Today we’d like to introduce you to Tali Neidenfeuhr.
Hi Tali, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My interest in photography started when I was in middle school. My dad gave me his old camera and a couple of my friends and I would put together photoshoots in my backyard. From there, I started to get into modeling and learned a lot about photography, lighting, and editing from all of the photographers that I got to work with over the years. I did little bits of my own photography here and there, but really started to dive deep into the photography world during my senior year of college. I started going on my own road trips and adventures, something that I had grown up doing with my parents, and fell in love with adventure and landscape photography. Love turned into a bit of an obsession and before I knew it, I was hiking up mountains in the dark to reach the summit by sunrise and trekking miles through the forest in the middle of the night to capture the perfect composition of the night sky.
Through Instagram, I started to have different brands reach out to me about my photography and realized that I could turn my passion into a side hustle. I began doing commercial photography in the outdoors/adventure space and was hooked. Shortly after that, I stumbled upon the concept of “adventure elopements” and knew that I had found the perfect photography niche. Photographing adventurous outdoor weddings and elopements allowed me to get back into the portrait world, but I kept my love of landscape and adventure photography as key players in my work. I thrive on the energy and excitement that my couples bring and helping couples craft a wedding day that is a true representation of themselves and their relationship without the pressure to conform to societal standards is a dream come true.
With the help of my fiancé (who has become quite the photography guru himself!), I started my business, Forever and Evergreens. We photograph and help couples craft wedding experiences that are uniquely them, whether that means climbing a mountain for sunrise, celebrating close to home with family and friends, or anything in-between! It has been a wild ride already and I cannot wait to see where the future takes us. I love photographing my own adventures, working with brands to bring their visions to life, and getting to be a camera-wielding third-wheel as couples begin the greatest adventure of their love stories. The fact that this gets to be my job is still mind-blowing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey into photography was a gradual one, based entirely on passion and fun, so finding my way into that world and learning the necessary skills was never something I would consider a challenge. There are definitely things that took time to learn… my first photos of the night sky aren’t much more than dark, blurry pictures… but learning and trying again was all part of the adventure. Starting my own business was a bit of a different story.
Starting and owning a small business was something that I had never done before and came with a sharp learning curve. My fiancé and I did a lot of research into what we needed to do to start our business and the work is still ongoing as we learn the ins and outs of marketing, finance, and all of the other hats that we get to wear as small business owners.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is in adventure and wedding photography… and commonly a fun combination of both! Getting out in nature, hiking, backpacking, and exploring are all huge passions of mine. The existence of a space that allows me to combine those passions with my photography business still feels like a dream.
I specialize in helping couples that want a unique outdoor wedding experience. My personal experience doing photography in the outdoors is a huge part of my success in this area and sets me apart from others. I have lugged camera gear along on backpacking trips, carried equipment up to mountain tops in the dark, photographed in the pouring rain and subzero temperatures, and experienced a number of other unexpected twists that Mother Nature has decided to throw my way. There is so much that goes into planning and photographing a wedding or elopement in the outdoors that many people wouldn’t even think about… my job is to make sure we are ready for whatever is thrown our way so we can have fun in any situation.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
There are so many things to love about the Twin Cities…. I think one of my favorite things is how much access there is to green spaces. I have lived in a number of different places around the cities and it has always been easy to find places to enjoy spending time outside. Whether that’s biking along the Mississippi, getting out on a lake to paddleboard, or going for a walk in a park, I have always felt like there is a place nearby that I can enjoy being outside and connect with nature.
I think my likes outweigh my dislikes (one of the reasons I live here!), but I think the thing that I like least would be that I don’t always feel safe outside alone. There are very few instances of it for me personally, but there have been times when I have been out late alone and felt uneasy walking to my car or down the street.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.foreverandevergreens.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/forestborn | www.instagram.com/forever_and_evergreens
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/foreverandevergreens
