Talhy is a documentary photographer whose interests include identity and place, technology and magic, the ethics of representation, and mixed-media storytelling.

She is a lecturer at  Murdoch University, and her PhD research investigated spirit-mediumship in China, and explored photography's capacity to facilitate dialogue during fieldwork.

Talhy is also interested in photography’s potential to empower and ‘give voice’ to vulnerable populations through their participation. She was involved in The Hand Up project, funded by the Australian Research Council, and developed ‘Photovoice’ workshops for St Vincent de Paul WA’s children.

She is the picture editor for the internationally recognised Q1 journal, Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.