First and foremost, hi everyone I am Tiffany Bumgardner or Exposure One Studios.

I am most often asked how I got into rodeo rather than photography which is what I actually do at rodeos (not a competitor here)— For the last 10 years, one of my main photographic events has been rodeo. The answer always surprises people, I didn't choose photography let alone rodeo photography; in fact, I became a photographer by accident.

As a child I loved the arts and started practicing in the fine arts at the age of 8 -- I did not have a natural talent and had to work hard to achieve a level of proficiency that enabled me to take advanced courses in my high school. It was in those advanced courses that a camera was put into my hands, we had to photograph anything we wanted to create, as a reference but also as a way to see if we could create compositions that were compelling. I loved photographing my sister barrel racing because it was challenging and the horse projects annoyed the teacher— win, win.

I was hooked on that camera fairly instantly, by my senior year I was doing paid photography work and took my first true photography course in college— I accidentally enrolled in an intermediate course with professional wedding photographers who had years of experience when I at the time didn’t even have an editing program or know what raw was-- there was a lot of pressure to do well!

That college course was equal parts the hardest thing I had ever done at that point in my life and the best opportunity I had encountered as a young artist. I learned a lot about photography and the camera; information I continued to build upon as the years have gone by. A great learning curve came during my sophomore year of college when I headed abroad for the first time as a photographer’s assistant-- that year I visited fifteen foreign countries over the course of 4 and half months. I was exposed to a variety of shooting conditions as well as locations, it was a truly amazing time.

Exposure One Studios name came to me while I was in Capetown, South Africa in October of 2012 during that fated trip. That time abroad made me a much better photographer and when I returned home I started photographing a lot of events; weddings, rodeos, and charity functions; which I still do to this day.

It’s been nearly a decade for me now as a professional photographer, and a lot has changed from when I started. I discovered my style to be photojournalistic in nature and have published books, seen my work in magazines, as well as brochures, and billboards; all things I never imagine in high school. My clients are amazing people I have spent hours with, from travel to rodeo. They have truly made my career by providing me with a variety of work; from weddings to commercials. It is incredibly humbling to be a part of their moments in arenas to their weddings, creating posters for them, watching their children enter the family business, and capturing their careers in ways they dreamed.

Many clients I am with for years at a time and play a role in capturing moments they do not even expect. It is truly a gift to be a witness to their journeys as well.