Really impressive photography and was very easy to work with Elissa from start to finish! We wanted to experiment with lighting in our engagement shoot which was really fun to be a part of that creative process.. definitely recommend! Elissa listened and stuck to my likes and dislikes relating to exposure and post processing, and she went above and beyond with deliverable turnaround times and number of photos delivered. Would definitely book again! read more

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 edited and posted online before we returned from our honeymoon), Elissa is also a very talented photographer who is very light on her feet. For the most part, we hardly noticed her presence (with the exception of some great, and amusing direction during the crazy family formal shots), but the photos indicate that she has a way of being everywhere at once! My mother-in-law actually expressed concern on the wedding day that she thought the entire ceremony had only been photographed from behind my wife, such that there would be no photos of her face during a very emotional event. When I saw that there were in fact gorgeous, artful and intimate photos from just about every angle--I was relieved and elated that my MOL's worries were proven to be baseless (aren't they always? haha). Elissa clearly takes great joy, and great pride in her work. I have no doubt that whatever you hire her to shoot, you will be blown away by the results. read more

Elissa R Photography - Bridal portrait session at Hamilton Pool was awesome! Check out Elissa's blog about it here: http://bit.ly/19hWxTk - Session Photography Near Me - Austin, Texas

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! read more

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," capturing the moments, not creating them. We did not want a bunch of pageantry and performance (no garter toss, no formal first dance, etc.), so this fit well with our goals. We were also on a tight budget, so we opted out of bridal portraits and engagement photos. I kind of wish we had done this, however, if only for practice and getting to know her better. In the lead up time to the wedding, she was extremely helpful in planning the timeline, giving us advice about light and positioning the ceremony, etc. She was very professional and communicative, making sure we were clear about what shots we wanted. After talking about the timeline with our coordinator, we ended up adding an extra hour of coverage just to make sure we got everything, and I'm glad we did. She showed up on time, made sure that she got the shots she needed and helped coordinate everything on the ground. She was not in the way or in our face... in fact, with the exception of the family shots and portraits, I was not fully aware that she was there at all. She gave us direction without totally posing us, so the photos still look like us. I didn't notice her or her second shooter for most of the wedding (granted, I was a little wrapped up in getting married), so I was surprised at all the wonderful shots she got! And the photos: they were so fantastic that I cried a little. I've seen some photographers who produce artistic shots that value the art and composition value over the subjects. Not Elissa. She was able to get the most amazing photos. I can't decide which ones to print because they are all fabulous. Thank you Elissa for making a good day great! read more

Elissa R Photography - Our first dance - Session Photography Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Elissa did an an amazing job with our wedding photography! Her photography style is much more artistic and she has a knack for capturing light in a unique way. I was really cautious about having to select a photographer for our wedding because so much wedding photography can look forced and unnatural. To add to to that, my husband and I are super awkward when it comes to having our pictures taken! Elissa put us and our families at ease, and was able to capture some amazing shots. In addition to the beautiful photos, she was also excellent at communicating, always responding very quickly to any questions I had. I would definitely recommend Elissa R. Photography for your wedding! read more

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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 as long as we donated to a worthy cause...which we were planning to do anyway. It wasn't until after I contacted her that I looked at her portfolio and realized how lucky we were to have her! Definitely recommend! read more

Elissa and her assistant photographed our wedding ceremony and reception at the Umlauf Scultpure Garden 4/21/13. I cannot say enough great things about her. The obvious things one would want like being dependable, responding quickly to emails, and fair prices were all there. But now that I have received my pictures, I see how well the captured all the moments that were important to me. She captures emotions and that is what I loved. And we knew she was there, but she was never in the way and still managed to get all the plctures we could ever want and more up close. She added personal touches like sending a wedding planning book and some chocolate months before the wedding. Then deicious taffy and a personalized flash drive with her favorite pictures printed for us in a personalized gift bag a few weeks after the wedding. All with personalized thank you notes. She also made a cute slide show to tide us over while we waited for the final pictures and knew we would be waiting for anticipation. Elissa just honestly cares about her clients and also does an amazing, artistic job, so the combo is perfect. I cannot recommend her enough to photograph ANY event in your future. Finding a great wedding photographer might be one of the most important aspects of your wedding because it is over before you know it and capturing those memories are what also lasts a lifetime. She is the way to go in Austin! read more

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 and emotional times of your life. It was clear from her website how unique of a perspective Elissa has and that was so obvious when we got back our gorgeous engagement photos. They are some of the best photos that will ever be taken of us, I'm sure, they're breathtaking and personal and somehow Elissa managed to capture such intimate moments in a way that made our personalities shine through. Elissa helped us form the timeline, shared tips with us to make things smoother, and even recommended some vendors. It was a breeze to work with her and when I found myself with a wedding prep question that I didn't know where else to take, Elissa was able to help. She managed to be completely in control of the timeline for picture taking while also keeping to the background in a respectful way so that we weren't nervous and it didn't feel like a performance. I can't recommend Elissa highly enough. After working with her she truly feels like a friend and I can't look back at the photos she's given us without tears in my eyes. Thank you so, so much Elissa! read more

What you need to know: Elissa is a fantastic photographer. She beautifully captured so many moments from our wedding, and we're thrilled with the results. From our very first meeting with her up to the delivery of our photos after our wedding, she's been great to work with and we strongly recommend her. Working with Elissa was a delight. She took the time to get to know me and my wife to get a sense of our likes and dislikes and our personalities. She explained her packages and pricing, and never tried to upsell us on anything outside of our budget. Leading up to our wedding, Elissa sent us a questionnaire to make sure that we were all on the same page. This helped us because it laid out what kind of shots we expected-- group shots with our extended families, etc-- and we got them all! Come to think of it, I don't even remember seeing Elissa or her second photographer on our wedding day! And that's a good thing! They were both unobtrusive and yet they captured many intimate moments. Extremely professional. Of course, the proof's in the pictures, right? Just after two weeks after our wedding, Elissa emailed us a link to a gallery online where we could view all of the photos. A few days later, we received in the mail a cute wooden box with a few prints, a hand-written letter, and a USB drive containing all of our pictures, both in high-res and shareable file sizes. The photos are amazing. All of our friends and family who've seen them have loved them and commented on their quality. We've looked over the entire set several times now, reliving moments from our wedding that made us laugh, cry, and that thanks to Elissa, we'll have forever. read more

I highly/strongly/encouragingly recommend Elissa R Photography for your wedding. Elissa is a really wonderful person to work with. She's very attentive, nice, and has great enthusiasm for photography as well as being totally awesome and friendly during the whole process. She totally understands the stresses you're going through and offers help and support rather than trying to insert herself as another stressor. She got our engagement photos and wedding photos to us so fast it was ridiculous. I expected weeks and weeks, she got the initial blog post for each of those up that week and the photos to us the next. She took photos of all the details perfectly, including the handmade details, the Jewish wedding specific items, and the beauty of the entire wedding setup. She perfectly captured the moments, like the tisch and hora just as I has always imagined. My Brother-in-law's wedding is also being shot by Elissa in September. After much searching and combing through the bridal shows my sister-in-law-to-be realized what I meant that there is nobody at Elissa's price point who can do what she can. It's amazing how awesome her photography is as well as how reasonable in price she is. She doesn't try to upsell you or nickle and dime you. She's there for you and your photography as an artist and a previous bride. When I was making a decision about photographers I realized what it came down to for me was the feeling/emotion captured in the photography and the lighting and color saturation. There are more expensive photographers who are impressive and can do what Elissa does in terms of capturing moments and emotion, although Elissa's eye for it I feel is more personal and about the people rather than the surroundings or the art of the shot. She rivals some of the "best" photographers in town in that regard, but I have to admit I could not find absolutely any photographer that captured light the way she does. The second half of our engagement session was taken when the sun was already on the horizon and it was getting dark, my husband and I thinking it wouldn't look good in the photos. She assured us it wasn't a problem and we trusted her that they would look good despite the low-low-light. I was blown away, shocked, and floored by her use of the low-light and how amazing and bright the photos are despite it being dusk out. They are really just beautiful. The amazing flipside is her use of strong sun. On our wedding day the sun was shining just perfectly and the photos are breathtaking. The lens flare, the use of the sun as a subject rather than a light source is just what makes her that much more awesome. She's improving every single day. I knew I made the right decision when I would look at her blog every time she posted and could visibly tell that she was improving her photography with each event she shot. So basically, take amazing and add amazing to it. It's impressive and makes me happy. read more

We have worked with Elissa on two occasions: for our wedding and again for some anniversary. And shortly, she will be the photographer for my best friends wedding! She is an absolute joy to work with. She is courteous, kind, a just a little quirky in the best of ways. She was prompt in all communications, and provides exceptional quality in all manners. The photos she has taken are displayed all over my home, and I would never hesitate to ask her to share in my life's biggest occasions. I wish I could choose a favorite photo, but it would completely flood this page if I were to share them! I cannot say enough good things about her. If you're on the fence about booking, you shouldn't be! read more

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. And big plus, her pricing was affordable and straightforward. Throughout the wedding, Elissa did a fantastic job directing the group shots and then blending in seamlessly to the event in order to capture the candid moments. She made the highlights of our photos available within a few days and then sent us a beautifully put together box with some choice prints and files of the full gallery in both high- and low-resolution (for social media) within a month. We were really happy with the quantity of photos, too. Our families and friends are raving about these pictures, and so are we. We really couldn't be happier; Elissa captured so many wonderful moments, and the quality of the photographs is unreal. We'd recommend her to anyone! read more

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 mini-book that she sent?? Ridiculously helpful!! It gave us examples of sample timelines, which we definitely went through many versions of. We also took engagement pictures with her at Wildflower Center. Because we were out of town, we weren't able to see the surroundings beforehand. We told Elissa that we wanted to be out in nature so that we could have our dog in the pictures. She arrived early to scope out areas for us. It was a great opportunity to get comfortable with being photographed as well as get used to her style. She was VERY patient with our dog :) Basically she did a lot of the work so that we would not have to. Engagement photos were uploaded quickly and we were able to use it for our save the dates. The weather was quite horrendous on the day of our wedding, so we weren't able to have the outdoors ceremony as planned. She kept me calm on my wedding day and she never once mentioned how ugly the weather outside... she focused on how to make things work indoors. She took beautiful and artistic photos. We would have liked multiple versions of some family photos, but we were very constrained on time so that's okay She and the second photographer were able to capture the wedding from all different aspects. During the reception, she noticed that the rain/wind had dwindled and encouraged us to go outside for a photo in the rain.... it ended up being our favorite picture from the night! I made a photobook for my grandmother, and the pictures printed out perfectly (used shutterfly from the high-resolution photos that we received). She also sent us a cute wooden box with the high-res photos on USB, printed photos and of course taffy :) I would recommend buying the large canvas printouts from her website during the time right after the wedding because she offers a discount. We dragged our feet and now we are saving up for our rain picture. Loved Elissa and would highly recommend her!!!! read more

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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 working with you and with families- she is a consummate professional who is especially adept at kindly but firmly directing photos and getting people out of the way (we have a lot of aspiring photo shoot directors among our families). She gets the job done competently and professionally, and the end result is an easy day that results in the most stunning photographs. Given that we want to remember every second of the day, and photographs are the one tangible thing we get to take with us, we are so incredibly thankful to Elissa for working with us. We cannot recommend her highly enough. read more

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. She knows everything and anything about photography and gave us great recommendations throughout the process. In addition to being awesome, she's also an extremely talented photographer. Her pictures are absolutely breathtaking!! She is gifted at capturing the most perfect moments. She has the ability to make everyone look photogenic as well! I don't know how she does it, but all her clients look so great! I will treasure my wedding pictures forever and I also plan to work with her in the future for any life moments we may want to capture! Elissa really has an eye for photography (that makes her extra special) and I truly believe she is one of the best photographers out there. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for beautiful and timeless wedding photos. read more

Elissa R Photography - This is one of my favorite pictures taken during our reception during our lip sync battle! - Session Photography Near Me - Austin, Texas

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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, you can tell her style is unique - her portraits don't look stiff/posed and her action shots have a focus on little details and make use of light in an artistic way that is rare to see in most wedding photography. Elissa was also very kind to make accommodations in the package she offered. For example, she swapped out her travel fee for an hour of shooting at the wedding (since we didn't have a very long wedding), she mailed our photos and albums to us out of state, she changed her schedule so she could also come shoot our rehearsal dinner the day before the wedding, she extended our friends and family discount for ordering photos, and was just in general flexible throughout the whole process. A few weeks before the wedding, Elissa sent a very detailed survey asking about all the relevant details (e.g. timelines, where we would be getting ready, who needs to be in formals, and other details I never would have thought about). It was really helpful to do this as it also got me thinking about what I wanted to do, and I'm the type of person who loves a good planning sesh. We did not do an engagement session although Elissa suggests it as a way of getting comfortable being photographed by her. I appreciated that she didn't insist on it, unlike other wedding vendors insisting on ridiculous bs because that's 'the way we do things' (again...#vendorproblems). Elissa came to the rehearsal at the venue to get a sense of lighting/space and also get a head start on dealing with a ton of complex name and family tree learning. She was all over the place photographing at the rehearsal dinner. It was at my mother in law's house, and she did a great job of photographing in the crowd but also for more 'posed' moments. On the day of the wedding, she was in touch (not in an overbearing way) to shoot getting ready pictures and a 'first look' which you can do if you don't care about not seeing your partner before your ceremony. We needed that time to get some formal portraits out of the way because we had so many family member combinations to shoot. The getting ready pictures are some of my favorites - she's great with details and kind of quiet, low light 'moments.' Our first look/formals part 1 photo session was outdoors, and despite the muggy Houston weather, I rather liked having a moment in nature before our event. We also had a ketubah signing before the ceremony which was in a crappy conference room but was nonetheless photographed beautifully and really captured the joy of the moment. I don't remember much about the ceremony but I love that Elissa and her second shooter (forgot his name) were so great at unobtrusively capturing everything. It's nice to relive the experience through photos because it's such a whirlwind of emotion when you actually go through it the first time. The whole night was like that. One other fun thing was our photobooth. Unfortunately a lot of the photos were blurry but some were recovered and Elissa made up for it by letting us upgrade a few options in our photo albums. My one gripe is that there wasn't anyone to direct family members to where we were taking formal photos after the ceremony. So, a few of them didn't get in the formals because they didn't know about them. I kind of think this is something the wedding planner was supposed to do, rather than the photographers, but it resulted in some complaints from family. People always find *something* to complain about, though. After the wedding, Elissa was very on top of updates about all kinds of stuff. She let us know how the picture upload/editing was going, she sent us the usb of our photos (in a lovely wooden box that came with a few prints and taffy!!!!), she worked with us to design the photo albums, let us know when the albums were being shipped, and even let us know that our wedding would be featured on a wedding website! The albums Elissa designed and had made were the cherry on top. They look incredible - so professional and so distinguished. We had parent albums made for both our moms and they *LOVE* them. Ours sits in a place of honor on our bookshelf, and whenever friends come by they comment on how amazing the album and photos came out. Just do yourself a favor and book Elissa as your photographer, and it will be one less wedding thing you have to stress out about! read more

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! read more

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! read more

I hired Elissa for our wedding just 2 weeks ago and I could not have been more pleased witht he outcome. She just sent me the slideshow of a sample of our wedding photos and they are absolutely amazing! She is so creative and capture an image to make it more beautiful than reality. The lighting, the angles we're all just so amazing. Thank you so much Elissa! You have definitely made our wedding memorable and immortal! read more

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! read more

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%! read more

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! read more

Elissa is an amazing photographer! She has an excellent eye for capturing personalities and genuine, in-the-moment expressions. Her images made us look like polished versions of OURSELVES, our real selves, not at all staged or overdone in any way. We just want to stare and stare at the wonderful work she did for us! A little backstory: we decided to elope, so Elissa was really the only other person that was present for our wedding. Despite the fact that we had met her only moments before our ceremony, she was so pleasant, humorous and calming that we felt totally at ease. What could have potentially been an awkward social interaction became a little bubble of happiness that carried throughout our entire session (which took place at two separate locations). She was super professional in every way, communicating well before the wedding day, showing up early to the ceremony site, even helping us carry a few items when we ran out of hands! Her demeanor was very easygoing and really set the tone for us to be in the moment and enjoy. Elissa also managed to work in every theme that we wanted while also incorporating special elements of the environments we were in. So good! Would absolutely do it all over again, exactly as it was! We highly recommend Elissa without reservation. read more

We used Elissa for our engagement pictures (we are doing a destination wedding so couldn't have her photograph both) and we are very happy we picked her. Elissa is extremely professional yet made us both feel very comfortable throughout the whole process. She had a lot of ideas of her own yet always was making sure our vision for the session was coming through as well. She spent three full hours taking pictures and I think would have kept going if we hadn't been so tired! Plus she had a sneak peak of our engagement session up the same day as we took pictures and she had all our edited pictures to us within 2 weeks. Exactly what we were looking for. read more

We are so fortunate to have found Elissa to photograph our wedding! From the first time we spoke to our wedding day and beyond she was friendly, open, and very responsive whenever we had a question. Her suggestions for the wedding timeline were super useful and helped to organize our wedding day so things went off without a hitch! Our photos turned out far beyond our expectations and we are so happy that she captured everyone and everything so beautifully! read more

Elissa did wonderful on our engagement photos! We were looking for an accomplished photographer who had prior experience with gay couples. She was quick to respond to any questions we had and really helpful giving us ideas. The photos are beautiful and unique! We would highly recommend Elissa and will definitely use her again! read more