About Us :: Our Bios

Tamara Lackey

Tamara shoots year-round and speaks at workshops and conventions around the world.
For a full bio, see About Tamara.

Shallyse Gastelum

What started out as a random class to fill an open credit hour in her sophomore year of high school quickly turned into a lifelong passion for Shallyse. Once she experienced the magic that can only take place in the darkroom, she was hooked for life.

These days she’s still just as passionate about photography as that first day she picked up a camera. She has been a professional portrait photographer for more than eight years and has loved every moment of it!  Her goal with each and every portrait session is not just to capture what you look like, but to capture who you truly are at that moment.

Shallyse’s work has appeared in a variety of places, including Endurance Magazine and Prop Insanity. When Shallyse isn’t taking photographs, she’s more than likely hanging out with her husband and two young daughters. In her free time, she loves to read, cook, and create long lists of crafts she’d like to attempt after seeing them on Pinterest.

Sarah Coppola

Studio Manager Sarah Coppola has a passion for art and the emotion it evokes from others. She has long-standing experience in the art world, after growing up in her mother’s pottery studio.

After four years at UNC Chapel Hill, including a semester in Florence, Italy, Sarah graduated with a BFA in Studio Art and a second major in Anthropology. While in school she worked building sets at Paul Green Theater and in Visitor’s Services at Ackland Art Museum. Following graduation she managed an art gallery for four years before coming to Tamara Lackey Photography.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Sarah also does clay sculpture and jewelry in her spare time to provide herself with a creative outlet. She loves to be around creative people and is thrilled to be working with such wonderful photographers.

Amy Lyons

Designer Amy Lyons’ passion to create inspired her to pursue a new career path. She holds a BA in Mass Communications and Psychology and, after spending over 10 years working in television post-production, she went back to school to study Graphic Design.

What she loves about design is the ability it has to improve communication, delight the viewer, and create an impact in so many ways. Of course, being able to use her creative skills every day is icing on the cake. Outside the studio, she enjoys working on personal design projects, photography, and making jewelry. She is excited to being working in a creative environment with such talented people.