Oh Hey, It's Me Kyla!
Hi friends! It’s me Kyla Jo Tighe, the face behind Kyla Jo Photography. I thought I would jump on here and tell you a little bit about who I am! I share updates about my life and some fun facts on my Instagram quite a bit, but rarely on my website… I guess I need to work on that! So here are some random facts and updates about me and my crazy life.
I was born in 1994 (I am 25 years old!) in Muncie, Indiana. I grew up in Selma, with cows, dogs, with a dirt mound as a club house. At the age of 7 (almost 8) I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, no one in my family had Diabetes, so it came as a huge shock to my family. I have now had T1 Diabetes for about 17 years, so it is just part of me now. The one positive that came from it, was all of the amazing people that I met at Diabetes camp through out the years. They remain some of my best friends to this day.
Growing up I was always outdoors swimming, going on walks with the doggies, riding bikes, and creating arts and crafts all the time! I went from wanting to be a veterinarian as a child (until I learned about all the sad parts of the job), wanting to move to NYC and become a fashion designer, be a dietitian for kids with Type 1 Diabetes (until I job shadowed and was completely bored), wanting to become a Graphic Designer, to finally landing on becoming a photographer.
I graduated from Wapahani High School in 2012 with around 90 people in my grade. After graduating I attended Indiana Wesleyan for a year (it was NOT for me), so I then transferred to Ball State University in 2013 and I graduated in 2017 (after taking a victory lap, woops) with my BFA in Photography & Intermedia Arts. I met my best friend Kayla in college and we have remained close to this day! Our love for dogs, art and just being completely silly and ourselves is what drew us so close.
In 2013 I moved into a house near campus and adopted my soul mate Kip, who has been by my side ever since! For those of you who have not met Kip, he is a 6 year old Border Collie Aussie mix who loves swimming, cuddles, carrying a toy around 24/7, and food a little too much (you see how much weight he needs to lose above haha). I also have a 3 year old Alaskan Malamute named Carbon, a 20 pound Maine Coon cat, and an alien 1 eared cat named Lil Dipper. They are my whole life!
My boyfriend (Cory) and I have been together for over 3 years now and we just bought a pop up camper this summer! We love going camping, driving around and looking at future homes, and working on little projects together in our rare “free time”. I love to golf, though I am not near as good as I was when I was younger, I love listening to to music; 90’s alternative, hip hop, rap, some Drake, country, pretty much anything and everything, and also volunteering taking photos of doggies who need adopted from the shelter. When I was younger I found ways to constantly volunteer my time and passions to help those in need, the older I got I was busy with school and building my business and just trying to find where I was in life. I started to feel like there was something missing and when I started volunteering my time and talents into something I was super passionate about, I started to fill whole again (as cheesy as that sounds, it is so true!)
Today I have had a studio for a year now, I have had my photography business open (officially) for over 2 years. I decided that I should finally get photos taken for my website, since I had been putting that off for a LONG time! I knew I was going to be picky finding a photographer I was comfortable with, that I could afford, and that I loved their style! I started looking and found a younger up and coming photographer who had learned from her mom for years and I just loved her style and her story! I booked the session over email and drove 2.5 hours there. When I got there I saw that she was so young but full of life and passion for what she was doing. I learned that she was 15 years old, how crazy! She showed me photos throughout our session and I literally screamed with excitement! I have not had my photos taken since I was 17 years old in high school, I would not smile with my teeth due to my braces and not liking how squinty my eyes got. This was the first time that I had had my photos taken since I was an adult and actually felt completely CONFIDENT and COMFORTABLE! She made me feel and look gorgeous in all of my photos and I am so so so happy that I decided to go for it! My smile is so real and huge and my eyes are so squinty and there are lines and wrinkles around my eyes, but I am sincerely happy and you can tell by looking at the photos! Here is just a look at some of the photos that she captured! How amazingly talented is she, and how stinking happy do I look!?!?
(Credit: EnnaPhotos)
