Young photographer explores southeast wildlife and business opportunities

ESTEVAN — A young and aspiring photographer joined the Art Concepts studio during the Miracle on Fourth.

Emily Tarnes, 17, was at the studio on Saturday, sharing beautiful shots of the wildlife and nature she captured travelling around the southeast and beyond. She had prints of her latest works and copies of her 2023 wildlife calendar, which made great Christmas gifts for those who stopped by.

The Mercury got to talk to Tarnes about photography - her hobby, interest and potentially a business opportunity.

Photography came into Tarnes' life about five years ago. And while she was getting deeper into the hobby, exploring different types of photography, and learning about composition, light, gear, editing and more, she also has been trying out different prospects for sharing the results of her work with others.

Tarnes started with static creative photography, but not long after, wildlife captured her interest.

"We were on the way home from Calgary and I saw these moose in the field, so I took some pictures. That was the first time I ever thought about wildlife photography, and ever since I've been really interested in it," Tarnes shared. "I always go on weekend trips out with my camera to find animals."

Tarnes' interest in wildlife photography has been growing since 2020. She's learned a lot about wild animals populating southeast Saskatchewan, their habits, their environment and also about what it takes to capture a great shot.

"[When trying to get a picture of wildlife] you have to always be ready, it's unpredictable, so you just have to hope for the best in those pictures," Tarnes noted.

She also got interested in birds and started learning more about them. Some of her captures were included in the 2023 calendar. Besides, she became an aurora hunter and dedicated a lot of time to catching and perfecting her northern lights shots.

This year, she took her skills to the next level, as she got to shadow professional photographer Byron Fichter, who is also part owner of the Art Concepts Custom Framing gallery.

"In school, we have this class, it's like a career work exploration. So, I chose photography, and I came and learned from Byron here," Tarnes shared. "He taught me lots about editing and then he took me to the racetrack, and we did a lot [of shooting] there … It's definitely very different, but it's fun to learn new types of photography."

She said she progressed a lot since she started with wildlife, not only in the sense of the quality of her pictures but also with the knowledge both about the industry and about local fauna.

"I know lots of places to find the certain animals that I'm looking for. And I also got some better gear, so it's definitely improving," Tarnes said.

When she goes on photo trips, she may travel as far as six hours away from home. Her grandmother joins her and they drive around the back roads until they spot something. Then they'll park and observe, as sometimes animals would come nearer or would allow the photographer to get closer and capture a magnificent picture. 

While her main interests are wildlife and nature, Tarnes also started exploring the world of family photoshoots and other photo gigs. And as she was progressing with photography, she also started learning more about ways to share the results of her work. She created Emily Tarnes Photography pages on social media and also came up with her first-ever calendar last year.

"I just wanted to find a way to get people to see my pictures. And lots of people use calendars, so I thought it was a good idea. I saw some other photographers doing it around here too," Tarnes said.

Her mom and Fichter help her a lot when it comes to marketing, and she also had a lot of support from her family, friends and local photo community. This year she released her second calendar and also started doing some prints on metal and canvases.

Tarnes said at least for now, photography is something she does for fun, but she enjoys learning about marketing as well.

"Right now, it's still a hobby, I just like to do it to enjoy it. But it's cool that I can do it as a business as well," she shared.

Her contact information can be found on the Emily Tarnes Photography Facebook page.