Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Hormann.
Hi Ali, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story begins with the reality that this isn’t what I thought I wanted but I couldn;t be happier it is what I got. When my husband and I got married in 2008 he loved photography and we were generously gifted a DSLR Camera for our wedding. He was enamored and I was confused because you couldn’t take selfies with it. On our honeymoon, however, he showed me how to use the camera and I took a photo that I loved, and then refused to give the camera back to him. We initially started photographing weddings together in Chicago until 2010 when we moved to Seattle. I took the business over solo in 2012 and I went full time after my second son was born in 2014. We moved to St. Paul in 2017 and I’ve loved getting the chance to photograph weddings and families here and on the West Coast over the last five years. I’ve photographed over 100 weddings and more families and senior photos than I can count. It’s been an incredible journey getting to tell love stories and help make the world more lovely which, as I realized a few years into an unlikely career, was what I had always hoped to do.
Then in 2019 I decided to do another thing I’d always wanted to try and the week of my 35th birthday, after practicing for weeks, I tried stand-up comedy for the first time and absolutely fell in love. It’s been an incredible experience getting to share the stage with new friends and total comedy legends.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never been a smooth road. I’ve changed cities three times in 8 years, and restarting a business is always hard, but three has been a challenge. I also gave birth to my amazing three sons during that time (now ages 9, 7, and 5.). I have always been grateful for the opportunity to stay home with them and work from home. But for over a decade, that work happened after bedtime until the wee hours of the morning. My husband worked in ministry at the time, which meant Sundays were all-day work days for him, but so often, with weddings, Fridays, and Saturdays being all-day work days for me, it took a long time before we understood weekends again.
Pursuing your dreams is always hard when little ones need you, but I hope one day they will see all I worked for and be happy that I pushed myself to dream big the same way I hope they dream big. I once heard a motivational speaker ask, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” I thought that was a really stupid question. If I couldn’t fail? That isn’t reality. Since then, I have lived my life by a very different adage. “What do you love enough to fail at repeatedly and again and still keep going?” For me, it’s being a mom, a photographer, a comic, and hopefully, one day, a published author.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer who specializes in portraits and weddings. I’m not necessarily known for out-of-the-box photos, but I am known for remembering the names of everyone at your wedding party and being your biggest hype person the entire time. I’ve always thought the thing that sets me apart is that I am more invested in ensuring we are the right fit for each other than filling up every summer weekend with a wedding. I think that makes me trustworthy and a lot of fun.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love St. Paul. When we first moved to St. Paul from the east side of Seattle, people wondered why we didn’t move to Minneapolis, where all the excitement was. I grew up in a super small town, and even though I’ve lived in major cities since my early 20s, I still miss the quiet vibe some days. So St. Paul is perfect. We know our neighbors, my kids go to the neighborhood school, and we get to know people on walks in the community. And then when we want to try new restaurants or go to a show just a few minutes away. I also love the community of St. Paul pushing for equity in housing and education. It’s nowhere near perfect, but I love knowing there is actual action being taken to make the city better for everyone.
Pricing:
- Weddings – $6500
- Senior Photos – $500
- Portraits – $450
- Mini-Session – $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alihormann.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alihormanncreative/
- Facebook: facebook.com/alihormanncreative/
Image Credits
Joy by Jo Photography Jen With a Lens Photography
