Based on the East Coast, Helaine is a wedding photographer with an affinity for retelling remarkable days through her images. With a background in hospitality and design, she has a deep love for how and why we gather. Her work is both candid and curated, leaving space for quiet beauty and genuine moments. Over the last seven years in the industry, Helaine has developed a balanced approach to documentary wedding photography that takes you out of the production and into the present.
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?
Yes! I travel for most weddings these days, whether we’re all headed somewhere new together or traveling to a familiar location. It’s really less about epic destinations and more about experiencing a milestone with the ones you love most in a place that means something to you.
Whether that’s the city, in nature or back home where you grew up - the destination matters. It’s a carefully chosen piece of your story that I want to make sure is visually represented. I’ll always be inspired by what inspires you.
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 just 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.
What motivates you to do what you do?
I love being invited into big and vulnerable moments. I’m inspired by the emotions around gathering and the comfort that comes from community. There’s a reason why we choose to come together to celebrate life’s biggest moments. Above all else, this idea of togetherness is what drives us. Getting to document just a glimpse of all those nuanced feelings is what motivates me to continue capturing wedding days.
It’s an honor to create heirlooms, knowing the images will continue to inspire people to gather, cry, laugh, remember and reflect for generations to come.
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 a 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 delight in working with couples that value experience over perfection. They have a vision for their day, but are also really 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, intentional design and meaningful 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 when you feel stuck in the production of it all. 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.
