Flickr: Tya Anthony

THROUGH HER EYES SHE CAPTURES YOUR I:

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Eyeni herself, Tya Anthony. We curled up on her comfy sofa and chatted about photography and life. More than the lady behind the lens, Tya talks about balancing her 9 to 5, her side hustle (photography), making time to raise her family (she’s a wife and mother of two), going to school, and teaching. When asked when she has time to sleep, she laughingly states, “I honestly don’t remember. I guess in between eating.” She looks back and realizes that it was all a necessary evil in order to get to the point of being emancipated from the ho-hum of her 40-hour a week job.

As children, we don’t always see how certain aspects of our childhood will go on to benefit us in the adult realm. For many, being raised an “army brat” is full of moving and losing friends, but for Tya, this is where her love for photography began. Born in Colorado Springs and traveling across the world with her military-raised family, Tya’s dad gave her a camera in order for her to capture the memories of the friends she would be leaving behind. Years later, Tya finds herself not only capturing memories for her family, but for countless others.

With a mission of bringing out the true person beneath the layers of fear that plague most during a session, Tya takes her stance as a photojournalist, telling the stories of each person captured through the lens of her Nikon.

Breaking away from the ties of the conventional 9 to 5, Tya Anthony of Eyeni Photography is now on the road of pursuing her passion full-time along with taking on the adage of “stay-at-home mom”. The world of self-employment has taken on many forms, as she has recently gotten into the addictive craft of crocheting. Being behind the lens professionally for a little over 5 years, she states that she is just beginning to come into her own. By realizing that there is more to each client than delivering a head shot or simply viewing what she does as “just a photo shoot”, she ties emotion in with every snap of the shutter. With a mission of bringing out the true person beneath the layers of fear that plague most during a session, Tya takes her stance as a photojournalist, telling the stories of each person captured through the lens of her Nikon.

Knowing that the perfect picture requires a defined eye, Tya states that she defines the perfect picture as one full of layers. She admits that it took time to get to the depth that others marvel at when they look at her work. She humbly reveals that she had to work hard to notice the 3 dimensional qualities in pictures. Trying to avoid Photoshop at best, she sticks to the natural beauty of the person rather than making them look like something they are not. She does use the program, however, for various things, but reveals that many things can be done the old-fashioned way with lighting techniques and exposure. For all of those inquiring, film is not dead and Tya actually prefers film, but shoots digital because of the convenience. As a victim of the instant gratification mentality of most Americans, she admits that there are pros and cons to being able to upload photos to the computer as opposed to developing tons of rolls of film.

She states that it will be a point to nurture the inner-artists of her children and will always have “a canvas for them to paint upon”.

She balances her wants, desires, and needs by creating a schedule and having structure. She also finds it necessary to make “me” time in order to not feel so constrained within the confines of her desk. Tya names Derek Blanks, Eli Schmidt, and Jeff Ascough among the list of her favorite photographers. She states that it will be a point to nurture the inner-artists of her children and will always have “a canvas for them to paint upon”. With photography residing in every breath she breathes, she views the world in frames, never missing out on the beauty of life. Make it a point to open your eyes a little wider and behold the beauties of nature.