Espana Photography Blog » for CLIENTS

Press Books

Heather — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:00:10 +0000

I’m very excited to introduce my new line of Press Books or, as you might be familiar with them, coffee table books! They are a fun alternative to custom flush mount albums. Your album designs are press printed on heavy archival art papers, and bound with “Layflat” hinging. There are a variety of sizes and cover fabrics to choose from.

Here are some photos of my most recent sample album. . .

THE COVER FABRICS AND COLORS AVAILABLE [Left to Right, Top to Bottom]

[FIRST ROW]

Standard Cloth: Chocolate, Black Onyx | Linens: Natural, Onyx and chocolate | Chrome: Platinum, Champagne

[SECOND ROW]

Silks: Celery, Sapphire, Plum, Chocolate, Onyx, Ruby, Sea Green

Note: Colors and textures may appear different on your monitor. I have physical swatches available for viewing in person.

For Press Book pricing, please contact me. 971.645.8837.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

With Joy,

Heather España

Spring+Image Shop

Heather — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:08:43 +0000

It’s officially spring! Hooray!

I also wanted to let you know I finally put up a gallery shop for my personal work, as requested by some of you. You can view it by clicking HERE. There is no password required. Just type in your email address [NEVER used for any other purposes] to enter the gallery. If there are images you’ve seen here on the blog you’d be interested in owning, but don’t see in the gallery yet, feel free to send me a message with a specific request. I hope that helps!

With Joy,

Heather España

St.Patrick’s Day Print Sale!

Heather — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:01:33 +0000

I’m wearing pink today, and apparently I’m in for a lot of pinching. I did try though — I looked in my closet and I just legitimately don’t have anything green. Strange! I did find some green pictures I took though, so you can’t pinch this blog post.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, ALL PRINTS ARE ON SALE 10% OFF TODAY ONLY! If you’ve been wanting to purchase prints from your session but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, here’s your chance to get a great deal on your order.

Have a wonderful day!

With Joy,

Heather España

Album Tour | David+Allison

Heather — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:29:46 +0000

I recently shipped this item off to the lovely David and Allison, but before I did I sneaked it into a little photo session so I could show you how it turned out. I did do a blog post of the page designs HERE if you’d like a better view of what’s on the pages themselves, but here you can get a feel for the album as a whole.

This is an 8×8 flush-mount album in “Dusk” from the Brocade Collection [see all fabric options available HERE].

Once upon a time. . .

and they lived happily ever after.

With Joy,

Heather España

P.S. Be sure to check out the website this week – there is lots of new content!

New Things Afoot

Heather — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 09:00:57 +0000

Good-morning lovely people, and happy Saturday! Yes, I am posting on a Saturday. Don’t worry though — as you are reading this, I will be having a Date Day with my fabulous redheaded husband. I am cheating and blogging this the night before *wink*.

You may have noticed there are some new links ~~off to the left~~ at the top! While I have links to most of these things in the “Websites” menu of this blog, I realized that many of you might not click there on a regular basis, and it might not be the most convenient place to have them. SO I added ~~slide-out tabs on the left for you~~ links at the top for you Hopefully you will find them useful.

[Social] Links to my Facebook and Twitter accounts.

[Ask] A link to my Formspring page, where you can ask me anything. Really!

[Sign UP] At last, the Espana Photography newsletter is back! If you had signed up previously, it would be awesome if you could re-sign-up as my previous subscriber list wasn’t transferred to my new email system. You can sign up to receive occasional news about upcoming events and specials — you’ll be the first to know! For example, I have an exciting special coming up for the month of April. Newsletter subscribers will be the first to be notified before I blog it, tweet it, or put it on Facebook.

NEW UPDATE: To get to the home page of this blog now, just click the España Photography logo in the header . I have also replaced the old header — I hope you like it! Try refreshing the page, and you will see a new header each time. I have it set so it will load a new static image now instead of play a slideshow, in hopes that will make everything load even quicker for you as you look around.

And because posts are more fun with images, here are a few I took of my office space [styling by Rachel of Fawn&Feather - website coming soon!].

Have a wonderful weekend!

With Joy,

Heather España

Formal Wedding Photographs. . .the informal way

Heather — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 05:21:05 +0000

Let’s face it. This is usually the part of the day that everyone dreads. The Formals.

Stand up straight. Stand closer together. Look happy. Look happy for longer. We’re not done. And so on and so forth. It is of course a rare couple who can skip The Formals entirely. They’re pretty important, after all. It’s family!

I don’t blog a lot of my “Informals” as I call them. . . usually just because I have WAY too many other favorites to bother with them. But I thought it was about time I did a short post, and kind of show you the way I go about this potentially awful part of the day. I understand that this style may not float everyone’s boat. But I’m a little quirky, as you may have noticed, and I’m a photographer because it’s how I give and experience joy. So, I try to bring that same joy to the “Informals.” If you are ever a part of this experience, you will discover that I will ask you all to talk to each other. Laugh. Bump hips. Etc. It is very likely you’ll feel like a dork. But you’ll look awesome. See?

This is just a small sample from four different weddings, but I hope it helps a bit!

And now friends, I am signing off for three days of being “unplugged.” I will be back in the office on Wednesday morning! I finished every single album design for the year, and I’m off to celebrate sans cell phone.

With Joy,

Heather España

Whimsical Thank You Cards

Heather — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:00:01 +0000

Fall is almost here, which means: gorgeous color, the end of wedding season, the beginning of senior season, and lots and lots of custom designing for my 2010 wedding clients! I had so much fun doing these Thank You cards for Cameron and Molly, so I thought I’d show you how they turned out. . .

A nice simple back for them to write their messages on. . .

Here is the front design. . .All bundled up in twine for mailing. . . If you haven’t seen it yet, Cameron+Molly’s amazing farm wedding was featured this week on Forget Me Knot.

I will be back again soon! Lots of images in the oven. . .

With Joy,

Heather España

Robin+A Wedding Coordinator Giveaway!

Heather — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:29:23 +0000

Meet Robin Krill! She is a wedding coordinator building her business in Portland, Oregon and let me tell you, she’s as sweet as she looks! We met for coffee a while back and decided to do a mini portrait session and give her some fresh images for her website.

Having been in the wedding business for several years now, I cannot tell you how valuable it is to have a talented wedding coordinator. It takes so much pressure off the couple and the family, and a good coordinator will put you at ease and make sure everything runs smoothly.

Robin is offering the an amazing gift for one lucky couple! If hiring a wedding coordinator is something you’ve really wanted but couldn’t quite fit into the budget, or just haven’t found someone you like, here’s you chance. For the opportunity to work with Robin Krill as your wedding coordinator, all you need to do is leave a comment with the following information. . .

* Your first name/s, wedding date & email address

* The inspiration behind your wedding (theme/colors, etc.)

*A fun tidbit about you as a couple (how you met, the proposal, etc.)

You are also welcome to nominate someone you think is deserving of the prize! Once comments are received, your names will be entered in the drawing! Be sure you leave a valid email address so we can contact you if you win.

If you would like to comment without voting, simply start your comment with “NO DRAWING.” Thanks and happy commenting!

How to Have an Awesome Engagement Session

Heather — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:01:13 +0000

What to wear for engagement/portrait sessions, and how to prepare for them are questions I get all the time from my clients. I thought it would be a good idea to expand on my What to Wear post, and go through the process of coming up with a unique portrait session that will completely express who you are as individuals and as a couple. The concepts below can also apply to anyone doing solo sessions, family sessions, just because sessions . . . basically any type of portrait session!

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

Any Yelpers out there?

Heather — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:15:27 +0000

Oh, how I love Yelp. For those of you who don’t know, it’s an online resource for business owners and their customers. You can search for any type of business, narrow the results down by zip-code, and easily see who comes highly recommended. You can even write your own reviews.

I set my page up a while ago, but keep forgetting to blog about it! You can, of course, ignore this post entirely. However, if you are a past client and feel like spreading a little love, you’ll put a huge smile on my face. Like this . . . except much bigger.

With Joy,

Heather España

Happy Valentine’s Day

Heather — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:00:35 +0000

1. 60/365. Film Heart. [EXPLORED], 2. Kiss Me, 3. Love is all around, 4. lonely_heart, 5. My Crush, 6. and autumn turned to winter, 7. xoxo, 8. Raindrop heart, 9. Love is in the air, 10. Heart, 11. myheartwanderedtoparis, 12. Winter W A T E R M E L O N, 13. 25.52 // blanket love, 14. how do you measure…, 15. “I Love Lucy” HBM, 16. The best thing about me is you. , 17. 2.100 // love bucket, 18. it’s the little things, 19. Untitled, 20. I keep your love locked down, your love locked down., 21. love to you all, 22. The Bug, 23. I wonder…, 24. <3, 25. chalk heart (deux)

I am blown away by the talent I see every day on Flickr. These images are all by fellow artists. Aren’t they beautiful?

And here is my Valentine to you . . .

I hope you have a delicious Valentine’s Day! I am off for the weekend to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Back soon!

www.espanaphotography.com

España Photography 1950′s Inspired Brand

Heather — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:00:14 +0000

Hello!

Welcome to the spankin’ new España Photography brand and blog! Please take a look around, click on the links, check stuff out, let me know what you think. And don’t be afraid to alert me of any spelling errors .

CELEBRATION!

To celebrate, I am going to be giving away some goodies! Everybody likes goodies! If you are viewing this right at 6pm, you can refresh this page in 5min. to read the First Giveaway blog post!

WHY THE CHANGE?

In all honesty, I was worried about changing my old logo even a little bit because I’ve grown so fond of it over the years. Thankfully I have a stellar graphic designer [Brandon Buerkle], and he was able to come up with something that still hangs on to the character of my old brand, but is even more suited to my style of photography.

Well, funny story. The original España logo was actually designed by Brandon years ago, before I was even a professional photographer. I was making monster hats for kids and teaching fire dancing at the time! That’s where the “swoosh” and the red/orange/yellow color palette came from.

THE INSPIRATION. . .

When I started my own business, I really felt like the logo worked well for my photography. Now, it’s years later, and Brandon and I both agreed it was time for a refresh. I wanted something very 40s and 50s inspired in style and color, to compliment my vintage-inspired style of shooting. I’m really happy with what he came up with, and I’d love to know what you think!

Here’s a little inspiration board, a-la 1950s posters and advertisements. . .

And here’s the new refreshed logo!

And so, farewell old logo! You served me well.

www.espanaphotography.com

2010 Business Hours | Oregon Wedding Photographer

Heather — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

It’s true.
I have never set business hours until this year.
I am totally guilty of still being awake at 2am on a Sunday morning, hair all a-frizz, still in my workout clothes, editing hundreds and hundreds of images. I’ve known somewhere in my head that this could not possibly be a truly healthy way of working, at least not long-term.

After going to Amelia Lyon‘s workshop this month, I am fully convinced that it’s vital to have set business hours if you are self-employed. So, without further adieu, here are mine:

Now, before you get all jealous that I only work 4 days a week, let me tell you I am still putting in 40hr. work weeks. There is always something to do. I would just rather push hard and stay up late on those four days so I can have the other 3 off.

For clarification. . .

1] 10am-late really does mean late. Usually at least 10 or 11pm. And 10am really does mean I don’t start work until 10am. I am indeed a night owl, and I need the morning to wake up and work out.

2] “Wifey Day” is my day to do wifely things like cleaning and errands without feeling guilty for being away from my desk. It’s also when I bake tasty things. Like cookies.

3] “OFF” means OFF. As in, an actual weekend. As in, no computer, no emails. As in husband time and personal time and relaxing time. I will occasionally accept a Sunday wedding during the summers, if I do not already have a Saturday wedding the same weekend.

4] “Weddings” means I am probably shooting a wedding. If it’s a no-wedding Saturday, it’s still a workday in the office.

The end!

Sunpak Readylites | Oregon Wedding Photographer

Heather — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:01:00 +0000

My husband purchased me this beautiful bird ring from Etsy for our anniversary. I absolutely love it! It’s pretty, but also practical because it doesn’t catch on anything so I wear it all the time.

Ring shots are one of my favorite wedding details to capture, but they often have to be done during the reception and frequently when it’s already dark. I love doing something unique with them, but I thought it’d be a fun challenge to see if I could get some good ring shots with nothing fancy at all. For these two, I used nothing but my trusty Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens, and one Sunpak Readylite.

On this first one, my ring is sitting on nothing but my slightly dusty glass desk, with the Readylite at the center right. For this one, the background is nothing but a chocolate brown pillow case, with the Readylite in the top left corner. Nothing fancy, but kind of fun!

Sweet Imperfection. . .

Heather — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

I was talking with my film-photographer friend Ryan the other day about how digital photography seems to have edged out the appreciation for imperfection.

Because we have so much control and instant-gratification with digital photography, there are a lot of expectations. If an image isn’t tack-sharp, or catches an awkward expression, or isn’t fashion-magazine ready in some way, it is frequently thrown out.

Film, on the other hand, has had a tendency to feel more magical. Like, it’s not just the photographer that’s working. It’s that, no matter what the photographer does, ANYthing could happen when that film is developed. Oftentimes they’re manually focused, which can take some time. And people move. We are emotional beings, constantly moving. It seems right that some shots would be blurred.

My husband and I can spend hours and hours pouring through drawers full of vintage photos. So many of my favorites might be considered “duds” if seen on the back of a digital camera. But captured on film, developed, and printed. . . there’s just something about them.

I have high hopes for keeping that kind of acceptance, anticipation and magic in the digital world. The whole idea of photography, be it film or digital, is absolutely breathtaking and ingenious. I want to keep that Christmas Morning feeling I used to get when I opened up that paper envelope full of photos. I learned to be a photographer on a film camera. I have chosen to be a digital photographer for many reasons, and I am seeing less and less reasons why it can’t be just as enchanting.

The goal is to balance the desire for perfection with the ability to see an image for its pure emotional value. The goal is not to immediately throw away an image because it was a “mistake.”

For this post, I asked some of my favorite photography friends to contribute images they love but that are “imperfect” in some way.

Emily G says: This one is “from my Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary this summer…super blurry… but perfect to me because [it makes] me remember the moment…”

Emily G says: This one “is actually an outtake of photos I did for miss Maricar & her family. The focus is way off, but the blur of her daughter dancing in the light makes me smile, so I love it. ”

Ryan Wilcox says: “With film you are ALWAYS getting happy mistakes whether it’s a funky sun glare or blurry/ out of focus. “

Another one Ryan loves from their maternity shoot. This is his lovely wife Tiff and his adorably blurry son, Finn.

Heather Espana says: I absolutely cannot get rid of this photo. This is me and my friend Megan, and her brother Jeremy snapped this while my camera was on manual and the shutter speed was too slow. I just love it.

Heather says: a definite favorite from Mike’s and my wedding, shot on film by my friend Tara Sanderson. It’s out of focus, but I just love Mike’s expression.

Heather says: I snapped this one while Mike and I were at the car wash on our way to celebrate our anniversary. It’s completely not perfect, but it helps me remember the day and I love the color.