Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Tofel.
Hi Ty, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My Journey into photography started in the 90’s when Anne Geddes blew up and her photographs were in every magazine , on every postcard, Thank you notes, bags, posters etc.. I was a teen then and her photographs intrigued me, they weren’t stoic, stiff and muted. They were literal stories told with a single shot. Fast, forward to my 20s and after doing jobs that felt cold ,stoic and emotionally exhausting, I never wanted to go back to that. I wanted to create something, but I wanted to include others in my journey. My husband and I grew up in Simi Valley, California and when we had our first child, we decided to do something that would help us grow financially. We made the move to Albany, Oregon in the winter of 2011. After four years of unexplained infertility and fertility interventions ,we let it go. We got pregnant with our 2nd shortly after all natural! Then six months after our 2nd was born we were surprised by our 3rd baby. After having two miracle babies, I experienced deep postpartum depression and severe body dysmorphia which sets the stage for my woman focused photography. As time went on, I had a village of strong amazing women that walked alongside me while I battled internally for my own acceptance. They helped me to see the beauty of my changing body, the intrinsic worth that was painted on my stretched out skin and how it needed to be celebrated not hated. I began to heal and my children grew older. I got the itch to get back into the workforce, a long rainy Oregon winter season can make you feel a need for human interaction, and the beauty Oregon offers makes a photographer drool at the thought of outdoor photography. This time I wanted to do my own thing, make my own hours and create art with women /mothers in mind. In 2015, I asked for a decent camera, Canon dslr T5, for Christmas, that began my true love for photography. My best friend moved here to Albany, Oregon as well and had started a family of her own. She asked me to photograph her wedding, her maternity milestones and her first newborn baby, I was hooked! I then began taking photos of her family, my children, my extended family, birthday parties basically any event someone would have me. I learned for a long time before I finally took the plunge two years ago. Since then I have done many family portraits, events, boudoir (which you won’t find a lot of online as I have strict guidelines for women’s privacy and consent), metal concerts, and women’s business branding. Some of them I actually traveled back to southern California strictly for the love of photography and building up other women. Eve & Elm Photography was created for women. Eve, as she represents life giver and strength, Elm for the strong roots she plants everywhere she goes whether be children, relationships or her business. The elm tree goes through seasons not just with strength but comes to depend on those seasons to grow. Through every season its stands beautifully unapologetic for its existence. That’s what I love to capture, an authentic woman ready to be fully seen through all life’s seasons.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, anything worth doing is hard. During this journey I have had to take a few stops. I still have a teen and two children under 8 yrs at home. My youngest was born right before the pandemic, so since then I chose to keep them home to school them, this year they start their 1st year of a public homeschool program. My oldest was also just diagnosed with autism in 2025. All in a five year span starting in 2020, my grandfather died, then my grandmother, one year later my dad passed away, then in 2025 my husband’s grandmother passed, each time I have to delay the start or hault it all together for a short period. Oregon is so beautiful, but that beauty can seem to have a price if a photography is an outdoor or onsite one. I have learned to adapt and even come to enjoy all seasons of photography.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in women’s photography through all of her seasons. My goal is for every woman to really see themselves and their beauty and to sever the constraints of judgment, resentment, shame, and hurt that she may have been battling silently about the vessel that carries her soul.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Hmmm, that is a good question. I personally don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work, perseverance, knowing your worth, and the needs of your ideal clients.
Pricing:
- Velvet Skin Boudoir packages – $750-1800
- Sacrificial Love Maternity packages- $550-$1400
- Family Roots & Milestones packages- $450-$1100
- Senior Roots packages – $500-$1200
- Business & Brand packages – $550-$1600
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eveandelmphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eveandelmphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eveaandelmphoto
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/EveandElmphoto/
