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Tag Archives: Emily Hall Photography


Should you wake up to gray skies on your wedding (or portrait) day, don’t fret! Those foreboding clouds are Mother Nature’s diffuser. And, when sunset time comes along, moody skies make magic sunsets. Despite some scary skies, this Wonser Woods Estate Wedding was mostly rain free, and lucked out with both a rain free outdoor ceremony and a very colorful sunset. 

Vendors Include –
Venue – Wonser Woods Estate
Catering – Sassy Onion
DJ – Perfect Memory Events
Flowers – Flowers N More
Rentals – Danner & Soli & For the Love of Pete
Dress – A and Be Bridal, Made with Love

Meet Emily

Emily is the owner and primary photographer for Emily Hall Photography. Emily Hall Photography offers wedding, portrait, and boudoir photography in Oregon and Washington.


About Emily

I’m an editorial style photographer based in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

I believe that the most important part of my job is to capture your story and to tell it in a way that makes it undeniably clear to you that your story is special. Because it is. My favorite part about the time I spend with my clients is having this job where I get this special window into their lives. I ask questions about hopes and dreams and goals and love. It’s awesome.

I have never been a ‘large posed portrait over the fireplace’ type of photographer. I used to feel the pressure to create that image for clients, and always felt as though I fell short with the somewhat messier reality of the portraits I created. But real life is a little bit messy, and those ‘real’ moments are the ones I want to preserve. Most people have a ‘picture day’ smile. And, when we look at pictures of our loved ones, we know the difference between that smile and the real one. When you look at your portraits, what is really truly important to me on photo day is that you have fun together. And that when you look back on the images from picture day, you see true joy, and you remember the fun you had. Take a look at an old picture. What memories immediately pop into your head? Because as weird as it sounds, that is a really important aspect of your pictures.

When I photograph couples, I almost always ask what brought them together, and what they first noticed about each other. Most of the time, partners seem surprised by each other’s responses, and I get to see this unexpected burst of ‘new love’ level emotion. And I always ask about first dates and marriage proposals. Some are hilarious, many involve a lot of the “real life” moments that you never see in rom-coms, but the story always leads to the wedding day that I get to photograph.

And, in closing, since this is the “about me” bio portion…
I live in Albany, Oregon with this great guy named Steven, our daughters Rose & Sonia, and our four cats – Kitty Kitty, Rufus, Oscar, and Doozer. We’re a messy, imperfect bunch, but we make a pretty great team.


Her Family

Our family includes a mom, a dad, two awesome little ladies, and four cats.  Whether we’re doing shoulder races, building obstacle courses, cooking together, or snuggling up to read Dr Seuss for the 750,000th time, quality time together is something we don’t take for granted.


Chanel & Kalin

My dear photographer-friend, Ashley, gave Chanel & Kalin my contact information when they were searching for a wedding photographer. We spent the next several months getting to know each other over the phone, and I eventually got to meet them up in Seattle for a hot summer evening of engagement photos.

Now, I have to be 100% honest here – an outdoor winter wedding at sunset in January… has enough variables that I was maybe possibly perhaps just a tad apprehensive as wedding day approached. As luck would have it, there were just a couple of raindrops, no wind, and the day went about as perfectly as a wedding could go. And the Columbia Gorge Hotel was the perfect setting for this winter wedding.

Congratulations Chanel & Kalin! Your wedding day was such an amazing start to your marriage. I hope the fun and laughter surrounded by friends (and tiny, fluffy dogs!) is always a theme in your lives!

Emily Hall Photography
Because Moments Matter

Emily Hall Photography - Wedding!-1029 copy

Normally, I can caption a photo. Over here at Emily Hall Photography, I pride myself in being the funniest person in the (admittedly lightly staffed) office. It’s not always the perfect caption, but usually, I can come up with something at least mildly witty. Today, not so much. So, I…crowd-sourced it, and here’s what I got:
-Oh… the LEFT hand! 
-Pure joy, the very best way to start a marriage! Pure joy the best way to maintain a healthy marriage.
-Love and laughter as they start their happily ever after…
-Knowing that I get to spend the rest of my life with you makes me so happy!
-Just one of the many smiles we get to share over the course of our marriage, priceless!
Let’s laugh our way through life together

How would YOU caption this photo? Keep in mind that these two people are AWESOME. Bring your best stuff!

untitled-5533 copy Without a game-plan for documenting the wedding day details, it’s oftentimes easy to get so caught up in the happenings of wedding day that they can easily get lost in the shuffle. As a photographer who prides herself in capturing the raw emotions and being a storyteller of the wedding day, I could easily tell myself that there are more important things than documenting tables, guestbooks, jewelry, etc. But if I did that, I’d be missing an important part of the story. Most of the couples I work with put a lot of time, emotion, and energy into their wedding day details. Many items are handmade and are the result of countless hours of brainstorming and decision-making as the vision for their wedding day develops. Most of these items are sold or discarded after wedding day, and what remains are the memories. I love it when my mom fondly recalls the details of her wedding and the efforts of my grandmother and my nana went to to make the day extra special for my mom. I am forever grateful to my wedding photographer for taking the time to document the many handmade details that I spent way too long making, and I look forward to sharing those memories with my own daughters one day – WITH pictures!

ALbany Oregon Engagement Photographer-4744 copy

I have photographed weddings where Molly has been a bridesmaid, a maid of honor, a close friend of the couple  – I’ve gotten to know her and her now-fiance, AJ, really well. Spoiler alert – they’re pretty awesome! The first time I met AJ, he gave me a hamburger during a portrait session, instantly making him one of my favorite people. And, it says quite a bit about Molly’s character that she is considered such a close friend to so many wonderful people. Honestly, my summers wouldn’t be quite the same without getting to celebrate at a wedding with Molly & AJ. This year is extra special, because this Fall, they’re getting married! I’m so excited! Here’s a photo from their engagement session last weekend. Can’t wait to share their wedding images!

0 Months - Nursery-2491 Hi, I’m Emily, one of the regular contributors to Photographers of Portland. I just wanted to share a little personal life update with you all. A couple of weeks ago, we added a new family member. Please say hi to Sonia and check out her super-cool Dr. Seuss nursery. I’m taking it easy for the next few weeks, but I’ll be back at work soon!

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse McMenamins Wedding-0474 I’ve photographed weddings at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse before, but this was the first time I’d gotten to photograph one at Imbrie Hall. It was super-cool!
My favorite moments from this wedding: portraits with Nick & Stephanie for sure – I loved how sweet & comfortable they were (are) together! The bouquet toss. Pictures below. It was epic! The “first” dances – I always enjoy the bride & groom’s first dance. This evening, the father-daughter and mother-son dances were pretty special as well. The crazy cool chandelier didn’t hurt either. And – final favorite – I loved that Stephanie & Nick asked me to photoshop a Gollum & The Ring scene into one of their portraits!
Congratulations, Nick & Stephanie – You guys are awesome!!

Rachael and Jon-8529 copy

Rachael and Jon (and their awesome friends) are part of the Timbers Army, arguably The most enthusiastic soccer fan base in the United States. So, it was only fitting that when they danced their first dance at their wedding reception, their friends cheered them on with Timber’s scarves. Want to see more fun wedding reception action? Check out Emily Hall Photography! #rtcid #portlandtimbers