We were lucky to catch up with Tanel Leigher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tanel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

So if I was to start over today knowing everything that I know now I would say that I would encourage myself to say “why not?” a lot more. I always had a bad habit of getting in my own way whether it was having a lot of self doubts, wanting family or friends to support me and share my work, or not trusting my gut. I am an introvert and I had found comfortability in being in my shell which didn’t allow me to grow as much as I had hoped to. When I look back at my previous work and where I was, I realized that I was already doing all of the right things as a photographer but wasn’t utilizing all of my material that would have made this journey far more easier. I lacked a lot of confidence and if I started today I would make sure to be my biggest cheerleader, trust in the process, and stay consistent in shooting and learning how to grow my business. Another major thing would be for me to get more comfortable in front of the camera and to not allow laziness and procrastination to take over when it feels like all else has failed. My husband always said to me “It’s not about how you fall, but how you bounce back”, and that alone has allowed me to keep true to what it is I’m doing and not watering down my worth.

Tanel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I can say that I started my photography business do to a few things. For one, I had always loved sunsets and sunrises. There was something about the way the oranges, yellows, and purples would dance around in the sky. As someone who couldn’t paint or draw this visual, I needed a way to make this last forever and what better way to preserve a memory than with a camera. I wanted to feel all those same feelings I felt at that exact moment over and over again. The second thing that got me into photography (specifically wedding photography), was when my uncle asked me to shoot his wedding in upstate NY back in 2017. It was on a beautiful golf course with an indoor venue and It was just me for 8-10 hrs with my camera and 1 battery. The anxiety I felt was indescribable but I knew that if I could handle it, then I would pursue this full time. When I tell you at the end of the night I felt so alive and mind you I had gone through all of the photos from the day and looking back at the first kiss, the group shots, and the scenery, I knew I was doing what I needed to do.

Being born and raised in Brooklyn, NY I felt like I’ve always needed an outlet in which photography was my safe space from here on out and a way for me to express myself to feel emotions I never had the chance to experience. I grew up as the second oldest (oldest girl) out of 5 children at that point in time and I had to take on so much at a young age that the only emotions I knew was anger and hatred. I ran away from home at 18 due to so many unstable and traumatic events in my household. I had to stay at various friends and family houses along with my partner who was dealing with the same thing back home. Just two young teens out in the world to figure things out was such a scary experience and to know that I had someone I deeply loved by my side since high school was the inspiration I needed to survive and give us better lives. I had a family member tell me that I needed to pursue another career field because “photography is a luxury, not a necessity.” That right there was all I needed to hear to ignite the fire within me and prove that I can make a lifestyle from my passion. I didn’t have a great childhood and I made sure from young that I would have strong morals and remain grounded no matter what! Dancing use to be my go to for the moments I had bursts of anger but photography calmed me in every way possible and just seeing people being left speechless from my work motivated me and influenced me to create the name Silence ByK Photography.

Becoming a business owner and entrepreneur wasn’t planned at all. I didn’t mind the idea of working at a photography company and growing from there but after working in luxury consignment for 4 years as a product photographer, I didn’t like the daily anxiety and panic attacks of having to hit daily goals with high numbers and wondering when I’d lose my job because the burnout was at an all time high and my mental was hanging on by a thread. I am such a night and not an ideal morning person so having to wake up daily to get to work for 7 am just felt so repetitive. We all know that doing something over and over again is a form of insanity and I was close to losing my mind . Once October 2021 came around that job finally decided to let me go. I didn’t have a back up plan, savings, or family to fallback on, but I can say I was at my most calmest and felt such a relief to be out of there. I had applied to many of jobs before this happened and even after the jobs loss, nothing came through. So instead of me freelancing on side part time, I decided to pursue this freelance lifestyle full time on my own since I had free time now. I haven’t looked back since.

I had shot a few weddings previously while working full time but I wanted to learn more and take on different areas of photography. I started shooting baby showers, elopements, some street photography, and birthday parties. I loved every bit of what I was doing but I needed to grow more. I needed to start making enough to help pay rent and bills so I slowly started trying to create styled shoots, work with other creatives, and raised my prices slowly. One thing about me is that when I shoot I love to connect with clients and allow them to feel safe in the space I create for them. When I am behind the camera shooting, that’s when the introvert in me is non existent. As time passed I wanted to start expanding and reaching for a new tier of clientele. The issue with doing this is that you lose that old clients which was a major hardship for me. But I couldn’t continue working with clients that didn’t align with me. In April of 2022, I took a leap of faith and looked for gigs on Craigslist and that’s where I applied for two jobs one as a photo assistant and onsite editor for Andre Maier Photography and a social manager for Marcus Stukes who owned an event space. One thing about me was that I love to learn and expand my mind while watching what others are doing. Working with both of them while still doing my own thing for my business was one of the biggest learning experience of my life. With being an assistant and editor I learned what to focus on when shooting luxury events from decor to candids and most importantly, capturing what the clients/vendors truly want. Not only that but I learned how to edit thousands of photos in a day which is why I am able to deliver client galleries within 24 hrs. Working here exposed me to a new view of what being an entrepreneur was and that there is a whole world I never knew about. I wanted to create new experiences that would allow everyone I work with to have the images they want and needed that could enhance their businesses. With the social media manager job I learned how to work the digital visuals a lot more, how to create appealing ads that would generate more views and responses, and how to create much needed contracts that would be easy to navigate for myself and clients.

As of now in 2024 I provide various services. I never liked the idea of focusing on one area or niche in photography. I do weddings/events , brands, food, corporate, and commercial photography. I provide my clients with the most easiest and memorable experiences when they book with me. I hear all of their concerns and show up as much as they need me to. One issue that I would hear a lot is that when they worked with past photographers, they never got the shots that they wanted. People tend to over look the smaller details and I am very big on making sure the entire vision is captured and them some! This is what sets me apart from others. From decor, people interacting, spontaneous moments I am always there to document it. I am proud of how far I have come in this photography world. I have created connections with various companies and institutions in which I provide them with the most professional and fun experiences. I shoot frequently for Relish Catering and Hospitality who has trusted me with capturing food and event shots for them at places like Macy’s Flower Show, Gatorade, CoverGirl, and much more. This has allowed me to grow as a photographer and given me opportunities to network ad challenge myself in order to give them better results each time. I have also done events for Columbia Journalism School, Marc Anthony Brewing Company and other institutions in NY/NJ along with small businesses, start ups, and individuals. I am always open to working with anyone and teaching new photographers as well. I am not a gatekeeper, so my major thing is that I want to put on other creatives who I see take this lifestyle of being an entrepreneur seriously. Even though I am based in Jersey City, NJ now, I do travel to shoot as well. Destination events has always been a secret dream of mine.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A major lesson that I had to unlearn was that hustle culture is the way to go and that I can do everything on my own. As a New Yorker, we live for the grind but with mental health at an all time high I had to stop doing this. I use to set myself up for failure by taking on so much when I knew I needed the sleep or help and still would push myself. My husband would always try to get me to sit down and would get frustrated when I would neglect my health to people please and get millions of tasks done all at once. I wouldn’t want to be to a bother to him since he too was working extreme hours or doing things for himself. It was never in me to ask for help because I was use to figuring it out but once I started having frequent anxiety and panic attacks as well as ending up in the hospital for dehydration and lack of sleep, I had to start listening to him more. I am still working on this now but I can say I have made a huge amount of progress. I take frequent breaks, keep water on me at all times, and ask my husband for help with whatever editing I need or he would event shoot some events as well to help put my mind at ease. Please take care of yourself because this is the only body you have and you don’t want to destroy it at such a young age.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I can honestly say that what helped me build my reputation within my market was that I was always an over achiever and reliable. You could always rely on me to be there to capture your events but also I am always there for YOU as well. Sure I take nice pictures but a lot of people can. But me, I want to make sure you’re alright during the chaos of the day and make sure that I am not one of the vendors or people you have to constantly check up on. Another major thing was that I always continued to educate myself. I would look up free courses or take paid certification courses on platforms like Udemy, Youtube, KelbyOne, or Coursera to learn how to promote the back end of my business, social media platforms, and website that will capture the attention of new clients. I love to evolve consistently which allows me to see what others don’t pay attention to so that I can deliver a great experience and photos to match.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://silencebykphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silence_byk_photography/?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilencebyK/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanel-leigher-74397594/

Image Credits
JK Pixx, Silence ByK Photography, Stand Out Studios