Iā€™m Tonya! A Minnesota-based wedding photographer - serving Minnesota, West Michigan & beyond!

Most days you can find me with an audiobook playing in the background or playing board games with my husband, Brett. Our kids, Noah and Elsie, keep life full of laughter and adventure. Iā€™m a big believer that coffee makes everything betterā€”and if travel and coffee are involved, Iā€™m in my happy place.

Iā€™ve always been deeply sentimental, and thatā€™s what draws me to photography. I love the power a single image has to transport you back in timeā€”to the people, emotions, and details that make life meaningful. Whether Iā€™m photographing your wedding day or a family session, my goal is to create images that feel timeless and true to you.

From your mom dancing with her friends to your dad sharing a cigar with his brothers, I focus on capturing the candid, emotional moments that tell your story. FOMO is real, and Iā€™m here to make sure no memory is missed. When you look back on your photos years from now, I want you to feel every moment all over again.

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  • Hiring Tonya to capture our wedding one was on of the best decisions we made for wedding vendors. She was responsive and easy to work with from the get go. She seamlessly fit into our day and we were blown away by her timeliness in getting us previews and our full album of photos!! I could not recommend Tonya enough!! We were SO obsessed with our photos!

    Grace D

  • Tonya was incredible! We are so pleased with the photos delivered from our wedding day. She did a great job capturing important moments of our day - we can't wait to look back on them for years to come.

    Katherine H.

  • As a wedding planner, I work with many photographers. I really loved working with Tonya throughout our shared client's wedding planning journey. Her photos turned out so beautiful!

    Honeybee Weddings

  • Tonya is the best! She was so prompt, and always asked the right questions. My wedding photos turned out fantastic, and everyone loved working with her!

    Courtney C.

  • I couldn't have had a better overall experience with Tonya! She is the best photographer, and captured the most personal, gorgeous photos.

    Carolyn H.

  • Tonya was the best decision we couldā€™ve made when it came to choosing a photographer for our special day. She was so easy to work with and truly made both our engagement photo session and wedding day so much fun. We are in LOVE with all of the photos she took and are so grateful to have our day captured so beautifully by Tonya. She made everything so easy, enjoyable, and even more special!

    Ashton K.

Hailey and Tanner share a sunlit kiss captured by Tonya Hjort Photography
Close up image of silver heels placed on top of a bride's veil

  • Hjort sounds like Yort! The name Hjort comes from Scandinavia, and means ā€œdeerā€ in Swedish ; I am incredibly proud of my heritage, so I wanted my unique name to be a part of my business. While my mom and I were having in dinner in Stockholm we saw our last name on the menu ā€“ so naturally we had to try it. When in Rome (or Sweden..) I guess!

  • In the last few years, I found I really like listening to audiobooks, as well as reading when I have the time. I used to struggle with feeling guilty for reading when I should be working, but audiobooks have made it so I can do both - win, win! On average, I finish 150 books in a year - it definitely helps listening to audiobooks at 2x the speed, which my husband thinks Iā€™m crazy for.

  • I have traveled to 4 continents and 20 countries ā€“ Itā€™s my goal to go to all 7 continents! (So if youā€™re looking for an adventurous love session, Iā€™m your girl!) I got a tattoo while in Byron Bay, Australia that says "fernweh" a German word meaning 'farsickness' or 'longing for far away places'. Iā€™m always dreaming up the next adventure!

In case you wanted to know a little moreā€¦.

bride and groom run through a grass marsh field towards Tonya Hjort Photography
Close up image of a mother buttoning her daughters dress on her wedding day captured by Tonya Hjort Photography

Now Booking Weddings and Sessions for 2026

I take on a limited number of weddings and sessions each year to give every client the attention they deserve. If my work speaks to you, Iā€™d love to hear more about your plans.