this is Craigan

Craigan [Craig-an]

verb:

Meaning the coupling of 2 intensely spirited & loving and people. Very uncommon but well loved in the Portland area of the State of Oregon. Often accompanied by vibrant colors, delicious food & loud music of the indie/funk rock variety. May lead into social change awareness,  group sing alongs and sweat inducing dancing.
now you know…
It was my honor to witness, capture and take part in the one and only CRAIGAN of 2012. It was in short, amazing. Full to the brim with personality & color. Every detail was well thought out and meant to reflect the couples individuality and flavor. Bright colors in the floral and details were everywhere.
In addition to Craig & Megan here are some amazing people/vendors that made the day the radness that is was:
Wedding Coordination: Amanda Kraft of Amas Veritas Events
Floral Design: Emerald Petals
Hair & Make Up: Kirstie Wight
Bridal Dress: Cocoon Silk
Groom’s Suite:
Ceremony location: Laurelhurst Park City of Portland
So onto the photos already!
Craig & Megan, thanks again for trusting me to capture your special day. I had so much fun with all of your friends and family. It truly was an amazing event, and my pleasure to point a big camera at. You all made my team feel like part of the big mad family, and we loved it! I hope you all had an amazing night, and a fun time reliving it here in the sneak peek. The whole gallery will be done here shortly. Friend & family, if you would like to receive notification when the whole gallery is up please leave a comment below.
xo em
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look who’s getting married today!

Can’t wait to spend a beautiful evening in the Dundee Hills with them tonight!

see you all on the other side!

 

xo em

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reason #4,946 I love pinterest: what to wear… engagments!

I love pinterest.com

I do, it is really an addiction, but I can justify my love for pinterest for this reason. Because dear clients i do it for you!

Do you pinterest? If not it is a great recourse and organizational tool. It is also a HUGE time suck, but so is everything fun right?! I have been using pinterest over the last year or so to communicate with wedding clients about the type of photos the are inspired by. So when the big wedding day comes we can talk about poses, and types of light with some great visual examples. It has been a wonderful tool.

Lately I have also been using pinterest to communicate with other colleagues for group projects. Like the mod shoot I just posted about. The whole team contributed to the pinterest board to bring the shoot together. Great right!

So if you pinterest, and you want to follow me, you can find me here.

Today I want to use pinterest for a very specific reason. It is busy season around here, lots of weddings, babies and a ton of engagement sessions. As you can tell by my blog I have been a busy lady. Oh how I love the sunshine! The one question that always pops up is what to wear… years ago I did a post about what to wear, but I have not updated it it in ages. So with the help of pinterest I wanted to do just that.

See more “what to wear engagement” examples on my pinterest board. Some put together by me, some by other photographers.

Lets start with engagement sessions shall we. Engagement sessions should be above all fun. These are basically fun bonus photos to get myself and the couple comfortable working together prior to the stress and business of a wedding day. I always encourage my clients to wear something fun, flirty and comfortable. Weddings tend to be more formal occasions, so engagement sessions should be more causal and fun. You can also bring a couple outfits if you like. Sessions typically last an hour, so one change can be worked in easily. Though do keep in mind the location may, or may not have a private place to change.

I love bright spots of color in accessorizes & shoes if possible. Also please remember we will most likely be walking around a bit to find different backdrops, so wear something you can walk around in. Couples should coordinate, but not exactly match. That is Way to cheesy.  If  you show up in matching polos and jeans, I will pretend I don’t know you.  Finding a color palette, and going with it is perfect. Like the above example of yellow, red brown & grey is a great. Here are a few  sessions that the couples did a great job picking coordinating but not too matching outfits:

Jenna & Chase: downtown/waterfront

Craig & Megan: Alberta Arts District

Rachelle & Courtney: eastside coffee shop

Amy & Greg: rural farm setting

 

Did I mention they should be casual and fun? A few things you should NOT do:

  • dye your hair or get a drastic cut the night before
  • try our new makeup you have never worn before
  • wear 5 inche heals if you never, ever wear heels.
  • forget to eat prior

Things you should do prior:

  • get a good night’s sleep the night prior
  • get a drink or two before the shoot if you like (you can invite me if you like. 🙂
  • bring items special to you, that would be fun to include (Megan’s fish, or Myra’s horse mask for example)
  • bring the puppy! (like Sarah & Josh did here)
  • choose a location that has special meaning to you two as a couple. (like Tricia & Mark did here)

 

I hope to continue adding to the link list above & pinterest board. (see the addiction is for you dear clients!).

Let me know if you have any questions at all!

 

xo em

 

 

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love, ice-cream & tacos

When we started talking about engagement session ideas, Tricia immediately settled on her & Mark’s current hometown of McMinville OR.

You see this adorable little town settled in the heart of wine country has changed so much over the last few years. They wanted to show off some of their favorite spots. The old downtown has really made the consensus change to embrace all sorts of fun wine tasting rooms, excellent artisan restaurants, and other boutiques. As well as Mark’s favorite taco shop, and one of the cutest ice-cream shops I have ever seen. After talking with these two I know it would be a great spot for our session. A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend time with Tricia & Mark and tp get to know them more before the big day next month.

Here are a few things I learned:

Things that make Mark smile: Tacos, excellent taco shops, good wine, his slightly neurotic but adorable dog, and of course his stunning fiance Patricia.

Things that make Tricia smile: vintage glassware, small town farmers markets, ice-cream, chunky artsy jewelry and of course her hansom fiance Mark.

I totally dig these two, and had a great time capturing them in their hood. Here are a few of my many favorites:

Tricia & Mark thanks again for meeting up with me, and taking some time out for the session. I had a great time getting to know you guys more, and capturing you with my camera. I am really looking forward to your wedding in just a few short weeks! For now I would love to throw down a comment challenge. If you can get 30 people to comment on this post I will throw in an 11×14 wall print on the house. I will have the whole set done very soon. 🙂

SO leave some love people!

xo em

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Horse heads, good beer, tall grass, BBQ’s & lots of love.

You know it is going to be a good session when a client asks if she can break our her full head horse mask.

Um yeah, these two pretty much rock. Instead of heading out on the town they wanted to stay close to home and celebrate the wonderful space they have created. I love the personality in the details of their space, in doors and in the garden. These two were so fun to work with get to know. Their personalities couple not have been more honest and fun to capture.

Here are a few of my many favorites from our session…

Ryan & Myra thanks again for having me into your home. It was so fun to get to know you two, and check out your space. And especially to meet little Pono. I can not wait to capture your big day this summer! I hope you have enjoyed your sneak peek, I will have the whole set done for you very soon. For now I would love to throw down a little blog comment challenge. If you can get 30 people to comment on this little post I will throw in an 11×14 on the house. So leave some love people, you know you have something to say about how awesome these two are.

 

xo em

 

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