Tyler Middendorf shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Tyler, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I think the thing that is misunderstood about our business of photography is two fold. The first is that you have to have the best camera and best training to be considered a professional…now the old guard might make you believe this, but that is simply not true in my opinion. Photography at its core is art and art is subjective. Art can be made with the best tools available or simply what you have accessible to you at the moment. I have made great photos with a $10,000 camera but I have also made amazing photos with a $800 camera. The key to making great art is the person behind it and what makes that great is each person views the world a little differently thus making it all unique. The second thing that I think is misunderstood about our medium is that there are fine “rules” that must be followed to make a great image. I don’t know if this is my natural rebellious nature, but anytime I hear rules I can feel creative energy being drained because you are putting limits on what is being done. I loathe limits and the moment you let that go and just flow with the moment, that is when true art and personal creativity can thrive.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi my name is Tyler Middendorf and I am a Los Angeles creative specializing in event production and photography. I have had the privilege to work with amazing partners and companies in my 15 years living in this city. I have produced events for Universal Studios Hollywood, Netflix, Paramount, Apple, Disney and many more. I now focus my energy on photography through my business Tyler Middendorf Photography. I specialize in event photography, concerts and portraits. Since I come from the event production world, I have a keen eyes for event photography and what it takes to full capture those unique moments. In addition to those legs of the business, I also have a separate entity called TM Photography – After Dark, where we focus on boudoir and burlesque photography. This was an exciting venture as I love showing people a different side of themselves and I enjoy focusing on personal positivity. Through all of my focuses my one main goal is to make people feel good and have lasting memories for years to come.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
In this business an amazing biproduct is that you get to meet so many amazing people. However, with the amazing people there are some who maybe are less than enjoyable… I think what makes these people less enjoyable and breaks those bonds is at its core, lack of communication. We live in a world where ghosting people is the normal. This is both personally and professionally. Through this lack of communication this can lead to people creating their on version or thoughts of how things unfolded and through the lack of communication it creates this divide that seems like it can’t be fixed or the gap is too big to even try. Though in my experience, once people put their egos aside and open their hearts to a conversation common ground is usually easily found and that divide can be mended, This only happens through open and canid conversation coming from a place of support rather than blame or “trying to win” the situation. We are all better together than divided and this only gets fixed through honest and meaningful conversation.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
This may be a cliche answer, but the fear of judgement and failure. This had crippled me in my early career and development. Then once you take that leap and believe in yourself you will realize two things… one it wasn’t as scary as you thought it would be. Two you will realize that those people or places that don’t support you or judge you are places that you have outgrown and don’t serve you. Any place or group that doesn’t support risks and growth of those around them is no place that deserved your energy or time.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
There are too many photographers is one I hear all the time. There are not too many at all, in fact most events I go too it’s the same people. We need photographers both for their creative view of the world, but also it challenges us to be getter and see things differently. I am constantly inspired by my peers and I hope that I too inspire others as well. Healthy compaction is also a great motivator and should be encouraged rather than siloed and gatekept.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I love this questions because at its core it shows how passionate you are about what you are doing. I show up everyday and live and breathe photography. It fuels me because it fulfills a special part of who I am to my core. I don’t take these photos for the likes, they are nice, but not why I do it. I do it because it’s my way of showing the world how beautiful they really are and through that its my service back to everyone. Yes this sounds too grandiose but I think art is that powerful and to impact 1 person is the same as impacting a 1,000 people because even at 1 person, that is someone’s whole world. I love thinking small “big” thoughts like that. It motivates me that any impact is a huge achievement and it’s only up from there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tylermiddendorfphotography.com
- Instagram: @tmiddendorfphoto
- Other: TikTok: @tmiddendorfphoto
