Clement’s Legendary Ladies Project Brings Women Over 40 in Front of the Camera

Last year, I decided to do a project called Legendary Ladies that was exclusively for women over 40. It’s something that hasn’t been done in our area, and I wasn’t sure how the community would react. Turns out, it was a huge success.

I had 12 clients participate in the project. Each portrait session was unique and custom designed to their style and vision. The experience included a styling consultation, hair and makeup styling, a fully guided photoshoot with multiple looks, lots of laughs, a photo reveal session, some tears, and luxury printed artwork. I put my entire heart and soul into each client, and I appreciate each of them dearly.

I know that I’ve found exactly what I love doing as a photographer, and I’m so proud to continue providing this unique service to our area.

The project gained some media attention, being featured on KTAB, Big County Homepage and Eastland County Today.

Linda Spetter covered the event, and I’m going to share her story and photos below:

Clement’s Legendary Ladies Brings Women Over 40 ‘in Front of the Camera’

By Linda Spetter

Guests at the Legendary Ladies Exhibit
Photo by Linda Spetter

Tyler Clement’s portrait exhibit of “Legendary Ladies: Celebrating Women Over 40” was a great success at the Conrad Hilton Museum in Cisco last Thursday, with a large crowd attending, including women who had been photographed for the series.

Clement, a Cisco photographer, opened his studio in January 2022.  He began the Legendary Ladies series in memory of his mom, the late Ladonna Clement.

“My mom was 49 when she passed away,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of good photos of her, and definitely no recent professional ones. I don’t want others to be in the same situation as us.

I’ve developed a style of portraits that I love, and I would give anything to have a photo like this of my mom hanging on the walls of our home.”

He said most women, especially as they progress through life, do not like being in front of the camera. “They typically spend their time behind the camera, documenting the lives of their children and grandchildren,” he said.

Nora Graham Honea pictured with her printed portrait at the Legendary Ladies Exhibit.
Photo by Linda Spetter

“I wanted to give women over 40 a reason to be in front of the camera,” he said. “An opportunity to be a part of something bigger than just themselves.”

Clement said he created an experience that makes the process fun and enjoyable (including a styling consultation, hair and makeup styling, a fully guided photoshoot with multiple looks, a photo reveal session, a magazine and the exhibit.)

“I had 12 clients participate in the project,” he said. “I learned so much from the conversations we had all throughout the process. Some of these women have had rough lives, but they are doing amazing and flourishing now. So this project is also a reminder to generations coming up that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. No darkness is permanent.”

Delette Gazaway pictured with her printed portrait at the Legendary Ladies Exhibit.
Photo by Linda Spetter

Clement, 27, has lived in Cisco all his life and graduated from Cisco High School in 2013. He earned an associate’s degree from Cisco College and later studied Digital Media Design at TSTC.

He is married to Amanda Clement, “a stay-at-home mom. We were high school sweethearts.” They married in 2015; their first son, Parker, was born in 2018, and their second son, Harvey, in 2021.

“My first dealings with photography was photographing events for the newspaper in high school,” he said. He taught himself to use a camera by reading books. He was also on the yearbook staff his senior year in high school. He started photographing family members and taking friends’ senior photos around that time.

After high school, he started photographing families, babies, weddings, and “anyone I could get in front of my camera, really.” That’s when he began to lose interest in the “side hustle” of photography because he didn’t think it could become a full time career. He then began studying photography, photoshop, and design courses in college. He learned through workshops and online education from other photographers “who are doing exactly what I wanted to do, women’s portraiture. Before, it was only about taking pretty pictures, but this is when I found my purpose as a photographer.”

In 2018, he lost his mother and became a dad. “It was a very confusing time in my life, but it also gave me so much clarity,” he said.  “I started going back to school for graphic design (to follow in my mom’s footsteps), but after three semesters I realized where my heart was and what I really wanted to do. I went all in on learning everything involved with opening a successful portrait studio. I truly feel that I’m doing what I was meant to do and that I’m making a difference in the world.”

“Compliment Bags” were placed near each client’s portrait so that guests could leave them a personal note or compliment.
Photo by Linda Spetter

His studio is called Clement Portraits and is located at 713 Avenue E in Cisco. “It was difficult to start my own business,” he said. “Putting yourself out there is scary and vulnerable. I had to learn to disassociate my personal emotions from actually running the business and my pricing.”

Following the Legendary Ladies project, he has now started a new project called, “This Is Me.” The project is open to all adult women.

“It’s all about stepping into your highest self-confidence and self-love. Every version of a person deserves to exist in photographs at every age and every stage of life. I want to shine a light on their stories, whether that is a difficult situation they overcame, a weight loss journey, a milestone birthday, or whatever.” To learn more about the This is Me project, click here.

Delette Gazaway, Karen Williamson, Cindy Gibson, Vickie McCombs, Mary Beth Mazurek and Tyler Clement at the exhibit.
Photo submitted by Delette Gazaway

The philosophy that guides him in his photographic artistry is “to create photos that represent the best version of someone, whatever that means to them. We do professional hair and makeup styling as well as professional retouching, but the level of that is determined by the client. I gravitate toward styling that is timeless because I want my client’s portraits to be passed down for generations. Legacy is at the heart of what I do.”

Clement is grateful to all his clients since opening the studio. “They all have been amazing, and I wouldn’t be able to pursue this dream without them,” he said. ”I thank them for trusting me and valuing the work we create.”

I also want to take a moment to thank the sponsors who made the event possible.

Gold Sponsors:
Cisco Strong
Affinity Family Health & Med Spa
Cisco Development Corporation
Laguna Lofts

Silver Sponsors:
Cisco Chamber of Commerce
The Balm Massage Therapy
Scott Pro Home Inspections
Slowpoke Farm Market
Cisco Civic League

Special thanks to Savannah Clement, Roz Hixson, Casey Murter, Tammy Loran, Elisa Robledo, Noah McKinney, Cooky Petree, Janelle Campbell, Misty Bussell, and Jerry Choate for your help. It takes a village to pull off something like this, and I appreciate everyone’s help so much!