Chicago Children and Family Photographer | Tanya Velazquez

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 White House Chief of Staff, to a grocery store cashier, and ultimately my family’s personal photographer. That’s when my parents bought me my first Polaroid camera, and I haven’t put a camera down since. Although I may not be taking pictures with my finger in the viewfinder or of my brother protecting our castle (house) anymore, my education and life have taken my camera and I everywhere – from Mexico to Italy, Thailand to Greece, England to China – we’ve captured our short stays and the interesting people we’ve met on the way. My family has always been a great inspiration to document our history, their history, my history. At heart, I’m a family photographer documenting people and telling their stories.