For Tanya Ackerman, the focus is always on Pawleys Island
Award-winning photographer Tanya Ackerman of Pawleys Island shares stories and emotions through the images she captures through her camera lens.
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, especially her beloved home, Pawleys Island.
“Every day is different, and the light is beautiful,” Ackerman said. “Pawleys Island is a special place tucked away from the troubles of the world at large; a special place where people come generation after generation.”
She said her love of the outdoors and her photographic eye were nurtured by her mother, the late Lynn Brewer, an avid nature photographer and radio program director with the Radio Reading Network which collaborated with NPR, and from her father, the late Bob Ackerman, a world traveler, jazz musician, composer and music educator. Ackerman said she “inherited her exuberant approach to life that enables her to tap into the unique joys and sorrows of each subject.” Her daughter, Lauren Ropp, is director of global programs and strategy at The Institute for Development Impact in Washington D.C. She works in global social and environmental impact.
Ackerman received her degree in photojournalism from Kent State University and worked as a newspaper photographer for 25 years, including as a photojournalist from 2005-2020 at the Coastal Observer Newspaper, the longtime Pawleys Island newspaper. She moved to Pawleys Island to focus her lens on its coastal community and document a cherished piece of fabric of American Life.
Ackerman’s photography has 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.
Charles Swenson, owner and editor of the Coastal Observer, said Ackerman won awards for her work because it was creative and dramatic.
“She was able to combine the artistic side of photography with being a good reporter,” he said. “That’s what makes her photos of Pawleys Island and the wider community special.”
He said it’s important for people to understand that in a time when everyone walks around with a camera in the form of a smartphone that photography can be an artform.
“You can see that with Tanya’s work,” Swenson said. “It has a distinctive style that comes from composition, lighting and timing.”
With everybody able to capture a moment, he said it’s easy to overlook that in order to do that consistently, as Ackerman does, requires both skill and experience.
“What you see in her photos isn’t just a moment,” Swenson said. “It is many moments distilled in a single image.”
In addition to working for the newspaper, she released her first book with CLASS Publishing, “Pawleys Island: Chasing the Light”, to critical acclaim in 2016. Her second book with the same publisher in the Chasing the Light series, “Pawleys Island: Seasons of Light”, was released in 2020. Her third book, “Pawleys Island: Reflections of Light”, also with CLASS Publishing, is now in the works.
“I will be writing this one and it’s slated to launch in the fall of this year,” Ackerman said.
Ackerman opened Chasing the Light Studio in her home on Pawleys Island, in March 2020. She said her studio is “where artistry meets expertise in photography and design.” That is where she produces calendars, puzzles and other products to promote her stunning photography.
“The connections I have made with visitors and residents have been one of my greatest joys in life,” she said. “I get to make people happy and share the beauty of the ‘Blessed Isle’.”
Ackerman said Pawleys Island is her all-time favorite subject for photography. Although it is difficult to choose just one, she said one of her favorite photographs she has taken on Pawleys Island would be a fox that she calls Simon.
“I am a world traveler and Gray Man’s Cottage and Gardens is my home in Pawleys Island,” she said. “Pawleys Island is my favorite place to photograph in the world, and I am grateful and thankful for my life here.”
Ackerman is a member of the Waccamaw Neck Arts Alliance, a group that exhibits local artwork at various locations throughout the year. Vida Miller, founding member of that group, said Ackerman is an asset to the area.
“Tanya captures the essence of Pawleys Island and is very dedicated to her craft,” Miller said. “The unique beauty of the island offers so many opportunities for photography and Tanya captures those rare moments in time that can only be seen at Pawleys.”
She said her favorite photographs by Ackerman are of the Pawleys Island House of Worship, also known as the Pawleys Chapel. Miller said Ackerman is very talented and has found unique ways to share her photographs.
“I applaud Tanya for creating her own brand of work,” Miller said. “This is a wonderful accomplishment for any artist, and she has truly achieved this through hard work and her love of the area.”
For more information about Tanya Ackerman and her photography, visit her Facebook page or her website!
By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce