Meet Tegan Jae of The Paper Elephant
Tegan Jae is the artistic vision behind The Paper Elephant, a business dedicated to creating genuine, romantic and timeless imagery for the modern couple. The namesake is a throwback to when she was a little girl creating silly knock knock jokes about elephants. Tegan’s clients attest to her aesthetic talents and ability to capture the raw emotion and heart-warming moments throughout their special day. "The pictures are breathtaking!” raves her bride, Sarah. “Tegan and her team captured the most intimate, beautiful moments of our wedding day. It’s amazing how I can look at the photos and genuinely smile and remember how I was feeling in that moment.”
Tegan’s approach to weddings is a melding of documentary and lifestyle photography. She draws on her academic background in design and architecture to produce classic imagery, deliberately applying the principles of design and inspired by leading lines, depth and rich colors. She strives to remain an observer of your wedding day and only intervenes when necessary to achieve the artistic vision.
Tegan believes that photographs should timelessly reflect your love, with a focus on the special moments that make your wedding day unique. She explains her philosophy, “The settings and details of a wedding day are important in telling the story and setting the scene, but the moments are the real story.” She loves photographing the raw emotions, whether it be tears shed from the bride's father as he dances with his little girl, laughter as the maid-of-honor reminds everyone of the bride’s childhood antics, or excitement from the groom as he kisses his bride for the first time.
Not only is Tegan a talented photographer in demand throughout the Midwest, New York, Florida, California and Nevada, she is also a designer, educator, bacon lover, wife and cat cuddlier. Easygoing and fun, she will make sure you feel comfortable and at ease in front of the camera. Tegan encourages her clients to relax and interact with each other to create genuine moments and real reactions. “I never want my couples to look awkward (unless it's cute awkward) or like posed cake toppers smiling on command. I want them to relax, laugh and remember the experience and excitement every time they look at the images.” She will subtly guide you with prompts and posing that fits your style and makes you look glamorous while allowing your personality to shine through in your photographs.
You can expect to become more than just a client to Tegan. With the hands-on, personal attention that she provides, Tegan treats her brides as friends from the first meeting until far beyond the final product delivery. She wants to get to know you as an individual and as a couple. Like any good friend, she will be available to discuss wedding ideas or find creative ways to fit photography into your wedding day, encourage you to be yourself, and make sure that you look and feel amazing on your special day. After all, the more comfortable and confident you are, the more beautiful you will look in front of the camera, and the happier you will be with your photos and overall experience.
