and I are opposite in all things. I’m sunshine and rainbows, she’s not. She’s technical and, for lack of a better word, a genius. I’m color theory and style and explain it to me in plain English. I have 100 different ideas flowing at once, and she’s a tackle one thing in full and move on to the next. Right now, I’m listening to Taylor Swift, and she wouldn’t be. I think you get it. But it’s for these reasons that she and I work so well together. I can message her with one of my 100 ideas about a new action set, and she helps me narrow it down and makes it come to life. She will message me about the color of a photo, and I’ll message her about why my computer isn’t working. We balance each other out so well, and that helps with our customer base as well. She helps with all technical problems, and I create tutorials that help our customers navigate our products. I am so grateful for Whitney, our business together, and most importantly, our friendship.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of doing what I do is making others happy. There is no greater joy than receiving Christmas cards with photos I’ve taken on them, or seeing a smile on the face of a young girl who has never felt “pretty”. I live to make others feel worthy, beautiful and happy. I think I many times suffer from imposter syndrome. I never think that what I’m doing is good enough. However, when I receive messages of thank you, or seeing my photos in print on my client’s walls, it brings me absolute joy. I offer a client closet to all my clients. I value photos more than the average person. To me, it’s a moment in time, a memory you can never have again. Your child will never be that age again. You may never experience that specific emotion again. We never know when a loved one may be taken. These are all things a single photo can capture. Then you can relive that moment or memory or emotion again and again by looking at that photo. If I’m able to give this to only one other person, then I’m happy. As far as our WTF business, I am motivated similarly by people posting images they’ve created and are proud of, using our products. There’s always more to learn, and I love that I can help people learn while on my journey to becoming a better photographer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tiffanygurholtphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tiffanygurholtphotography
• Facebook: Tiffany Gurholt Photography.
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wtfotografy
• Other: WTF: Whitney and Tiffany Fotografy Community (Facebook)
  https://wtfotografy.etsy.com

Image Credits

Tiffany Gurholt Photography