Hannah + Julia
An Autumn Engagement Session at Graham Oaks Nature Park
I was so happy when Hannah and Julia reached out to me to celebrate their engagement with a photo session! These two lovely women are just the most fantastic people, and as a couple you couldn't find a sweeter match!
Wanting to capitalize on the gorgeous autumn colors that fall in the Pacific Northwest Brings, we picked a date in the late fall that tends to bring not only beautiful fall foliage but also cloudy, rainy days. The fear of rain didn't put Hannah and Julia off at all, another reason I love these two! As a primarily Oregon Photographer, my stomach tends tie into knots when the fall rolls around, as of course most of my couples are looking for that perfect sunny fall day and in Oregon, these are few and far between! When I find a couple like Hannah and Julia who are down to embrace anything the weather hits us with I love it, and can really let my creativity go wild without the worry of disappointment if the day ends up being a bit more overcast.
One thing that Hannah and Julia really wanted for their engagement session is privacy. Many times the “go-to” spots for fall colors bring crowds of people and popular places like Cathedral Park or Hoyt Arboretum can have literally swarms of people on a nice fall day.
A week or two before our shoot I took a drive out toward Newberg to find a new, more secluded spot and boy did I strike gold!
Just outside of Wilsonville there is this amazing Nature Park called Graham Oaks that has everything a natural light photographer could want- easy walking paths, tall golden grasses, forested paths with big oaks dumping buckets of orange and yellow leaves down, evergreen trees for a more Christmassy feel, and very few people.
As soon as I saw this gorgeous place I knew it would be perfect for Hannah and Julia and I couldn't wait to do their engagement photos here!
Julia arrived a little ahead of Hannah as she’d gotten off work earlier than anticipated and didn't have to fight the traffic that Hannah ended up getting a bit caught up in, so we chatted for a bit, getting to know each other before Hannah’s arrival.
Julia is a SCUBA diver like Dom and I and has even dove the exact reefs where Dom and I first met! Julia also has an adorable leopard gecko that I begged to see photos of until she brought out her phone and swiped through some images of.
Once Hannah arrived, we set off on the trails and start taking engagement photos.
Hannah is a school teacher, so I of course had a bunch of questions about how the last year has impacted her teaching. She’s happy to have found a new school system here in Oregon, as she and Julia only recently moved to the PNW.
As we walked and stopped for portraits here and there, Hannah and Julia kept me laughing with stories about their life before Oregon, traveling with Julia’s Gekko and the hilarities of Hannah’s classroom.
For their more formal outfits, Hannah donned a stunning emerald green dress that accentuated her beautiful red hair and Julia had the most amazing yellow bowtie that I was more than a little obsessed with.
Hannah and Julia originally met at Starbucks, so they brought along with them a few Starbucks cups to commemorate how their relationship has progressed from that first meeting.
They also brought along a bottle of Champaign that Julia popped and sprayed with enthusiasm as Champaign rained down on Hannah in celebration of their love.
Spending time with these two was absolutely lovely and I’m so excited for their intimate wedding celebration they are planning in California!
Enjoy this little selection of images from Hannah and Julia’s engagement session and leave a comment of congratulations fort them in the comments below!
