We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anchita Tandon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anchita below.

Hi Anchita, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Photography has always had my heart since I was 16 but I never thought I would want to pursue it professionally. I struggled with a lot of mental and physical health issues in 2022 and 2023. I was very suicidal and my body was deteriorating. I had severe cognitive impairment, weight loss, breathing problems, weakness and overall my depression and anxiety took over to a point where no professional help could bring me back. There was this one night I was in the ER, early 4 am I was rushed in. My body couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t know why I was here. I knew I didn’t have much time and I had made peace with that. I knew that was it and told myself anything after this would just be a second chance at life.

What I am living now is my second chance of life. I know there is no point in being alive if I am not fulfilling my purpose. Photography has always made me feel safe, passionate, alive and fulfilled. Photography makes me breathe, it speaks to my soul, just creating for myself or for others. If I am still here I know it’s because life wants me to experience it through love, passion and creativity and for me that is what photography is.

Anchita, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Yes!! My name is Anchita Tandon and I am a Dallas based portrait, concert and fashion photographer. I started freelancing in 2019. I have photographed artists such as Sabrina Claudio, Elyanna, AR Rahman, DPR, Eric Nam, AOMG and ARMNHMR to name a few.

I got my first camera at the age of 13 as a Christmas present. It was the perfect shade of purple and had a touchscreen mirror! My love for photography grew when I moved to Dallas in 2017. It became a coping mechanism for my depression. I would go out every evening and take pictures of flowers and the sky in my neighborhood and immediately run home, add my favorite lyrics to those photos and have them as my laptop wallpapers to get me through my days. The process of taking pictures and editing was something I found comfort in. Nothing in the world brought me more peace.

I started freelancing in 2019. I was doing portraits, engagements, events, branding, weddings, etc, just about it all to build my portfolio and clientele. I continued photography as my side hustle throughout college and soon realized it was something I wanted to do full time. Photography has always been my creative outlet where the world feels safe and still. I get to express myself and create something no one has ever created before. I get to bring visions to life and capture peoples raw moments. I feel like naturally photography has always been my calling whenever I’ve lost my absolute sanity / mental health… it has always been there for me.

I want my work and story to make people feel safe and to believe in themselves and their journey.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As a creative, photography is the medium I have to express myself and the world around me. I get to meet new people, make friends, and listen to people’s beautiful stories. Through this journey, I get to express my heart and soul, work with such kind souls, and photograph artists I look up to so much. I feel inspired capturing other people. I know my heart lies in portrait, music and fashion photography. I feel like there is a lot to learn and feel listening to other people’s stories and experiences and I feel like its my job to capture that vulnerability in a creative light. I like to think of my work as a journey of emotions, passion, and art.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I feel like at the end of the day, I just want to prove to myself that I was brave enough to follow my heart and pursue a creative path. I want to make my immigrant parents proud. As a South Asian woman, there is so much pressure into molding into certain expectations to make your parents and community proud and at the end of the day I just want to be an example showing it’s okay to break the standards.

Photography fuels my soul and I know I wouldn’t be living my purpose without it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anchitatandonphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anchita.tandon/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anchita-tandon/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anchitatandon

Image Credits
Kamakshi Sharma Ashni Walia Elyanna DPR Ian