Chaise Helaine Tinsley of Helaine is a wedding photographer who loves retelling remarkable days through her photographs. Based on the US East Coast, her work is both editorial and candid, leaving space for quiet beauty and genuine moments. Heavily influenced by natural elements, Helaine uses both digital and film, to document weddings in a timeless, yet creative way.
Tell us about Helaine!
Based on the East Coast, Helaine is a wedding and lifestyle photographer with an affinity for retelling remarkable days through her images.
With a background in hospitality and design, she's developed an individual approach to how she sees the world. Her work is both curated and candid, leaving space for quiet beauty and genuine moments.
Where are you based?
I’m currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. Access to the world’s busiest airport has made it a practical home base for destination weddings, but the food scene and greenspace has kept me around.
Do you travel for weddings?
For sure. Travel is truly at the heart of Helaine. It’s less about epic destinations and more about my couples experiencing something unforgettable with the ones they love most. I’m always considering how to incorporate a strong sense of place into a wedding story. Documenting elevated gatherings from coast to coast is something I’m forever grateful for.
How would you describe your style?
Helaine blends a modern take on documentary wedding photography with an adoration for experience, travel and love stories.
I value editorial portraits as much as I do joy-filled blurry images and unrehearsed moments. My work is both timeless and creative, intimate and expansive. It’s often quiet and simple, but it welcomes revelry all the same.
It’s an ever-changing and artistic approach to a wedding day that focuses on feeling in its many forms.
My style is influenced by organic elements and natural tones. I think this comes from growing up between coastal Florida and the mountains of North Carolina. However, most of my adult life has been spent in a major US city. You’ll find a bit of tension between the urban and the outdoors in my work.
Some of my biggest inspiration comes from exceptional and thoughtful design that also emphasizes natural environments. Think Aman Resorts.
What motivates you to do what you do?
I left the world of advertising in 2018 with the hopes of telling stories on my own terms. I realized pretty early on that I wanted to surround myself with real people in big and vulnerable moments.
I’ve got a bit of a unique background and weddings allowed me to bring it all together in a way that finally made sense. Travel, hospitality, culture, art, deep personal relationships - it has everything I’d hoped for and more.
It’s also a crazy special thing to consider that my couples are going to cherish and revisit these images for generations. The idea of creating something nostalgic is thrilling to me.
On the off days, I’m fueled by music, community, books, interiors, desserts and good old fashioned quality time.
How would you describe your working style?
“You’re really easy to talk to” and “I know you from somewhere” are phrases I’ve heard my entire life. Making strangers feel comfortable is a skill set I didn’t quite know I had until I became a photographer.
When working with couples, I find balance is really important. The way I show up on wedding day is gentle, adaptable, guiding and supportive. I know when to step in, when to step out and how to match the energy of a moment. I bring a calm, positive presence to the spaces I’m photographing and I want it to feel like a friend is documenting your day. I’m never intrusive, but always present.
I’m also heavy on efficient communication whether that’s with my couple or their planner and vendor team.
Do you have custom packages according to individual needs?
Yes! I believe in a collaborative and custom approach to proposals. I want to make sure couples have a bespoke experience that feels seamless and personal.
I also curate a collection of digital and film images into my galleries.
Where would you love to travel to for work?
More of a what than a where, but I’d love to document more wedding weekends. It’s such a fun way to capture not only the couple's nuptials, but an immersive experience for their guests as well. I get to see a different side of clients, become part of the friend group and create lifestyle images that highlight all of their favorite people. Destinations make the couple and guests feel like they’re in for an unforgettable adventure. In terms of favorite locales, my heart will always be split between the coast and the mountains.
Who is your dream client?
I find the most joy working with couples that value experience over perfection. They have an intentional vision for their day, but are also flexible, allowing for serendipitous moments to occur.
They have a love for elevated details in a lived-in, laid-back sort of way. Elements of fashion, stand out designs and stirring locations are effortlessly woven into their wedding day.
I resonate with couples that live thoughtfully and approach life as an ongoing opportunity to love hard, chase what matters most and create wonder in the everyday.
What is your advice to couples getting married?
Do: Make sure you give yourself space to be present and take it all in. Find vendors that make the experience a priority and align with how you’d like to feel. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the love you have for each other and the community you surround yourself with.
Don’t: Have a strenuous photography timeline. I think it takes away from your day. I’d rather capture the day as it happens, freezing memories along the way. Hopefully memories you can reflect on over a glass of wine in your 60s with your loved ones close by.
