Tanya Heins has been holding a camera since childhood. She was born into a family of photographers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, grew up in the Cape, South Africa, and now lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Tanya holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history, photography, and digital media: a B.A. and B.F.A. from the University of Ottawa and an M.F.A. from the University of Victoria. She taught photography and multimedia at the University of Victoria before transitioning into design and development for the emerging EdTech field.
Her early visual arts and design skills led directly to innovation in education technology and the rise of her design studio, Numen Communications. Education technology clients include the Smithsonian, Apple, Audible, Unity, Dell Technologies, Adobe, and ISTE.
Tanya enjoys spending time outside her design practice to document and share stories drawn from her experiences with animals, nature, and wildlife.
From visual arts’ beginnings
Tanya’s photographic practice focuses on animals and natural landscapes, capturing subjects both in her local community and while traveling. Her work includes city and rural wildlife, horses, dogs, and expansive natural scenes. Tanya approaches photography in two complementary ways: in the studio, she uses controlled lighting and digital tools to carefully construct an image; outdoors, she immerses herself in the environment—tramping through the bush or paddling on the water—watching, waiting, and letting the moment unfold.
Embracing the challenge of available light, moving subjects, and being patient for that moment of connection, is a delight.
In the studio and the field.
Regardless of the process, the common element is postproduction. This is made more interesting by advances in camera technology and software innovation. Exploring the authenticity of the original capture and accurately portraying the light to represent the actual subject is important to Tanya. Especially in an age of AI-generated images, preserving the natural experience of what was seen has become critical to maintaining the value of human photography. While editing, she carefully selects the right shot and balances light, exposure, and framing, exploring the story within each image.
