By the time most photographers have found their footing, Tiffany Bumgardner has already lived five lifetimes’ worth of stories through her lens.
With 14 years behind the camera, photography for Tiffany isn’t just a job — it’s second nature. It’s the instinct to show up, even when it wasn’t planned. It’s knowing when a moment matters, even if it looks ordinary to everyone else. From dusty arenas to county fairs, from quiet portraits to chaotic show rings, she’s learned that the best images aren’t just well-composed — they’re deeply felt.
After all these years, the drive is still the same: capture the story, honor the moment, and never stop chasing the light.
The Fine Art Child
Tiffany’s creative life began with fine art. At eight, she was teaching herself to draw and paint — chasing the images in her imagination. Around that same time, her grandfather handed her a slim, boxy film camera. One evening, she photographed her horses running through the field at sunset. The photo was raw, imperfect, but alive in a way her drawings never quite managed.
In high school, she picked up photography again, this time with intent. She realized that while painting and drawing were learned skills, photography unlocked something instinctive. What she struggled to put on canvas came naturally through the lens: movement, light, and emotion rendered in a way that felt effortless and true.
The Global Traveler
As a young student on Semester at Sea, Tiffany traveled through 17 countries, photographing the world as it unfolded. One of those images — of Casey, a fellow voyager who tragically passed days later — became her first published work in The Washington Post. The moment was heartbreaking, but it revealed something that would echo through her career: her photographs had the power to endure, sometimes becoming the images people turned to when memory mattered most.
The Fine Art Rising Voice
From there, Tiffany’s work began to appear in places photographers only dream of: gallery walls at Ohio University, a magazine cover and artist bio, digital displays in Miami’s Art Valley, and even the billboards of Times Square. She was hired by Ohio University to contribute to Ohio Today, with work published in 2014 and 2015.
Recognition followed — awards from the International Photography Awards, ND Awards, and Px3 — confirming that her instinctive vision carried weight in the fine art world.
The Rodeo and Stage Documentarian
For a decade, Tiffany served as a card-holding photographer for the International Pro Rodeo Association, capturing a culture few outsiders get to see. She documented trick rider Shadow Montag’s career from start to finish, created images for Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and captured the definitive portrait of magician Terry Evanswood — an image he called the one he had “dreamed of in his 30-year career.” Her photographs became brochures, billboards, and the enduring visual identity of performers whose art reached thousands.
The Author and Cultural Preservationist
Alongside photography, Tiffany published photobooks (2013, 2019), an ebook (2019), and a memoir (2022). She now turns her focus toward documenting Appalachian and Ohio Valley equestrian heritage, blending fine art and documentary into work that preserves cultural memory. Her images have been displayed internationally, while her voice has resonated locally through speaking engagements and exhibitions.
A Photographer of Legacies
Tiffany’s career has never followed a straight line. Instead, it has unfolded as a series of lifetimes: artist, traveler, documentarian, author, preservationist. Through all of them runs a single thread — her photographs carry weight beyond the moment. They are chosen to honor people, cultures, and lives, often long after the shutter has closed.
She calls herself a “lucky bunny,” but her journey is more than luck. It is proof that when instinct, openness, and courage align, one artist can live five lifetimes — all through the lens of a single camera.
