wedding photography + videography that feels comfortable, familiar.
A photographer for the out of the box weddings, I'm ready to approach your day with authenticity, and individuality. Your wedding day is special and unique to you — and you need a photographer who can make you feel comfortable, show off how beautiful you are and approach the day with genuine curiosity.
Based on Block Island, where weddings are a weekend experience, I thrive working with couples who value experience first and are looking for a collaborative, involved experience for their wedding weekend.
documenting the art that you are
eli holmes photo + film
film + destination wedding photographer
Clients are all you see — no professional models, just people comfortably, happily, and beautifully in love. Joy is what allows me to capture beautiful images. At one point in their journey they felt the same way you do now. And then they got married, and got their images back...
Super 8 and 35mm offer a unique nostalgia to wedding and family images and video. There's an art to film and Super 8 that is unique to film. From choosing film stocks to match your wedding aesthetic and environments, to choosing the right developer and timing to develop your images, the process is an art form. Film is intentional — it requires slowing down, looking at light meters, considering the film stock in your camera, considering which camera and flash you're going to use.
film in motion
While I still photograph on digital cameras, I do offer full film packages, and combined packages. My digital work tends to lean towards a nostalgic feel with nods to direct flash, motion blur, hazy soft focus, and client-driven posing.
Digital work with a nostalgic feel
Hello hello!
I'm Eli, they/them. I live on Block Island, Rhode Island.
I'm never going to give you cookie cutter photos. The industry has this sort of obsession with a certain ideal and way of doing things — I'm here to throw that all out. Get married how you want with images that reflect who YOU are.
Weekend-long weddings and how to photograph them honestly and authentically is my expertise. I photographed weddings of all shapes, sizes, and styles — I thrive in that weekend-long experience, creating artwork from your wedding day to share with family and friends for generations.
Easy — fill out the inquiry form below. You'll receive an email with past galleries, pricing, and a link to a quote. When you're ready to book, just click on the quote and our website will walk you through the booking process.
03
how do we book you for a family session?
I don't. I find that charging by the hour just puts your day into a tight timeline when the magic happens all day long. By charging by the day, I'm with you, flexibly, as things shift, and as things happen — moments that are worth documenting aren't just a reveal of a wedding dress, or a first dance, they're in all the in betweens that happen when no one is looking.
02
for weddings, what do you charge by the hour?
Just about anything on Block Island. From modeling headshots, family sessions, and boudoir/intimate couples sessions, to big weddings and corporate events, I have experience and know how to photograph and support clients in a variety of modalities.
01
what do you photograph
FAQ — lets find out more
Those are my very favorite sessions! I love photographing surprise proposals. I do things a little differently — we have the session where I photograph the knee-drop, y'all enjoy some champagne, and all the excitement. We meet up separately once some of the dust settles, and celebrate a little bit more with a short couples session. This gives you images for your Save the Date, and to celebrate the beginning of this journey.
04
do you photograph surprise proposals?
YES! Eloping is the best — especially on Block Island. I'll walk you through the process, from navigating Town Hall and your marriage license, to helping with your vows if you need it. In the past, I've helped couples with location scouting, booking dinners and helicopter rides, booking hotels and recommendations for hotels and things to do. Block Island is a super magical place for elopements — you get the big destination feel without the big destination travel. Send over an inquiry below and let's get your elopement party going!
05
we're thinking about eloping but don't know where to begin — can you help?
All the time! I'm a bit of a nomad, and love living in a destination location. I travel at least once a month to NYC or Boston with lots of trips throughout the year to California, and New Orleans.
05
Do you travel?
The Studio, on High Street, actually is also my studio! I can photograph headshots, passport pictures, newborns, and more out of our brick and mortar.
06
Do you have a studio?
first dance songs
getting ready playlist
wedding weekend playlist
after party playlist
I don't really charge by the hour. I decide what your package options might look like based on a mutual conversation. I need to look at what it'll take to photograph your wedding effectively in order to provide pricing. This often means I don't charge hourly and don't have a minimum hours or a similar requirement.
08
Is there a minimum hours you must book?
Yes! At The Studio I offer intimate sessions + intimate couples sessions. I do travel for these sessions as well.
These sessions tend to be more minimalist and simple than traditional boudoir with a focus on natural movement and interaction. My intimate sessions on Block Island are inclusive sessions that provide a one night stay, couples massage and dinner.
07
Do you offer boudoir sessions?
- kristin + steve, wedding photo + video clients
Thank you so much for everything! We are in awe of our little preview! The pictures from the beach are absolutely stunning! We are so thankful for all of your help! You are such an amazing person! Your knowledge is second to none! We are forever grateful for our friendship. Thank you for everything. We are so excited to continue our Block Island family vacations and have them documented in the future.
- chelsea + ryan
Eli's knowledge of block island was comprehensive and allowed us to have the most epic wedding portraits.
- john + mark
We didn't think we could feel comfortable having our photos taken, then we worked with eli.
- sydney + brandon
Folks on island commented on how much they loved Eli, and how beautiful our photos were. We couldn't be more thankful.
- sarah + mark
I thought this would be hard — being around eli was so easy, and it truly reflected in the images. I've never felt more beautiful or more like myself.
- john + melissa
eli knows the island — when we walked around there wasn't a person they didn't know that wasn't excited to see them. it truly truly helped us navigate this journey and have the best wedding day and the best images.
- sarah + mark
I thought this would be hard — being around eli was so easy, and it truly reflected in the images. I've never felt more beautiful or more like myself.
What past clients have to say
Let's work together
Meet me at Persephone's for a latte or Calavera's for tacos and let's discuss your vision and plans.
I take on a limited amount of weddings per year to be able to provide deep attention and care to each one of the clients I work with. When I'm using a camera, it's a collaborative experience, and as such I want to ensure you are the right fit, and that you will feel comfortable and confident through this experience. All proposals are custom just as your love and wedding is — your expectations and vision varies from any other love and I want to ensure I'm providing you with a proposal that works for you. The more information you can provide the better I can get to know y'all and provide you with options that make sense to you.
I do use digital as well — especially for those Block Island family sessions. I do about 70 family sessions every year on Block Island.
Just a reminder that we work with all types of love, relationships, and families. We welcome polyamorous and ENM relationships, as well as the BIPOC /LGBTQ+ community.
Each year a portion of our revenue and services gets donated to places like the Block Island Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Mary D Fund, the Block Island Historical Society, the Block Island School, the Trevor Project, Project GLAAD, and more.