Images should be felt, not just seen. For a decade, I have been photographing the small and big moments that happen during one of the most emotional days in someone's life: their wedding. Small changes in gestures, eye motion, an imperceptible shift in camera settings, and everything comes into place.
Now, expanding from weddings to an editorial and portraits portfolio, I aim to create beautiful photos of you - for you, the individual, and you as a couple. Whether it's a photo of you for your professional profile, or a photo of you to make you remember who you are right now, I want it to evoke an emotion.
Now, expanding from weddings to an editorial and portraits portfolio, I aim to create beautiful photos of you - for you, the individual, and you as a couple. Whether it's a photo of you for your professional profile, or a photo of you to make you remember who you are right now, I want it to evoke an emotion.
Services
For the past nine years, I've been photographing weddings in Austin, Texas, spending hours and days with couples and families at their most emotional moments - happy, anxious, joyful, nostalgic, excited, verklempt. I started my business as a newlywed and quit my day job after two years to do this full-time.
Originally coined "experimental portraits, " I've been shooting unconventional portraits of people I know or met on the street. I've enjoyed them so much that I've decided to offer them to the general public as well. You don't need to be a model - none of these people are professional models. You don't need to know how to pose - I help you with that.
It's easy-to-understand, professional photography that is suited just for you, your product, and your audience. I want to "get" you, so that you can get your followers - so that your product will sell - so that your social media game can be on point. Because - let's face it - it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd nowadays, and sometimes you need an extra hand.
Something smoother than a selfie taken on your phone or the last professional photo of you, which - hmm - may have been as a wedding guest? One-day turnaround on proofs, with 5 fully-edited shots delivered digitally within 3 days. Dating headshots are available as well. Choose a variety of backdrops, up to four outfit changes, and a photographer to follow you around as you act casually-cool for the camera.
These are the 5 questions that I think people should definitely ask their potential wedding photographer. I started my business in 2010, not long after my own wedding. I have since photographed over 200 weddings in and around Austin and North America. From home base in central Texas, to Maui, Long Beach, Minneapolis, Roanoke, and Iceland, I've been all over, and I love it.
Reviews (20)
Lauren G.
Nov 19, 2019
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Working with Elissa was the single best decision that we made for our wedding, I'm so grateful that we found her. She photographed our wedding on 10/19/19 and an engagement session beforehand. We gravitated towards Elissa because of the way her personality came through on her website and through emails, it felt like she was the type of person we could be comfortable with which was important because we're both shy and maybe even a little awkward at times. But Elissa met us where we were, was incredibly helpful and kind and reassuring, everything you need during one of the most stressful
Jordan Janes
Aug 17, 2019
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Elissa photographed our recent wedding at Chapel Dulcinea in Austin, and we're super happy with the results. We had a small wedding and Elissa captured a great mix of photos during the ceremony, with the entire group after the wedding, and photos of us (bride + groom). She even got some great photos of our dog, which was really important to us!
Elissa was really great to work with, very communicative, and captured wonderful photos. Highly recommend!
Elissa was really great to work with, very communicative, and captured wonderful photos. Highly recommend!
Alyssa P.
Jul 02, 2019
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We had originally asked my brother-in-law to be our wedding photographer. Long story short, we found out about 6 weeks prior to our wedding that he was no longer interested in doing it (although he didn't tell us himself.. but that's another review).
Elissa had done our engagement photos and I messaged her, praying that she was available. Thankfully she was.
I am still having nightmares about what would have happened had my BIL done the wedding and not Elissa.
Elissa is an absolute dream to work with. Her photography is absolutely stunning, but equally important is her approach to
Elissa had done our engagement photos and I messaged her, praying that she was available. Thankfully she was.
I am still having nightmares about what would have happened had my BIL done the wedding and not Elissa.
Elissa is an absolute dream to work with. Her photography is absolutely stunning, but equally important is her approach to
Giovanni R.
Jun 04, 2019
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Choosing Elissa to be our photographer on our wedding day and our rehearsal dinner was the best decision. When my wife and I first met Elissa we knew she was the one. On the day of she was a fly on the wall and took all our considerations. She captured memories that will last us a lifetime. She made the entire process a breeze. If you are thinking considering to have Elissa take any photographers, including wedding / life moment photos, please do not hesitate to go with her!
V. A.
May 27, 2019
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My husband and I wanted to take family photos with our two Boston terriers for our 10 yr anni and we are so glad Elissa took our photos. She was amazing to brainstorm with and she took the time to think through all my requests and respond with options before our session. During our session she was super professional and incredibly patient with the pups which we so appreciated! It was a great time and we had fun. We just received our photos and couldn't be happier with how they turned out!
Alyssa Potasznik
Aug 03, 2018
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Elissa did our engagement photos. I can't recommend her highly enough. As a couple who is not naturally comfortable in front of the camera, we were a little worried about how the pictures would turn out. With Elissa's direction and her skill, our photos turned out BEAUTIFULLY. We didn't realize how important it is for the photographer to know what poses/expressions/etc look good on film. Elissa was a joy to work with and we are so in love with how our photos turned out. Oh she's also great with making dogs a part of the photo session!
Kelly Houck
Aug 31, 2017
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Jordan P.
Apr 13, 2017
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I couldn't be happier that Elissa shot our engagement and wedding photos. Everything was above and beyond expectations, from the photos themselves, to turnaround time, to her communications with us. Not only that, but I feel her services are very reasonably priced considering how happy we are with everything. I would hire her again in a heartbeat!
Alyssa F.
Mar 12, 2017
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We got married in October of 2016 in New Braunfels. Working with Elissa was the #1 best decision we made in planning our wedding. From the very beginning she was very friendly, responsive, and easy to work with. Since we were planning from out of town, she met with us initially by Skype. She sent a bunch of helpful planning info (photography and otherwise) and even was able to provide us with great references for other vendors.
When we decided we wanted to do our engagement photos here in San Francisco, she let us fly her all the way out here and graciously went above and beyond by spending
When we decided we wanted to do our engagement photos here in San Francisco, she let us fly her all the way out here and graciously went above and beyond by spending
Tricia C.
Jan 16, 2017
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So happy to have run across Elissa on another friend's post. She photographed our elopement and I just got the pictures back--couldn't have asked for more! I'm an awkward picture taker but she made us feel at ease and had great suggestions. She was also very down to earth and I barely even noticed her during the ceremony so I could concentrate on getting married :)
One of the main selling points was the very selfless promotion she currently has going for couples who have decided to move their wedding date up in advance of the inauguration. She performed donation based photography
One of the main selling points was the very selfless promotion she currently has going for couples who have decided to move their wedding date up in advance of the inauguration. She performed donation based photography
Deb Rios
Nov 03, 2016
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I knew going into wedding planning that wedding photography was the most important thing to me. This was definitely an area I was not willing to settle for anything less than perfect! My wedding planner recommended Elissa and stated that she was one of her most reliable (and favorite) vendors to work with. Elissa was an amazing photographer and I feel so lucky to have found her through my planner. I remember going to her website and seeing the gorgeous photo she had of a couple under the Milky Way. WOW! I knew immediately she was the one for me.
From day one she was really friendly and informative
From day one she was really friendly and informative
Mike Jordan
Jun 16, 2016
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Elissa photographed our wedding on Sept 4th of 2016. Elissa and I became friends in college, and it was a natural choice to talk to her about wedding photography when Aubrey and I started planning our ceremony, but I was floored by what Elissa added to our special day.
In addition to her professionalism, talent and general photo wizardry, her wonderfully eclectic and fun personality added so much to our wedding. She provided us with a great mix of standard couple/family photos as well as creative shots we never would have thought to ask for. To say we were pleased with our final set of photos
In addition to her professionalism, talent and general photo wizardry, her wonderfully eclectic and fun personality added so much to our wedding. She provided us with a great mix of standard couple/family photos as well as creative shots we never would have thought to ask for. To say we were pleased with our final set of photos
Jenny L.
May 27, 2016
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Wow! I can't believe I did not finish this review earlier (meaning a year ago when we actually got married). Photos were pretty important to us, so we picked her right after we booked the venue. I am so happy I decided to post on FB and ask friends about who they recommended. Looking through the websites, Elissa's photos seemed to highlight the natural light and the scene as well as the couples....they appeared more like art than just plain photos.
We could tell that she was extremely motivated throughout the entire process. I don't know about other photographers, but the advice
We could tell that she was extremely motivated throughout the entire process. I don't know about other photographers, but the advice
Rachael M.
Dec 06, 2015
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Elissa shot our wedding on November 1st. She was on the recommended vendor list for our venue, and I'm so glad she was.
I knew that the photos were very important to me (you only really get two things out of a wedding: a spouse and pictures) so she was the first vendor we booked after we picked our venue. We met up in March to discuss what we wanted out of our wedding photography. My husband and I are kind of shy about being photographed, but she made me feel very comfortable about how she would handle shooting our wedding. She describes herself as a "wedding photojournalist,"
I knew that the photos were very important to me (you only really get two things out of a wedding: a spouse and pictures) so she was the first vendor we booked after we picked our venue. We met up in March to discuss what we wanted out of our wedding photography. My husband and I are kind of shy about being photographed, but she made me feel very comfortable about how she would handle shooting our wedding. She describes herself as a "wedding photojournalist,"
Claire R.
Oct 25, 2015
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Elissa is an excellent photographer. She is extremely professional and very personable. An absolute pleasure to work with. She shot our wedding and legal ceremony this year in Austin. She has a lot of great ideas for unique shots. We could not have dreamed for better photos to remember these special events in our lives. Highly recommend her!!
Bryan G.
Oct 23, 2015
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Elissa was the photographer for me and my wife's wedding. She was an absolute professional. She was flexible when our full wedding ceremony became an impromptu in the park elopement and she was so receptive to our personality types when figuring out how to shoot our event. She was very prompt on deadlines and was always incredibly easy to get in touch with. I would recommend her 100%!
Samantha G.
Oct 08, 2015
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Full disclosure: Elissa is a friend from high school/college. However, since I already knew a professional wedding photographer, that made it very easy to pick a photographer for our wedding in Houston last May. Photography was one of the first things that got finalized in all the wedding planning stuff and it was a really smooth and painless process to sign contracts and choose options, etc. (more than I can say for almost every other vendor involved in the wedding). I also liked that Elissa is not exclusively in the business of formal portraits and soft lights and retouching. Just from her website
Sarah M.
Jun 03, 2015
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We were pretty last minute in our search for wedding photographers (less than 3 months out) and saw Elissa on apracticalwedding.com. Now that we've worked with her and gotten our photos back, we feel incredibly lucky and somewhat amazed that she happened to have our date free.
She was super friendly and personable from the outset, and she made it a priority to find out what story we wanted our wedding photos to tell. We talked through specific shots we wanted most, and she helped us put together a timetable to make sure we could get them all without taking too much time away from the party
She was super friendly and personable from the outset, and she made it a priority to find out what story we wanted our wedding photos to tell. We talked through specific shots we wanted most, and she helped us put together a timetable to make sure we could get them all without taking too much time away from the party
Michael Furst
May 05, 2014
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We love the album, it is breathtaking.
The quality, paper, cover, and the amazing moments you have so expertly captured are unrivaled. I'm not even sure how you managed to get all those photos, everything was such a blur to me, keep going!
You have an amazing eye and a great career ahead of you. We are so happy we chose you to shoot our wedding, there is no way these special memories would have been as elegantly captured without you!
Thank You!
The quality, paper, cover, and the amazing moments you have so expertly captured are unrivaled. I'm not even sure how you managed to get all those photos, everything was such a blur to me, keep going!
You have an amazing eye and a great career ahead of you. We are so happy we chose you to shoot our wedding, there is no way these special memories would have been as elegantly captured without you!
Thank You!
Bryan D.
Dec 11, 2013
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My wife and I hired Elissa and her assistant to shoot our Austin wedding and her bridal portraits at Hamilton Pool in October 2013. We could not possibly be more pleased with her professionalism, attention to detail, personal touch, and overall cheerful demeanor. Every step of the process was stress-free, and Elissa even went above and beyond on several occasions by mailing us chocolate (always a plus), and helping us get an idea of what to expect from other parts of the wedding planning process completely unrelated to photography.
Beyond her incredible diligence (all of our wedding photos were
Beyond her incredible diligence (all of our wedding photos were
