Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Harrison.
Tiffany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
While attending the University of Houston, I found a part-time job at an Insurance Company in Southwest Houston. I ended up holding a few management positions in the 13 years I worked there. I had always been interested in photography. I love art, music and just the minds of creatives in general. As you can imagine, there wasn’t much room for that in corporate America until one day. My coworker said her husband was going to sell his DSLR. I purchased a beginner’s kit and could not keep my hands off of it. I took photos of just about anything, including my friend’s children. Word slowly got around and boom – I started a small business.
Simultaneously, I was experiencing new territory when my third child, Joshua, was born. By the time he was 15 months old, I knew he wasn’t meeting the milestones given by his pediatrician. By the time he was two, he was diagnosed with Autism and had a speech delay. It seemed as if thing after thing snowballed from then until now. I left the insurance company. We purchased ten acres of land. We sold our big house in Kingwood. Then we bought a small metal building that my husband is still building out into our little home. This series of events allowed us to rid ourselves of all debt, allowed me to be with my family full time and focus on my little side gig – Firefly Images.
The industry is pretty competitive, but that’s only if you’re competing. I’m okay with being a small-town girl who shoots ‘round town. I love running into “my” seniors at the local grocery store and see my photos hanging in my friend’s houses. I love my clientele and watching their families grow from year to year. I still have clients that were some of my first customers and they’ve remained loyal, supported my business and growth and who know I’m genuinely interested in how their babies are doing each and every time I see them.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think any business gets a “smooth” road. There is always a learning curve. You’re human and going to make mistakes. There are things that go wrong and it’s all about how you handle them that makes you or break you.
The one that almost broke me is literally the internet. Our home sits a quarter of a mile from the main road and I could NOT get internet service through any provider for two years. I deliver large files in large galleries that must be uploaded – through the internet. After begging, pleading and tons of waiting – I’m the proud owner of a high-speed internet business account.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I will try to photograph any genre at least once. There’s a few I’ll never do again, but I still do lots of portrait work. My favorites are children and seniors. With children, I let photo shoots be like grandmas house. Our only goal is to have maximum fun. I get lots of genuine smiles and great candid moments by letting them do things their parents normally wouldn’t.
With high school seniors, there’s always excitement in the air while shooting. I love hearing about their hopes and dreams, what they’ve already accomplished and about where they’re going. There is just a zest for life there that is so refreshing.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston is an incredible place to be an artist. There is such a vast amount of opportunity you can be as big or as small as you want to be. You can specialize or you can be a hobbyist. There’s no shortage of diverse people or city backdrops. The only thing about Houston is they expect you to bring your A-game, so you better have the drive and perseverance to keep on going and growing. If there was one thing I’d say to a new photographer is: clean up your mess. Keep your city beautiful so they’ll keep letting us photograph in all the great spots.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fireflyphotographyandimages.com
- Phone: 8322647953
- Email: fireflytiffany@gmail.com
- Instagram: fireflytiffany
- Facebook: fireflyimagesandphotography
Image Credit:
Firefly Images
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