Award-winning photographer Tanya Ackerman captures images with her camera that portray the beauty of South Carolina and the passions of the people who live there. The stories and emotions Tanya shares through her photography have earned her scores of awards during her career. The South Carolina Press Association named her Photojournalist of the Year for all weekly newspapers four times since she moved to Pawleys Island, and most recently in 2020.
Her love of the outdoors and her photographic eye were nurtured by her mother, an avid nature photographer. From her father, a jazz musician, composer and music educator, Tanya inherited her exuberant approach to life that enables her to tap into the unique joys and sorrows of each subject.
Her ability to dig beneath the surface infuses her photographs with the power to inspire a smile, a tear or a call to action. She seeks out new ways to tell the stories of people and places.
Tanya received her degree in photojournalism from Kent State University and worked as a newspaper photographer for 25 years. She relocated to Pawleys Island to focus her lens on its coastal community and document this piece of the fabric of American Life. Tanya released her first book, Pawleys Island: Chasing the Light, to critical acclaim in 2016. Her second book in the Chasing the Light series, Pawleys Island: Seasons of Light, was released in 2020.