Rocco Ancora and Tanya Wilson. Yin and yang
Rocco Ancora and Tanya Wilson met as established photographers. Ancora was a highly awarded wedding photographer internationally. Wilson had moved into wedding and portrait photography from photojournalism and added teaching to her career.
They met in 2011 and working together was a natural evolution that occurred very gradually, over four years, beginning with Wilson assisting Ancora. “We dabbled a little bit here and there and that was a real bonus. We got to understand how each other works.” There were some scratchy patches early on, they admit. “When we first started photographing weddings together, I’d get in the car afterwards and say, ‘Why are you talking to me like that?’ I was being sensitive because we were partners, and he thought he was talking to the assistant. It took a while to work out the language to use with each other,” Wilson recalls. Their working relationship then swung to the opposite pole. “But we got over that walking on eggshell stage,” Ancora notes. “Now, we swear and scream at each other, and it doesn’t really matter,” Wilson adds. “Always in the car, though. It’s smooth sailing in front of the client.”
Ancora and Wilson’s roles became divided naturally. Wilson is in charge of client liaison, getting people through the door, and managing appointments. “She pretty much runs the business,” Ancora states. “My happy place is holding a camera in my hand and playing with light.” Ancora also runs all the post-production. “It’s kind of
