Jeff + Margaret...Audubon Zoo, New Orleans Wedding

I have shot in and around Audubon Park and Zoo before and everyone knows it's a classic New Orleans favorite.

I had never shot a wedding at the Sea Lion exhibit at Audubon before though.

Let me tell you...this spot shot straight to the top of my list. I was stunned at how beautiful it was.

This was partly also due to the fact that the day of Jeff and Margaret's wedding, the weather was incredible!!!

The weather could not have been more perfect...seriously.

And I honestly have to give credit where credit is due. Jeff & Margaret are a stunningly beautiful couple. In every way. These two live in New York but knew that New Orleans would be a perfect fit for a stunning wedding and they were of course quite correct.

What was my favorite thing about this wedding you ask? Well, besides how unbelievably gorgeous the entire day was...these two and pretty much most of their guests can really...truly...dance!!!!!

In fact...I believe the groom's dancing skills are one of many reasons these two ended up together!

This was definitely one for the books.

Jeff and Margaret, you two are stunning and it was a joy to spend such a beautiful day with you guys. I hope these photos will always serve as sweet reminders of an unforgettable day!

Ceremony: Sea Lion Exhibit at the Audubon Nature Institute

Reception: Tea Room at the Audubon Nature Institute

Florist Design: Bee's Wedding & Event Floral Designs

Coordinator: Carolyn Fredricks with Bee's Wedding & Event Floral Designs

Band: Louisiana Spice Band

Cake: Melissa's Fine Pastries

The Dress: Saks 5th Avenue (designed by Austin Scarlet)

Hair & Makeup: Flawless Bride

Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew

Groom's Tux: Paul Smith

Custom Printing: Leslie Evans, Seadog Press Watertown, MA

Chamber Music: Harry Hardin

Limo Service: Audubon Limousine

Catering: Audubon Nature Institute

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Thanks for stopping by!

*Claire

Andrew + Beth.. Bush, Louisiana Wedding Photography

Andrew and Beth were married at a wonderfully quaint church outside of Covington, Louisiana. Every single detail you see at this reception was thought of and created by Beth herself or a family member. Even down to the amazing chandeliers in the barn…her three brothers made these for the wedding! Amazing skills if you ask me.

Beth has dreamed of a barn wedding and looked far and wide for one. It was a beautifully done DIY wedding and from the barbecue to the bridals with a horse…this wedding fit these two like a glove!

Congratulations Andrew and Beth! I wish you two abundant joy in your marriage

Ceremony: Hebron Baptist Church

Reception: The Barn at Southwest Horse Company

Florist: Elaine Prestwood

Cake Artist: Cocoa Bean Bakery

DJ: Joey Hollaway

Hair & Makeup: Rebecca Davis

The Dress: Bustles and Bows Bridal Boutique

Lighting and Photobooth: Rock it Productions

Catering: Sweet Daddy's BBQ

Thanks for stopping by!

*Claire

Jeff & Margaret Sneak Peek.. New Orleans Wedding Photographer

Congratulations to Jeff & Margaret!!

More to come:)

Thanks for stopping by!

*Claire

Spencer + Rachel...My brother & his Baton Rouge Engagements.

I’ve known Spencer since the day I was brought to the hospital after he was born on May 21, 1992. I can’t tell you what my first impression of my little brother was at 4 years old….but I can try…

with words that will inevitably fail to do it justice…

to express my impressions of him almost 22 years later.

Spencer was a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy my Mom had always wanted. She literally had dreams of having a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes and I think she probably would have kept trying until God granted her wish. Well he did for the third one.… and Spencer became the baby of the family. With two strong-willed older sisters, Spencer rarely got a word in at the dinner table growing up…but when he did we all knew it would be good. With a rich sense of humor, strong convictions ingrained in the very heart of who he is, and the passion, sensitivity, and wit he got straight from our Father, Spencer captivates his audience when he speaks. He is strong. but he will be moved to heartache when confronted with the injustice of others. Spencer has the sensitivity, passion, drive, and steadiness of both our parents combined. I think I didn’t really realize most of my childhood that Spencer wasn’t really my age. He was my closest companion especially in summers when all there was to do was build another fort, ride our bikes around the cul-de-sac, and wrestle to the point of scaring my mom convinced we would break something or each other in the process. I can’t think of anything Spencer hasn’t been able to do when he sets out to do it. From the time he first learned to throw a baseball to deciding to be the sports editor at the Reveille, LSU’s student newspaper, Spencer decides he wants to do something, he commits, and he sticks with it.

This steady loyalty has played out the most in two areas of his life so far…sports…and the woman he loves. Spencer and Rachel have been together for over 7 years. They are highschool sweethearts, but first met as children in church together. On May 31^st this year…almost exactly 22 years after the day I met him, Spencer and Rachel will get married in Baton Rouge where they’ve spent the last 4 years attending LSU together. After that they will move to Dallas to no doubt accomplish much more than they already have..together. Spencer and Rachel’s relationship, from an older sister’s point of view, fits exactly who Spencer is. He is committed to the people and the things he loves..for life. He will fight for those he loves and he’s done that for Rachel and I know he will continue to.

Spencer, you make me proud, bud. Always have…always will. I love you

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Spencer + Rachel...My brother & his Baton Rouge Engagements.

I’ve known Spencer since the day I was brought to the hospital after he was born on May 21, 1992. I can’t tell you what my first impression of my little brother was at 4 years old….but I can try…

with words that will inevitably fail to do it justice…

to express my impressions of him almost 22 years later.

Spencer was a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy my Mom had always wanted. She literally had dreams of having a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes and I think she probably would have kept trying until God granted her wish. Well he did for the third one.… and Spencer became the baby of the family. With two strong-willed older sisters, Spencer rarely got a word in at the dinner table growing up…but when he did we all knew it would be good. With a rich sense of humor, strong convictions ingrained in the very heart of who he is, and the passion, sensitivity, and wit he got straight from our Father, Spencer captivates his audience when he speaks. He is strong. but he will be moved to heartache when confronted with the injustice of others. Spencer has the sensitivity, passion, drive, and steadiness of both our parents combined. I think I didn’t really realize most of my childhood that Spencer wasn’t really my age. He was my closest companion especially in summers when all there was to do was build another fort, ride our bikes around the cul-de-sac, and wrestle to the point of scaring my mom convinced we would break something or each other in the process. I can’t think of anything Spencer hasn’t been able to do when he sets out to do it. From the time he first learned to throw a baseball to deciding to be the sports editor at the Reveille, LSU’s student newspaper, Spencer decides he wants to do something, he commits, and he sticks with it.

This steady loyalty has played out the most in two areas of his life so far…sports…and the woman he loves. Spencer and Rachel have been together for over 7 years. They are highschool sweethearts, but first met as children in church together. On May 31^st this year…almost exactly 22 years after the day I met him, Spencer and Rachel will get married in Baton Rouge where they’ve spent the last 4 years attending LSU together. After that they will move to Dallas to no doubt accomplish much more than they already have..together. Spencer and Rachel’s relationship, from an older sister’s point of view, fits exactly who Spencer is. He is committed to the people and the things he loves..for life. He will fight for those he loves and he’s done that for Rachel and I know he will continue to.

Spencer, you make me proud, bud. Always have…always will. I love you

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Red Onion Celebrates Mom Trunk Show...Baton Rouge Family Photographer

We've got great news!!

We've been invited to be a part of Red Onion's Spring Trunk Show!

This show is all about celebrating Mom. Our work along with Atlanta painter, Britt Bass Turner, and the incredible Sennod Jewelry Design will be at Red Onion on May 1st and 2nd!

We will be debuting and selling some of our New Orleans art prints as well as showcasing some of our family and newborn sessions. You can even purchase discounted gift cards for all the special moms in your life to have their own family, child, or newborn photos taken with us! Be sure to also enter to win a gift basket with items from each vendor included!

Let's celebrate Moms together!!

Come to Red Onion on Perkins Rd. in Baton Rouge May 1st and 2nd!!

Azizi Life...Muhanga District, Rwanda

For one day while in Rwanda, Kate and I got to go outside the city to the Muhanga District where we spent the day with 7 women who are artisans with another co-op, Ingobokarugo Cooperative, in Rwanda. They make baskets and jewelry that they then sell through Azizi Life who sells their items to folks in the UK and the states. Through purchases of these items, the women are able to earn an income for their families, provide a way for their children to go to school, and contribute in other ways to their household.

These women opened up their home and time to us to show us what a day in their life looks like. We did everything from hoe in the field to carrying the cow’s lunch on our heads, to preparing their one meal of the day to learning how to make the jewelry they make ourselves!

This was an extremely eye opening experience. I saw families and children who live completely on the land…and there’s a joy that I couldn’t explain. These people are living in what to us here in the states would be seen as some of the most impoverished situations. But they have everything they need…and then some. In these communities, the families and neighbors share everything. When it’s time to kill the pig or cow…it’s shared with the entire community. When someone needs a house..all the men in the community come together to make the mud bricks and build the home. This mentality and way of life is fundamentally different from so many other cultures in the world. This is also what made the genocide and the murder of neighbors by neighbors an all the more shocking reality.

I’ve already touched on the ways this community and village were affected by the genocide and what that did for us during our stay there. You can read about that at this link…

http://www.claireelysephotography.com/blog/?p=8968

Something happened that day that I will never forget...As we were leaving the families including all of their children sang and danced for us. While dancing their traditional tribal dance, they were thanking us for being a part of their lives for the day. They don’t know us…they definitely don’t understand us and yet they were so welcoming…they then asked us to sing and dance for them. We of course weren't prepared and even laughed at first. But then we decided to sing Amazing Grace. They had never heard the song and it was a very moving experience. We began to get emotional singing it and had a hard time getting through the song. It occurred to each of us while singing about grace and eternity to those who don't even speak the same language that one day we will all sing together. We will worship and sing praises to God with members of God's family literally from every tribe and every nation..

when we've been there ten thousand years..

The kids in the villages all run to the street when they hear a car coming. They don’t see cars very often so when one pulls up they drop everything and run after it…waving and often yelling “mzungu!” which means “white person!” The photos of the kids and families doing this are some that I will treasure forever. The experience of that joy and welcome given to strangers was the gospel being played out. There is something in all of us...something that is not of us and it is God’s work to restore chaos in a broken world. Out of this chaos is a redemption that can be felt in the smiles, the dances, the hugs, the claps of even those who don’t even know the same language as us…and even in the car chases by children so excited to see someone different from them…there is a hint..a whisper of God’s grace, goodness, generosity, and joy that is real and that being in this world we have the privilege to share with others.

You can support the women and families seen in these photographs and other Rwandan artisans by visiting the link below:

http://azizilife.com/

And if you're ever in or near Rwanda, go visit Azizi Life and spend a day in the life of these people. You'll be changed forever.

http://azizilife.com/get-involved/experiences

^" After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire

Jordan & Casey.. New Orleans Wedding Photographer

Jordan and Casey’s wedding was at the incredible Terrell House. I can’t get enough of this place! They are absolutely one of my favorites in New Orleans!

Jordan and Casey had a beautiful wedding celebration complete with awesome gifts for one another (socks for cold feet!! ), tambourines for dancing at the reception (something the bride is known for), and even an accidental almost premature kiss by the groom who just couldn’t contain his joy at seeing his beautiful bride walking down that aisle!

Jordan and Casey, I wish you guys a lifetime of joy in marriage and growth together. I pray you rest in a love and joy greater than yourselves that will allow you to love one another fully.

Getting Ready:  Terrell House

Ceremony: St. Henry's Church, New Orleans

Reception: Terrell House

Florist: Fallo Van Os Floral Co

Band: Chicken on the Bone

Makeup: Blush and Bashful

Caterer: Terrell House

The dress: Wedding Bells

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Mrs. Casey Colomb Von Tress....New Orleans Bridal Photography at the Beauregard-Keyes House

Congratulations to Jordan and Casey Von Tress!

Stay tuned for more from their beautiful wedding at The Terrell House in New Orleans!

These bridals were taken at a stunning venue we didn't even know about but is quickly becoming one of my favorites!!

Ladies, check out The Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden Museum in the French Quarter.

I'm so glad to know about this incredible house tucked in a quiet corner of the Quarter. If you're looking for a wedding venue in New Orleans, trust me, you want to check

out the Beauregard - Keyes House.

Special thanks to Ella for being awesome and getting us fixed up with a wonderful spot for beautiful bridals!

Casey, you're stunning! What a joy to do these for you guys!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Mrs. Casey Colomb Von Tress....New Orleans Bridal Photography at the Beauregard-Keyes House

Congratulations to Jordan and Casey Von Tress!

Stay tuned for more from their beautiful wedding at The Terrell House in New Orleans!

These bridals were taken at a stunning venue we didn't even know about but is quickly becoming one of my favorites!!

Ladies, check out The Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden Museum in the French Quarter.

I'm so glad to know about this incredible house tucked in a quiet corner of the Quarter. If you're looking for a wedding venue in New Orleans, trust me, you want to check

out the Beauregard - Keyes House.

Special thanks to Ella for being awesome and getting us fixed up with a wonderful spot for beautiful bridals!

Casey, you're stunning! What a joy to do these for you guys!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Spring and Easter Family Photo Sessions....Baton Rouge Photographer

Call or email us to schedule your spring photo sessions today!!

If you book your 30 minute session within the next 3 weeks we'll throw in 2 free digital downloads!

30 minute spring sessions are only $100

Discounts on 1-2 hour sessions and multiple location/outfit sessions are also available when booking in the next two weeks.

Call or email for questions & to get on our spring calendar!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Spring and Easter Family Photo Sessions....Baton Rouge Photographer

Call or email us to schedule your spring photo sessions today!!

If you book your 30 minute session within the next 3 weeks we'll throw in 2 free digital downloads!

30 minute spring sessions are only $100

Discounts on 1-2 hour sessions and multiple location/outfit sessions are also available when booking in the next two weeks.

Call or email for questions & to get on our spring calendar!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Spring and Easter Family Photo Sessions....Baton Rouge Photographer

Call or email us to schedule your spring photo sessions today!!

If you book your 30 minute session within the next 3 weeks we'll throw in 2 free digital downloads!

30 minute spring sessions are only $100

Discounts on 1-2 hour sessions and multiple location/outfit sessions are also available when booking in the next two weeks.

Call or email for questions & to get on our spring calendar!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Novie Rose Griffin...Baton Rouge Newborn Photographer

Nova Rose Griffin was born at 7:29 pm Wednesday, February 5, 2014. She weighed 8lbs & 7 oz.

 It’s pretty much impossible to put into words the feelings we have for some folks. I find it actually a wonderfully difficult task to write on here about close friends and family. Mainly because no words do it justice.

I’ve known Brad and Laura for only almost 3 years now. My love for them and relationship with them has been one of those you just have a hard time remembering what it was like before they came along :). These two are like siblings to me and I’m so thankful for God’s timing in placing them in my life. They have been a huge support, encouragement, and have been used by God to trump a lot of lies I believed once before.

When Novie was born, it was like a family member came into the world. I’ve never experienced a joy in that way. I’m excited to watch this little one grow and seek to support and encourage her parents even half as much as they’ve blessed me with such over these few years.

Love you guys so much.

Welcome to the world, little one.

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Novie Rose Griffin...Baton Rouge Newborn Photographer

Nova Rose Griffin was born at 7:29 pm Wednesday, February 5, 2014. She weighed 8lbs & 7 oz.

 It’s pretty much impossible to put into words the feelings we have for some folks. I find it actually a wonderfully difficult task to write on here about close friends and family. Mainly because no words do it justice.

I’ve known Brad and Laura for only almost 3 years now. My love for them and relationship with them has been one of those you just have a hard time remembering what it was like before they came along :). These two are like siblings to me and I’m so thankful for God’s timing in placing them in my life. They have been a huge support, encouragement, and have been used by God to trump a lot of lies I believed once before.

When Novie was born, it was like a family member came into the world. I’ve never experienced a joy in that way. I’m excited to watch this little one grow and seek to support and encourage her parents even half as much as they’ve blessed me with such over these few years.

Love you guys so much.

Welcome to the world, little one.

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Novie Rose Griffin...Baton Rouge Newborn Photographer

Nova Rose Griffin was born at 7:29 pm Wednesday, February 5, 2014. She weighed 8lbs & 7 oz.

 It’s pretty much impossible to put into words the feelings we have for some folks. I find it actually a wonderfully difficult task to write on here about close friends and family. Mainly because no words do it justice.

I’ve known Brad and Laura for only almost 3 years now. My love for them and relationship with them has been one of those you just have a hard time remembering what it was like before they came along :). These two are like siblings to me and I’m so thankful for God’s timing in placing them in my life. They have been a huge support, encouragement, and have been used by God to trump a lot of lies I believed once before.

When Novie was born, it was like a family member came into the world. I’ve never experienced a joy in that way. I’m excited to watch this little one grow and seek to support and encourage her parents even half as much as they’ve blessed me with such over these few years.

Love you guys so much.

Welcome to the world, little one.

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

A week in Kigali, Rwanda...{Baton Rouge Photographer}

Back again from photographing in Kigali.

I have to be honest, the hardest part of doing this kind of work is coming back to the states. This is not because I don’t miss people or am not ready for my own bed….because believe me….I miss both equally! This is partly because I never feel like it's quite long enough and partly due to what I can only describe as culture shock. This is something I can remember experiencing for the first time when I came back from a trip to Mexico my first year of college. I was only there a week. I spent time in huts with people who had diseases that would likely never be healed. My job was to assist the doctors there by taking vitals. The doctors did what they could to make these folks “comfortable” and occasionally provided the necessary medicine or procedure that would take them out of the state they were living in each day. After a week of working with these doctors, sleeping on the floor, and showering outside, I remember riding back to LSU trying to process what I had seen and realizing I didn't have many answers to the questions I was asking. I had only seen or heard of mud huts on t.v. with images of malnourished kids. I had only imagined such living conditions as I had seen that one week and didn’t like to think that life like that existed out there. I remember our van pulling up to LSU’s campus and through exhausted eyes, I turned and looked at something I had seen day in and day out but this time it looked very different. All of a sudden, the clock tower on campus seemed so huge to me. I remember thinking “that tower is so big!” and then I remember having a legitimately confusing thought…”Is it necessary to have such big buildings? Everything is so tall here!”

 Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking large buildings and anyone who knows me knows I wouldn’t knock just about anything on LSU’s campus as it quickly became a second home to me during my time there. (Not to mention it’s the most wonderful campus and school there is but I digress).

The point is….when I go to other countries... developing, third world countries….when I see how, honestly, the majority of the world outside of America lives...when I experience the immediate slowing of time, priorities, values, and status... when I see hurting or see the effective way that other cultures live…I have a hard time coming back to the states. The states and western culture are fast-paced in a way I can’t really describe. The emphasis on success, money, fame and finding oneself is so overwhelmingly preached in every aspect of our culture that I have to be honest and say that it takes quite a few days to jump back in..and to fight a confusing cynicism.

Last week I spent a few days in Africa. I spent time with a group of 12 women at a little co-op in its own corner of Kigali, Rwanda. I saw a work ethic much like, yet so different from ours in the states in order to provide for families that had been ripped apart by war-torn nearby countries and by Rwanda’s own experience with genocide 20 years ago. I experienced confusion in trying to not only communicate with those in the culture, but understand the differences in them and in our life experiences. I spent the day with women in mud huts who live off the land, have no idea what time it is throughout the day, and who I could bet have never seen a building as tall as LSU’s Memorial Tower.

 

I experienced all these things and how do I feel now?...more confused than when I left! I feel more closely now the frustrations that there are millions out there who suffer every day. More than ever I am angry that poverty exists, uncertain why God put me where I am with what I have, and more joyful than I could have expected that he truly does comfort and care for his people.  I could sit here and write about all the things that I learned…and I will :)….or act like I understand why cultures are the way they are and what goes into them…or even pretend to define one as better than the other. The truth is…it’s times like this that the only definition or label I can put on any of it is that I only know a tiny fraction of how God is at work in this world, what he’s doing to “make all things new,” and the way that sin has complicated all of it. I don’t have all or even many of the answers and I so easily feel the effects of that when I try to jump back into our culture or as I attempt to answer others’ questions about my trip and time in these places. I don’t know how to answer many questions…but I am going to attempt to tell whatever stories God has for me to tell through my time there and anywhere else he takes me. Hopefully throughout the process whoever reads this will learn a few things about what God is doing in their own lives, understand the world a little better, and maybe even purchase some items made by folks on the other side of the world who because of reasons we can't know will never know life like we experience here.

For the next couple of weeks I will post once a week on our time in Africa, the people we met, the stories we heard, the joys and struggles that I or those I love experience there, and how you can help. This is not to pretend I have answers or to condemn our own culture or where God has each of us. It’s in order to answer the call to speak about the only one who has the answers and what he’s, for whatever reason, sent me in the world to do for such a time as this. So if you think to, please stay tuned and return to see photos and stories. This as always is a process full of uncertainty and more questions asked with every perceived answer.

What a joy to have been given the freedom and invitation to ask.

 

More to come.

Be sure to check out Noonday Collection and Azizi Life

Thanks for reading and thanks for stopping by,

Claire

Brad & Kristin...Laffayette, Louisiana {Baton Rouge Wedding Photographer}

Brad & Kristin were married on February 15, 2014 at La Chapelle des AttakapasVermilionville Historic Village in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Let me just say...I LOVE this girl's style!

This venue is such a wonderfully quaint and intimate, truly authentic South Louisiana cajun experience! Kristin's details at the wedding even down to the dress, flowers, and incredible cajun band complimented the entire theme of the day.

It was genuine and thoughtful just as Brad and Kristin themselves are and have been toward us!

It was an honor to be a part of this joyful celebration with you two and I pray that joy will extend into many years together of growth in marriage!

Ceremony & Reception: La Chapelle des Attakapas Vermilionville Historic Village

Coordinator: Casey Leblanc

Band: T'Monde

Hair & Makeup: Hellianna Verret

The Dress: BHLDN, veil from Veil Artistry

Bridesmaids Dresses: Lemon Drop

Tuxes: Joseph A. Bank

Paper goods design: Bride's brother!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Brad & Desiree...New Orleans, Louisiana {New Orleans Wedding Photographer}

Brad and Desiree were married on February 8th at St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church in New Orleans.

Their reception took place at The Foundry in New Orleans's Warehouse District. This was our first time to shoot at The Foundry. It was a super awesome venue in such a great location.

We got to do a little of my favorite kind of New Orleans shooting...stopping a bit of traffic to get that shot which it turns out is much less dangerous in the Warehouse District!

I especially love it when we get a chance to photograph some cool kids during a wedding day. Brad's son, Jackson, was no exception. Jackson has some swag for sure.

Take a look!

 Many thanks to Brad & Desiree for having me be a part of this awesome New Orleans Wedding!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Matt + Kelsi...Monroe, Louisiana {Baton Rouge Wedding Photographer}

You may remember Matt and Kelsi's engagements from last summer. We took Matt, Kelsi, and their precious dogs' photos at and around Neville High School in Monroe, Louisiana where Matt and Kelsi first met.

A few minutes down the road and just a few years later, these two were married on February 1st!

Matt and Kelsi, what a joy to be a part of your wedding day and to get to celebrate with your sweet families and friends! It was honor and we wish you two many years of growth, blessings, and joy in marriage with one another!

Many thanks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire