Born in the town of Gerona, Tarlac, Philippines, Paul Tañedo did undergraduate studies in Architecture, Commercial Arts, and Industrial Design at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. He worked as a freelance photographer in Manila before moving on to the Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC) in 1981. He worked as a photographer and as Information Specialist, tasked to document and develop audio visual production requirements in the center.

In December of 1985, he immigrated to the United States and experienced what it’s like to be a "refugee". At the time, he had a wife and a 6 month old daughter waiting in Richmond, Virginia to start a new life together in America.