Cheri LeMarble wanted to help her daughter go back to feeling like her old self: confident, radiant and ambitious. So she sought out Tonya Bolton.
As senior picture season approached, LeMarble and her daughter, Cadie, a senior at Campbell County High School, sought the expertise of Alexandria-based photographer Bolton — founder of Tonya Bolton Photography. Bolton’s approach during shoots focuses on bringing out her subjects’ inner confidence.
“That’s really my objective with any photo shoot, not just with teenagers, but with anybody that comes in here,” Bolton told LINK nky. “I want them to walk away feeling really confident, feel good about themselves,”
On picture day, Bolton, LeMarble and Cadie traveled throughout Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, shooting photos in historic buildings, parks and other picturesque locations. By the time they were finished, the trio had spent the day together.
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“With Cadie, she’s big into theater, so we went to an old historic home in Newport and did a photoshoot,” she said. “It just shows that part of her personality, she wants to be a Broadway star. She was looking like her best self at being that Broadway star that she’s gonna be when she grows up.”
When LeMarble received the photos back from Bolton, she was stunned.
“Tonya blew it out of the ballpark,” LeMarble said.
Bolton was introduced to photography by accident. On their fifth wedding anniversary, her husband, Jamie, gifted her a camera.
Tonya Bolton thought she was getting jewelry.
“I pretended to love it, and I did eventually get my jewelry,” she joked. “That’s what started me on taking pictures.”
At first, Bolton focused on photographing her young children. Over time, she steadily improved, treating photography as a hobby.
Jamie and Tonya had a family construction business, but after he needed back surgery, she chose to pursue photography professionally. Tonya decided to attend Antonelli College, a career training school in Cincinnati, in pursuit of a photography degree. Upon graduation, she found a small studio space in the basement of a commercial building at 200 Commercial Circle in Alexandria.
Bolton specializes in portrait photography, with her primary focus being students, families and professional headshots. Through portraits, Bolton said she’s able to bring out the true essence of a person, even if they are initially reserved.
“Tonya just has a way with the girls,” LeMarble said. “I mean, even on the group model sessions for the seniors, she just has a way of making every girl feel special and finding their light, and then finding a way to pull it out that it’s in there hiding, and making them confident and assured that they can do it and the sky’s the limit.”
Due to the nature of her business, Tonya Bolton has traditionally relied on word-of-mouth marketing to find clients. As her business grew, Bolton parlayed her client relationships into a new venture: networking events.
She originally got the idea to traveling to networking events throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, like Blue Ash and West Chester. While the endeavors proved fruitful, the long commutes eventually wore on her. That’s when she decided to start her own event series, A-Town Networking Group, which focuses on Alexandria area business owners.
Looking ahead, Bolton said the next big year for her photography business will be in 2026. Currently, she and Jamie are surveying the market for a historic investment property in Northern Kentucky’s urban core – one that they hope can double as a home and studio.
“Whatever the space is, I want it to be versatile,” she said.
