We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tanya Metaxa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tanya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
For me as an artist and a photographer, the project that I am working on right now is the most meaningful yet! It’s called ‘Hey, Stranger’. It’s just in the early stages, but this is the baby that took me a long time to consieve, and I am absolutely determined to see it through, to grow and develop it into something that will not only touch other people’s lives, but will bring meaning and joy back into it.
It took a lot of soul-searching and asking myself hard and confusing questions. And there was this feeling of being stuck in an endless one-way communication situation with no back-feedback. Until, one day, I was pretty much struck by the crystal-clear answers, all at the same time. The idea, the concept, the name, the purpose, and the outline of the project simply lined up so beautifully just when I was about to give up and quit torturing myself with all these hard, painful questions.
You see, for years, I felt like a stranger to myself. I no longer recognized the reflection that stared back at me from the mirror. My inner spirit felt young and carefree, but looked much more aged than it should have. There was this huge dissonance between the two that bothered me the most. It was the feeling of disconnection and alienation from myself that drove me on a journey to get to know this stranger I had become. That’s when I started my ‘Hey, Stranger’ photography project. As a photographer, I wanted to use art as a tool to get to know this new version of myself better. To talk to her, explore with her, and capture moments where I could attempt to understand who she was. I also realized that I wasn’t the only one facing this problem. That nearly everyone at some point in their life experiences that feeling that they have lost the connection to their inner self due to life events, circumstances, personal growth or lack thereof, and so much more. We all need a reminder of how it feels to be seen, heard and understood, especially in times when all seems lost. I was intrigued by how seemingly distant and unknowable we can be to ourselves, even though our true selves lie just beneath the surface. That is why I created ‘Hey, Stranger’. Through my project, I wanted to encourage other people to do the same: to take inventory of their lives, make changes if they needed them, and rediscover their inner self. It’s a project that helps my clients rediscover the connection to themselves through a portrait or boudoir photo session that results in a series of intimate portraits that are filled with emotions and discoveries. To meet that stranger of theirs. To witness them through my lens, – the way everyone else around them sees this person. To help then reconnect with their stranger in meaningful ways, to come to understand and accept them, so they can find peace and joy within their lives once more.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Tanya Metaxa, a professional photographer and designer, wife to an incredibly talented tattoo artist, and mother of two remarkable humans and three loving dogs. I have journeyed through New York’s entertainment industry for many years. Since I started this venture with my daughter at the age of ten, I have been eager to learn all that I could about the whos, whats, and hows of the business. Sharing my knowledge with others soon became second nature to me.
Upon our move from NY to Austin, TX, my passion for remaining ahead of the latest trends within the entertainment industry and helping out actors only increased. I realized that besides knowing the industry well and being able to advise others, I was actually pretty good at taking actor headshots! That’s precisely how Tanya Eivin Photography came to exist with this idea in mind! However, positive feedback from agents and casting directors led me to comprehend that I had a gift – the capacity to truly capture someone’s personality in an honest and natural way. This subsequently led to requests for corporate headshots, followed by requests for unique portraits, and even boudoir sessions. As I ventured into these new genres, I discovered that I really fall in love with them, and want to offer them all to my clients. Today, Tanya Eivin Photography is a thriving studio that offers their clients bespoke photography sessions in branding, Vogue style fine art portraits, boudoir, or a mix of these styles within one session, depending on the client’s wants and needs.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Tanya Eivin Photography is more than just a photography business—we’re a movement. Our mission is to help revolutionize the photography industry, bringing passion and emotion back into this incredible art form. We believe that photography should be about capturing precious and meaningful moments in an authentic and emotive way—not just about producing pretty pictures. That’s why we strive to create images that evoke feelings of love and connection and produce timeless art pieces rather than simply ticking off checklists of poses and compositions. We want our clients to feel moved by their photos, to have them printed and framed on their walls to be loved and cherished for years to come!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
My biggest reward is in gifting my clients with confidence and helping them tap into the true divinity within. They thought they were undeserving. They thought beauty wasn’t for them. Sadly, so often that’s the world before Tanya Eivin Photography. They used to cover up and hide; until one day, they decided to take a chance – to let their light shine through with the help of our studio photo session. So here we are at the beautiful beginning – the moment when it all starts to change. On this day, I make sure they know that beauty is within everyone – it just needs to be nurtured and celebrated. And this is why I do what I do – give my clients that extra boost of confidence to believe in themselves and to feel good about who they are. With each picture and every smile that shows on their faces, they become more grounded and reassured that they can stand proud and strong knowing they are worthy of love and acceptance just as they are. This is the most rewarding part of my work – seeing people go from feeling unworthy to unstoppable!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tanyaeivinphotography.com/
- Instagram: @tanyaeivinphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005872937825
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyametaxa/
- Other: https://www.houseofsecretsboudoirphotography.com/
Image Credits
Tanya Eivin Photography