Words: Heather
Published: September 13, 2011

I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing husband and wife photography team a few weeks back, Damion and Julie Hamilton, who are the masterminds behind this amazing outdoor e-shoot. They are brilliant and capture some of Napa’s finest weddings! We asked Julie how they find inspiration for their many engagement shoots and I was delighted to hear they use a questionnaire to personalize each shoot to the couple! Here’s what Julie had to say about their photography and this adorable couple.

Our goal is to create a custom engagement session experience with every single couple, so we always try to find a “theme” that reflects their interests, passions, and personalities. We find out a bit about each couple by having them fill out a short questionnaire, and we knew from the get go that Emily & Mike were going to be a fun couple when she wrote to us about how when they met, she was a “hot mess”–in sweats studying for school, and they wrote about all of the things they love to do together: “traveling, hiking, doing puzzles, cooking, running, going to concerts and baseball games, and watching the first 15 minutes of a movie before Emily falls asleep.” We asked what was unique about them as a couple, “We’ve been together 7 1/2 years and still like each other” they said.  Emily and Mike have traveled all over the world together and their wedding is going to be such a fun affair, designed after a Block Party, integrating Emily’s camp background. I also love that Emily & Mike are doing something so unique for their wedding–they are incorporating pinwheels and I believe that even includes the bridal bouquet! Before the e-session, Emily and her family had just sat down and created over 300 pinwheels for the wedding in their color scheme of gray & yellow, so we knew we had to integrate some of those details to reflect the fun nature of their relationship!

For their engagement session we went to a private estate in Napa where Emily & Mike could just let go and have a good time! We did a few serious portraits, but most of the time we were just laughing! They brought along and set up their tent and we used the grounds at the estate and the hammock to create a little idyllic scene. After a change of clothing, we stopped by Oakville Grocery for a backdrop and did a few more portraits before the rain interrupted our shoot. This is where we tied in the pinwheels. I love how the yellow in the pinwheel is set off so beautifully against her gorgeous blue dress. A perfect combination!

We are so excited about their wedding–it promises to be a great time with such a fun loving couple who love each other so much!

Thanks for sharing Hamiltons! To see more of their amazing work visit Damion Hamilton.

Love,