Well, my blogging fingers are feeling pretty rusty right now, but I've tinkered with the styles on our new Partnership Celebration site long enough that I think it's time for a real entry.
And, lo and behold, the Universe hath obliged us with a blog-worthy event: our pre-Celebration photo session with the lovely and talented Heather España!
We decided take the pictures at one of our favorite photo shoot locations, Powell Butte, in beautiful, sunny Portland, Oregon. Powell Butte has served us very nicely in the past. We did both the Ethel Mildred Ferguson and Ántonia shoots there, and thought that the combination of haunting beauty and personal artistic connection would lend just the right sort of something to the Engagement Session.
However, the Butte "demanded certain sacrifices" before we would be granted access to those sweet fruits. There was an unconscionable amount of bizarrely inconveniently situated road work going on around the park, so we ended up leaving the cars at the head of the Direct and Gradual Ascent trail, which, despite the appealing name was actually a very steep and winding trail. And, as we neared the top of that climb, we encountered the heart-stopping din of earth-moving machinery in the park. That got me pretty worried; I still don't know what they were doing in there, but, whatever it was, it turned out to be happening in a fairly limited area.
Eventually, we did find our spot. Once we cleared the grey gravel and fluorescent orange tape of the construction zone, we found the golden fields and rusty wire fences we were looking for, and wended our way through them to a dipping meadow that was the perfect setting for an old-timey picnic. We spread our indigo cloth across the honey colored grasses, and broke out the (mostly) period-appropriate props: some fancy, sparkling French cider; felt hats; and tweedy suitcases full of books to fall in love by. I think the photos are going to be really nice.
After our session there, we made our way up to the derelict orchard that covers the heart of the park, and caught some of that October evening light that - even as a wee lad - I would notice bathing lovely dry landscapes in an unmistakable Dr. Pepper-red glow.
It's a little strange to go to a place for pictures, do a bunch of pictures, but then not see the pictures, or even really know what they'll look like, how they're framed... anything! I guess it's kind of like Christmas - you know something is coming, and you kind of want to know what it is already, but Santa has a pretty good track record, so you at least know it's something to get excited about. Having looked at Heather's blog, I think we can safely say that these will be something to get excited about. And while we're on the subject, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Heather was a real intrepid soldier throughout the series of adventures, even the parts that were mostly just ordeals. I'm really glad that we got this chance to work with her before the Partnership Celebration; it's cool to have an opportunity to tune in to her working vibe before the Big Event, and to get used to being on the other side of the camera. Having a session in a setting so focused, and so focused on photography (as compared with what the Partnership Celebration will undoubtedly be), was a really good way to facilitate that.
Well! Anyhow; welcome to DG Plus EJ dot Com! I hope you enjoy yourself. I'm sure we'll have more to report soon, but for now I'll leave you with one of Emily's lovelies from after the Ántonia shoot. If you click it, it'll get big:
And, lo and behold, the Universe hath obliged us with a blog-worthy event: our pre-Celebration photo session with the lovely and talented Heather España!
We decided take the pictures at one of our favorite photo shoot locations, Powell Butte, in beautiful, sunny Portland, Oregon. Powell Butte has served us very nicely in the past. We did both the Ethel Mildred Ferguson and Ántonia shoots there, and thought that the combination of haunting beauty and personal artistic connection would lend just the right sort of something to the Engagement Session.
However, the Butte "demanded certain sacrifices" before we would be granted access to those sweet fruits. There was an unconscionable amount of bizarrely inconveniently situated road work going on around the park, so we ended up leaving the cars at the head of the Direct and Gradual Ascent trail, which, despite the appealing name was actually a very steep and winding trail. And, as we neared the top of that climb, we encountered the heart-stopping din of earth-moving machinery in the park. That got me pretty worried; I still don't know what they were doing in there, but, whatever it was, it turned out to be happening in a fairly limited area.
Eventually, we did find our spot. Once we cleared the grey gravel and fluorescent orange tape of the construction zone, we found the golden fields and rusty wire fences we were looking for, and wended our way through them to a dipping meadow that was the perfect setting for an old-timey picnic. We spread our indigo cloth across the honey colored grasses, and broke out the (mostly) period-appropriate props: some fancy, sparkling French cider; felt hats; and tweedy suitcases full of books to fall in love by. I think the photos are going to be really nice.
After our session there, we made our way up to the derelict orchard that covers the heart of the park, and caught some of that October evening light that - even as a wee lad - I would notice bathing lovely dry landscapes in an unmistakable Dr. Pepper-red glow.
It's a little strange to go to a place for pictures, do a bunch of pictures, but then not see the pictures, or even really know what they'll look like, how they're framed... anything! I guess it's kind of like Christmas - you know something is coming, and you kind of want to know what it is already, but Santa has a pretty good track record, so you at least know it's something to get excited about. Having looked at Heather's blog, I think we can safely say that these will be something to get excited about. And while we're on the subject, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Heather was a real intrepid soldier throughout the series of adventures, even the parts that were mostly just ordeals. I'm really glad that we got this chance to work with her before the Partnership Celebration; it's cool to have an opportunity to tune in to her working vibe before the Big Event, and to get used to being on the other side of the camera. Having a session in a setting so focused, and so focused on photography (as compared with what the Partnership Celebration will undoubtedly be), was a really good way to facilitate that.
Well! Anyhow; welcome to DG Plus EJ dot Com! I hope you enjoy yourself. I'm sure we'll have more to report soon, but for now I'll leave you with one of Emily's lovelies from after the Ántonia shoot. If you click it, it'll get big:
