We met in 1998 when Matt was living in his VW van, spending winters rock climbing in Joshua Tree while Tara was finishing up graduate school in Tucson. Over the next 9 years we were friends living our lives in different places. We would see each other and hang out from time to time, mostly high up on a rock face or on some long, mosquito-ridden approach in the Sierras.
We were both rock climbers and sought out the solitude and adventure of the mountains. In 2007 we found ourselves both living in the Sierras once again. We soon fell in love with each other and naturally, we united forces photographing weddings and building this amazing business together.
We were both rock climbers and sought out the solitude and adventure of the mountains. In 2007 we found ourselves both living in the Sierras once again. We soon fell in love with each other and naturally, we united forces photographing weddings and building this amazing business together.
Services
Our goal is to document your wedding day with photographs that are authentic and meaningful-or as we say "photographs that feel." We want to tell the story of not only what you experienced but show you all the little moments you missed and blow your mind with beautiful and timeless portraits that evoke a sense of place.
Over the past 15 years, we've photographed weddings at every venue, in every season, and in every kind of weather imaginable in Tahoe.
We've photographed weddings in 60mph wind, 9 degree temps, warm thunderstorm rain, freezing sideways sleety rain, blizzards, nuclear sunny blue bird days, wildfire smoke thicker than whipped cream, soft overcast days that makes everyone look beautiful, sunsets that would make a mountain lion purr, big fat puffy winter wonderland snowflakes, and everything in between.
We've photographed weddings in 60mph wind, 9 degree temps, warm thunderstorm rain, freezing sideways sleety rain, blizzards, nuclear sunny blue bird days, wildfire smoke thicker than whipped cream, soft overcast days that makes everyone look beautiful, sunsets that would make a mountain lion purr, big fat puffy winter wonderland snowflakes, and everything in between.
A core memory for so many of us is the moment we were popped the question, "Will you marry me?". For most of us, this moment is a blur of tears, joy, emotion, surprise. We can't remember much detail about that moment, just how we felt and maybe a scrambled question with the words "marry me" or "spend the rest of my life" in it.
We've photographed literally hundreds of elopements in the Lake Tahoe area. We've photographed them at private residences, lakeside venues, on the side of a cliff, and even taken couples to our "secret" spots off the beaten path to have a private ceremony surrounded by the majestic landscape of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We have been photographing people in love for over 15 years. It started as a way to make money to buy more film to photograph more of our personal adventures. It quickly morphed into a challenge to use an art degree to make wedding photographs unlike all the others out there: more creative & abstract, combining our love of the landscape with weddings for unbelievable portraits.
Reviews (18)
Angela Z.
Dec 08, 2019
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Matt and Tara photographed our wedding and the pictures were AMAZING!! Not only are they hoth talented photographers who capture real raw photos (why we wanted them) they are so easy and amazing to work with!
Thank you for capturing our wedding so perfectly for generations to come and for being the most RAD humans!
You'll see in my photo Matt literally going above and beyond for the shot!
Thank you doesn't do enough for how we feel.
Thank you for capturing our wedding so perfectly for generations to come and for being the most RAD humans!
You'll see in my photo Matt literally going above and beyond for the shot!
Thank you doesn't do enough for how we feel.
Angela Zajic
Oct 16, 2019
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I own a wedding salon in town and I often see Matt and Tara at work. They are amazing at what they do and the pictures always turn out stunning! They capture raw moments that bring years to your eyes.
Naturally I chose them for my spring wedding and I can’t wait to see how they capture our special day.
Also, they are just good people. We need good people around us on magical days.
These are those people.
Naturally I chose them for my spring wedding and I can’t wait to see how they capture our special day.
Also, they are just good people. We need good people around us on magical days.
These are those people.
Tim M.
Sep 23, 2019
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We were so happy we hired Matt for our wedding reception. He had a calming approach, letting us enjoy the night rather than stand through hours of regimented posed photos. When we did have posed photos, he ran through them quickly - keeping the whole process organized. Throughout the evening he did an amazing job taking candid photos of everyone enjoying themselves. The resulting photos did a great job capturing the energy of our wedding.
Megan Cary
Jan 08, 2019
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Being a Hair & Makeup Agency & having worked with Theilen Photography for the last year on multiple weddings, we have experienced happy brides and beautiful photography to showcase on our portfolio. Matt is very responsive, professional, and puts out a product that any bride would want to look back on after their wedding day! If you are in California and are in need of a VERY talented photographer who will make you a priority then Thielen Photography is the obvious choice!
Michelle K.
Aug 12, 2018
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Matt and Tara are fantastic. In addition to capturing the beautiful look and feel of our wedding day- they also created works of art. I choose Theilen Photography for their eye to see the candid, funny, and unexpected family moments.They delivered... and more. I highly recommend Matt and Tara.
As a former bridesmaid who has stood through hours long bridal party shoots, I was so impressed by their ability to get the perfect shot in a fraction of the time. More time to enjoy your wedding, instead of posing!
You will love your wedding photos for a lifetime.
As a former bridesmaid who has stood through hours long bridal party shoots, I was so impressed by their ability to get the perfect shot in a fraction of the time. More time to enjoy your wedding, instead of posing!
You will love your wedding photos for a lifetime.
Katie Kaizer
Jul 07, 2018
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Timeless. This is the word my husband and I keep coming back to as we spend hours and hours looking at our wedding photos and sharing them with friends and family. Our photos tell the story of our celebration…..from laugh out loud moments to tears of joy flowing down our faces at our first look. Tara and Matt captured how we felt on our wedding day. I am a wedding photographer and the number one question people asked me after we got engaged was ‘who is going to photograph your wedding?’ the answer was easy and one that I knew the moment we got engaged. Theilen Photography! I had the pleasure
Jenny O.
Jun 26, 2018
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I cannot even begin to explain the love and admiration I have for these two people. They deserve 100 stars.
I am a professional hair and makeup artist specializing in weddings for over two decades. I've been in this game for a long time.
I first met Matt and Tara at wedding we were working on together 5+ years ago. Tara was pregnant with their daughter at the time that's how I remembered them. The couple had hired them and said they were the best. I hear that all the time. Lol
Well then I started to cyber stalk them of course and quickly became a fan. So artistic. So emotional.
I
I am a professional hair and makeup artist specializing in weddings for over two decades. I've been in this game for a long time.
I first met Matt and Tara at wedding we were working on together 5+ years ago. Tara was pregnant with their daughter at the time that's how I remembered them. The couple had hired them and said they were the best. I hear that all the time. Lol
Well then I started to cyber stalk them of course and quickly became a fan. So artistic. So emotional.
I
Sagar P.
Dec 27, 2017
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We had high hopes going into our wedding day because of the fantastic images on Matt and Tara's website but somehow they managed to exceed our expectations in every way. They captured the incredibly beautiful scenery of our wedding in Tahoe and managed to get all of the intimate, personal, and fun moments we were hoping for. They dodged all of our smartphone-crazy family and friends to get the perfect shots and were never in the way or intrusive at all. They were also so relaxed, calm, and fun to work with. And they even managed to send over our final images earlier than we were expecting
S. J.
Jul 10, 2017
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Matt & Tara were by far our favorite vendors at our wedding. They not only took amazing photos, but they are amazing people. Their personalities were so calming and it felt like we were at the wedding with friends by our side taking our photos-- we loved them so much! We instantly loved them when we skyped with them/our first meeting, as our wedding was destination. They were recommended to us by our awesome DJ - Derek Tarpey - Lake DJ. He suggested a few people, but they were his favorite, and I see why! When researching, we looked at many vendors websites and got pricing info. M&T were
Rose D.
Jan 07, 2017
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Theilen Photography helped to make our wedding amazing and the memories out of this world. Matt and Tara were very accommodating and customer service oriented. We had Kevin and partner as our photographers for our wedding and reception at The Landing Resort in South Lake Tahoe. The team were wonderful and listened to what my husband and I wanted. Our wedding pictures perfectly told the story and emotions of our day; they were lovely. Truly and highly recommend using this company for any memorable events.
Allison M.
May 26, 2016
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Matt and Tara are absolutely amazing at what they do and are a lot of fun to work with. We started looking for a photographer late in the game and thankfully Matt + Tara were still available. They were accommodating with our schedules and did us a huge favor by fitting us in for engagement photos just 3 weeks before our wedding and even got us the proofs within 2 weeks after so we could use them for the wedding. The shoot was a blast and the two are such sweet people that you can't help but feel comfortable around them.
On our wedding day they were able to capture photos that we didn&apos
On our wedding day they were able to capture photos that we didn&apos
Cher A.
Oct 01, 2015
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Kevin and Whitby were our wedding photographers 3-4 weeks ago at the Lakeview Lodge at Heavenly and words can't express how ecstatic we were about having chosen them.
As a friend put it, they "amped up the crowd" with their presence and we couldn't be happier with that feedback. We've been to weddings where the photographers seemed intrusive like annoying flies, and where photographers seemed cheesy in their directions.
However, even though I'm personally averse to getting my photo taken, we had sooo much fun getting our photos taken by Kevin and Whitby. I can&apos
As a friend put it, they "amped up the crowd" with their presence and we couldn't be happier with that feedback. We've been to weddings where the photographers seemed intrusive like annoying flies, and where photographers seemed cheesy in their directions.
However, even though I'm personally averse to getting my photo taken, we had sooo much fun getting our photos taken by Kevin and Whitby. I can&apos
Amanda H.
Jul 14, 2015
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There are not enough stars to give for what Matt and Tara do. Their photography is top notch. Their personality, professionalism, and creativity are also above and beyond what I expected. They photographed our engagement, and our wedding. Even months after we still have the hardest time picking our favorites. Every time I look back at our wedding day pictures, I feel the same emotions as that day. Being able to relive that day, and see things that you missed, is what they give you. For many years to come. Thank you for taking photography to new levels!
Jackie Z.
Jun 04, 2015
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We could not be happier with our decision to hire Theilen's associate photographers - Kevin and Lindsey - to photograph our wedding.
We first met Kevin at our engagement session and we immediately clicked with him and had a great time trucking through the snow with him for our engagement session. He made us feel so comfortable that our photos don't look posed or unnatural at all - they look like candid pictures of us interacting, which is exactly what we wanted. He has an incredible eye for scenery and lighting and he even crawled through snow on his belly to get the perfect shots
We first met Kevin at our engagement session and we immediately clicked with him and had a great time trucking through the snow with him for our engagement session. He made us feel so comfortable that our photos don't look posed or unnatural at all - they look like candid pictures of us interacting, which is exactly what we wanted. He has an incredible eye for scenery and lighting and he even crawled through snow on his belly to get the perfect shots
Becca R.
Jul 22, 2013
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Our wedding designer referred us to Matt and Tara, and hiring them was probably the best wedding decision we made. Not only do Matt and Tara take the most exquisite pictures, they are so down to earth and fun to work with.
First, let's start with their photography - they are true artists - their visions are beautiful, their passion is evident - and there is NOTHING they won't do to get a perfect shot. We got married on the beach and I am certain that Matt still has sand in his brain from the numerous times he dove (yes, dove) into the sand to capture a moment. You would also frequently
First, let's start with their photography - they are true artists - their visions are beautiful, their passion is evident - and there is NOTHING they won't do to get a perfect shot. We got married on the beach and I am certain that Matt still has sand in his brain from the numerous times he dove (yes, dove) into the sand to capture a moment. You would also frequently
Heather H.
Nov 11, 2012
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Matt and his wife Tara (TJaye) did an excellent job with our wedding photos! Matt is professional, warm, responsive, and an excellent photographer! The Theilen Photography dynamic duo took the most amazing, beautiful photos for both our engagement session and for our wedding. We received all of our photos on the timeline that was discussed and were totally thrilled with what we received. Our friends and family were all impressed with the quality of their work and the artistry. Thank you for the amazing artwork and memories of our happiest day!
Candice L.
May 03, 2012
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Matt and Tara recently shot our April 8 wedding in South Lake. Not only do they take the most amazing photos, but they are just good people. They were there for every part of our day, and went the extra mile for us, even coming early to shoot our little Easter Egg hunt for the young kids. They were present, but not intrusive, so I never felt like I missed anything. I haven't seen all the pictures yet (I'll update when I do), but what I have seen so far looks incredible. The photo booth was a total smash hit, make sure you use it!
Meren B.
Nov 22, 2011
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It was such a pleasure working with Matt this last October in Sonoma, CA. I got a sneak peak at his work when I was sent a link to our clients engagement photos-I was blown away by the images! He really captured the couples personalities as well as the landscapes beauty. He was a true professional from the first email correspondence, through the day of their wedding. I would definitely recommend Matt Theilen Photography to any couple looking for a recommendation or to any vendor looking to work with a great team!
