To order images, please CLICK HERE.

With Joy,

Heather España

You might remember this amazing couple from their Powell’s Books engagement session.  We knew we wanted to get together again before their August wedding and get some more photos, this time in some delicious summer evening light.  We lucked out!  It was absolutely gorgeous, paired with two of my favorite people.

I also accidentally posted one image twice.  See if you can spot it!

Friends & Family of Joel and Deborah: their full engagement gallery is available for viewing and ordering by clicking HERE.

With Joy,

Heather España

They have been friends for a long, long time.  Aletheia loves hunting for vintage treasures, and she and Ken share an affinity for biking but not for running.  Aletheia enjoys caterpillars and Ken prefers not to enjoy caterpillars.  I love photographing people who know each other so well, and really are the best of friends.

We met up at Powell Butte Nature Park in Portland, OR for their engagement session.  I’m so excited for their wedding at Mount Hood Bed&Breakfast this year!

A Caterpillar sneaked onto Ken’s shoulder while I was photographing them.  We laughed so hard at his reaction, I wasn’t sure if I’d caught the whole sequence but I did!  Thanks for being such a sport, Ken.  Your caterpillar face is epic.

To view their whole session and order prints, please CLICK HERE.

With Joy,

Heather España

We started out at Sweetest Thing.  And this is how Deborah looks if you steal any of her frosting [totally Joel, not me]. Powell’s Books!

In the rare books room, where they were engaged. . .Possibly the sweetest children’s book every written. . .Let’s just say I could photograph this hair all day.STORY!  Joel totally FOUND this pearl inside an oyster after following a sea turtle while snorkeling.  A local told him it was a gift from the turtle and it was his responsibility to then give the pearl to someone who would be very important in his life.  Guess who he gave it to?  Whee! Joel and Deborah are getting married under a tree in a field this summer.  I can hardly wait.

With Joy,

Heather España

Heather España

With Joy,

Heather España

With Joy,

Heather España

I will be out of the office this weekend as my husband and I move into our first house together.  I will be back soon!

With Joy,

Heather España

Tee+Cheryl’s engagement session actually ended up being split over two days, since our first attempt got ridiculously rainy!  We were still able to get some fun shots in Powell’s and at their favorite ice-cream shop though.  For day two, we wandered to Hoyt Arboretum for a picnic with the cutest picnic set I’ve ever seen.  I’m tempted to go to England [where Tee is from] just to get one myself.  It’s carry-on size, right?

I hope you are enjoying this delicious spring weather .

With Joy,

Heather España

And now that the feature is up, I can share the full session with you!  Tyler and Jessica have been planning their wedding from out of state, so their session was my first time getting to meet them!  They are so sweet together, and I love that Jessica put such great thought into the little details for their photos. I can hardly wait for their wedding!

As Megan quoted for the blog feature, “The session was shot where their wedding will be held later this year at Beazell Memorial Forest Kings Valley, OR. The little tin holding the clementines belonged to Jessica’s grandmother, and Tyler is wearing a vest that was his grandpa’s. They are outdoorsy folk, but they love to dress up! “I always wear heels when I’m hiking in the woods!” Jessica joked .” Tyler is an avid soccer player, so we have course had to pay tribute to his sport.  I saw the white ball and immediately thought VOLLEYBALL.  Yeah. . . I’m not so much an athlete.  I take pictures . We totally got rained on.  See all the raindrops?  I actually enjoy the pattern they make on the blue fabric. This is my favorite shot of the day. Tyler and Jessica, it was so great to meet you at last!  Thanks for being troopers in the mud and rain .

My uber talented friends Bryan+Leah also got featured!  Check out their beautiful photographs HERE.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

With Joy,

Heather España

A session that resonates is all about Personality, Nostalgia and Emotional Connection.  Now, I have honestly had clients who thought they couldn’t come up with anything of significance that would help us a create a session that spoke to who they were.  I’ve had people say they didn’t have any hobbies, or special locations or much of a story even!  After a little digging though, wonderful things started coming to the surface.  Everybody has a story.

PERSONALITY

Who are you as an individual?  What are the colors that make you happiest?  If you have free time, what do you do?  What makes you laugh?  If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Who are you as a couple?  What do you love about the other?  What was the first thing you noticed about them (be honest now!)?  If you had to pick your favorite trait about the other (kindness, humor, etc.), what would it be?

NOSTALGIA

Where, and how did you first meet?  What did you do for your first date?  What place/s do you call home?  Are there any places you enjoy going to frequently (certain movie theater, hiking trail, coffee shop)?

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

I think some of the most powerful photographs are ones that just completely encapsulate someone.  In engagement sessions, it’s important to be comfortable so you can be yourselves, and your photographer can capture your true relationship.  Relaxing during a session is, of course, one of the most difficult things to do for many people.  But answering questions about your personalities, and places that are special to you, help to create an environment in which it’s EASIER for you to relax and be yourself.  And a good photographer will help bring out the real you.

And because this post would be boring and dry if it was just me talking, here are a whole bunch of pictures that I feel demonstrate what I’m talking about.

Below: Here’s Kate and Evan. Evan’s a DJ. They both heart records and thumping music.  Also comedic relief.  And they spend a lot of time in this very record store, which is where we began their session. . . [you can click HERE to see their engagement session, and HERE to see their wedding].

Below: and here is Fred and Martine.  We did their engagement session on Martine’s family’s farm (nostalgia), and had fun playing with this old Ford truck and an ancient (still running!) tractor.  They are both engineers, so it seemed appropriate.  You can see their full engagement session HERE. Below: Stephanie and Nathan.  Stephanie, as you can see, loves to dance and Nathan is a firefighter.  So we had a blast making the most of their passions.  You can see their full engagement session HERE, and their wedding HERE.Below: This is David and Emily.  They’re both incredibly creative individuals, with a passion for vintage style.  They had fun putting together their outfits and a little picnic for their pre-partnership celebration photos.  You can see the full session HERE, and their Partnership Celebration HERE. Below: This is Jo and Janelle.  Janelle is colorful and creative, and loves old books.  Jo is quiet and kind, and loves fishing.  Put those together, and voila!  You can see their full engagement session HERE and their casual beach-cabin wedding HERE and HERE. Below: Meet Zach and Jennifer.  Among other things, they like cupcakes.  Really, it’s hard to go wrong with cupcakes in pictures .  You can see their full Portland engagement session HERE.

Below: Jordan and Rachel were my most recent engagement session, and they love just spending time together and enjoying walks and good food.  We took that and ran with it under the cherry trees in downtown Salem OR.  You can see the full session HERE.I hope this helps!

With Joy,

Heather España

They like each other just a little bit, and they’re getting married this summer!  We met up at the capitol in Salem, OR to take advantage of the amazing cherry blossoms. . .

With Joy,

Heather España

With Joy,

Heather España