DANCE SCHOOLS

For me photography has always been so much more than a beautiful image. It is the story behind the image that I strive to show through my work. When I meet my clients, forming a relationship with them is so important to me for this relationship allows the shoot to be effortless, fun and most importantly, the photos end up having a unique beauty to them because they are authentic. Thanks for hanging out with me here. I would LOVE the opportunity to meet you!

I'm a mother to three girls, a wife, sister, daughter and friend. I was born and raised in Saskatoon, SK and dreamed of one day being an internationally published dance photographer.

Tonya

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Professional Dance Photographer

My dance photography journey started here at home when I realized the need to provide dancers with images that really showcased their love for dance, their talents and all the hard work that comes with being a dancer.
It is my goal to take all the emotion behind a dance or a movement and turn it into a still image. To not only provide dancers with images that they feel is truly showcasing themselves beautifully and naturally, but most importantly I wanted them to have an experience that simply makes them remember why they dance, what moves them to keep dancing, why they work so hard to reach their next dance goal and to simply increase their self confidence!
I took the next leap of attending an international dance photographers convention where I learned hands on from the best of the best in the dance photography world, and now I'm here wanting to provide the dancers that I get to work with my absolute best!


As a previous ballet and ukrainian dancer myself, I wish I had an opportunity to have photos done in this way. Instead all I have are a few studio photos of myself posing with a goofy smile on my face and all washed out. I'm unrecognizable really. Dance was a huge part of my life and that's all I have as a keepsake.
For my own daughters that dance now, I want to adorn their bedroom walls with real dance photos of themselves that make them feel beautiful and that one day they can look back on and remember exactly how they felt when those photos were taken of them, because they were actually dancing during them. It was my girls that inspired me to do this for every other dancer out there that would love to have the same.

My WHY...

Having a diploma in Professional Photography from The New York Institute of Photography provided me with the essentials of photography but honestly, in the past 12 years of being in this industry, I have learnt the most from my clients! Their heart, relationships and authenticity inspires me every single shoot.
As for my dance photos, I have the dance experience and background to not only help the dancer feel comfortable during their shoot, but I know how to capture them to showcase their best angles and abilities.

Now that you know a bit about me - my goal as a photographer is to get to know you to ensure your photos accurately represent who you are and the authentic relationships in your life. You’ll find me making a fool of myself just to get your kids to have fun and feel comfortable, so that they can be their true selves while I’m around. I’ll give you posed direction, but I’ll also let the candid moments run wild, because I want to capture you being YOU the most!

My goal as your photographer is to have you look back at your images years later and have the photos evoke the emotions of the indescribable love and happiness that was felt that day!