Meet Tanya Mercado

Tanya, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
It’s really funny how things happen and come full circle. I remember back in 6th grade borrowing my dad’s Canon camera and just taking pictures but when we developed them, they were all overexposed. I had no clue about the settings on the camera, I just thought it was point and shoot. Middle school came and I was in the yearbook committee. Organizing pages with images and taking some photos with the school camera. Then high school I got my first job with Olan Mills Photography. I was that telemarketer who sold those awesome packages. Fast forward to now, I was supposed to be a 2nd shooter for my sister. She gave me a Nikon D300 and told me to learn it with no manual. It sat in her camera bag for a good month and I had no clue how to use it. One day I picked up and haven’t put it down since.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a photographer and I am creating a memory, capturing it is what’s the most important to me. This may sound corny but when I’m creating these images, I’m looking for the images that make their DVD cover to their story. I’m trying to create an experience when they look back at these images they will remember exactly what made them laugh, what made them cry or what made them look at each other the way they did at that moment. I want anyone who sees these images to feel their connection and joy too.

Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Photography is not cheap. My advice, if you have a camera and lens like I did with my sister, master that. That advice was given to me by a great photo journalist John Sheppard. He always told me to master the equipment you had even if it was limited, the most expensive equipment is not what gives you the vision and creativity. That’s all comes from within you. From there people will recognize your vision and the work will come in. Save little bits here and there to upgrade because to do it debt free is stress free.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I post a lot of my work through Instagram and Facebook where I work with a lot of families, high school seniors and children. Aside from that, I am a band historian for the Sapphire Sound Band and Color Guard of Mira Mesa High School. It is through the school I am able to raise funds by donating a portion of photo session sales to the band PBO or Class of 2019 PBO.

IG – @tanyamercadophotography
Facebook – www.facebook.com/tanyamercadophotography

Contact Info:

• Address: Mira Mesa, San Diego 92126
• Website: www.tanyamercadophotography.com
• Phone: 8586101617
• Email: hello@tanyamercado.com
• Instagram: @tanyamercadophotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyamercadophotography/

Image Credit:
Lozano Family, Veneracion Family, Monsour Family, Heerey Family, Baybay Family, Ige Family, Kem/Veridiano Family

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