My name is Tanya... and Photography is my life!!!
A native of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Tanya Xiomara Leonzo immigrated with her family to the United States in 1990, making a new life for herself in Bakersfield, CA. She faced many struggles being in a new and different country, confronted the barriers of learning a new language, and endured the hardships of being in a different socio-economic status. Tanya overcame these difficulties and in 2003, she graduated from college with a degree in psychology and began to pursue another passion - Photography.
Her career in photography began as a freelance photographer for a local Bakersfield newspaper. Responding to a last-minute request to cover a story on local farm workers, Tanya recalls how her life took a dramatic shift from this one experience: "My first assignment with the paper was to cover a story about the weather affecting farm workers' lives in the area. I remember getting a call the night before at almost midnight to see if I could cover the story. I of course agreed and was out in the muddy fields with the reporter at five in the morning the next day. This was the moment I knew that I should pursue a career in photography." Tanya has had a lifelong involvement and profound love for the arts. Having reached this epiphany as to which direction to focus this love, she then decided to move to Santa Barbara to attend Brooks Institute of Photography to learn about her new-found passion in the art of photography. For several years she studied the professional and technical aspects of photography and increased her abilities tenfold. Tanya also received a degree in Studio Art from California State University, Bakersfield.
Today, Tanya X. Leonzo is extremely proficient in several different portrait styles. She specializes in location headshots and portraits and has a flair for making her customers feel comfortable and at ease during all phases of her work. She seeks to make her clients' lives easier during the shooting sessions and works closely with them to make sure they are satisfied with their final product. She combines her professional experience and photographic knowledge with today's technology to create lasting iconic images. When Tanya is not out shooting and capturing beautiful images, you will find her in front of a classroom talking about and teaching photography. Tanya has won several Jose Marti publishing awards for her photojournalism work with The National Association of Hispanic Publications. These include:
- Outstanding Color Photo
- Outstanding International Photo
- Outstanding Cultural Photo
If you are seeking an experienced, professional, and friendly photographer in Bakersfield or Los Angeles, California, Tanya X. Leonzo is available to meet with you and talk about your project needs. A great opportunity awaits you - let Tanya X. help you express yourself through the eyes of her lens.
Tanya X is proud of her culture, her background, her language, and her people. It is because of that love for her culture and humanity, that she is a great supporter of fighting for the rights of Latinos in this country and for the betterment of working conditions for Farmworkers. She believes that there is only one unique race and that is... "The human race" and we should all be seen and treated as such.