Elissa R Photography

Elissa photographed our engagement in August 2016 and our wedding in October. Working with her 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 an ENTIRE afternoon/evening with us. It was a great opportunity to get to know her and get comfortable with having our photos taken before the wedding. At the wedding itself, Elissa was a complete professional. I loved that our photos aren't the same old shots you see everywhere. She's amazing at capturing simple, natural moments--a loving glance, a tear being wiped away. The pictures just feel like "us." Once everything was ready, she sent us a lovely box complete with a thumb drive of photos and a small gift--a sweet touch! It has been so hard to choose prints for our home from the engagement and wedding photos because we love so many of them. I'm so glad she was there to capture these memories for us. We'd definitely recommend her to anyone. She is THE BEST!!

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!

Elissa was incredibly sweet and wonderful to work with. We actually found her on Craigslist, when our original wedding photographer had to cancel on us. Elissa has been doing photography for years, but we were her first full-length wedding. The photos are amazing- she has a great artistic eye and instinct. The photos are exactly what we hoped for- she nailed it. She does portraits and engagement sessions too! Look her up and book an appointment before she fills up!