About Me

TANYA

I often get asked why and how I became a family photographer.  Here’s my story:

Most kids have phases of what they’ll be when they grow up. For me, I went from being the President’s Secretary – because I liked the idea of being a secretary, to a grocery store cashier- because I really like to organize the display things, to my  family’s personal photographer – because I was naturally drawn to the camera. Ever since my parents bought me my first Polaroid, I haven’t been able to put a camera down. Fast forward a few years, some cameras, and a bachelor’s of art in photography later, and I’ve upgraded from my small town in Texas to the windy city of Chicago.

Although I may not be taking pictures with my finger in the viewfinder or of my little brother protecting our castle anymore, my camera and I have seen a lot – from Mexico to Italy, Thailand to Greece, England to China – we’ve captured our short stays and the interesting people we’ve met along the way. My family has always been a great inspiration to me.  I get to document our history, their history, my history.  At heart, I’m a family photographer documenting people and telling their stories and I would love to tell yours.

 

MONICA

I often get asked why and how I became a photographer’s assistant.  Wait, no I don’t, haha.  ”Photographer’s assistant” doesn’t really accurately describe what I do or who I am.

Tanya and I are a team, a package, or business partners if you will.  She’s the talent and I’m the voice.  You may see me around during a smaller family session with a reflector and I love getting to know people, so by the end of the session I’ll probably know where you and your loved one met and what your favorite pizza place is in the city (and if you say Giordano’s… I don’t know if we can be friends).

You may see lots of husband/wife photography duos and Tanya and I are no different.  She moved to Chicago to come be with me while I finish law school, so I help her with her photography and it works.  We love our Chicago family, Oreo and Baylor, who you may see from time to time, so we’d love to take pictures of your “family,” no matter how big or small, young or old, traditional or unique.