Megan & Tim's Ramapo Reservation Engagement

One of my favorite pieces of advice is; If you want to know where your heart is, pay attention to where your mind goes when it wanders. Throughout the past few months, I’ve taken that advice and have, first, given myself permission to daydream. Second, paid more attention to where I lose myself in a daydream.

Here is where my mind goes when it wanders:

I see images that serve as inspiration for the ones I want to capture. Beautiful people in beautiful places - smiling, happy, laughing, sharing quiet moments.

I can get lost in the thought of a pretty dress getting swept up in the wind.

I can spend hours dreaming of places I want to visit - old and new.

I can lose track of time watching the light change from morning to evening and the way that it seems to transform everything it touches.

My engagement session with Tim and Megan was the tangible product of where my mind goes when it wanders. The Ramapo Reservation is a place that is so familiar to all of us. I used to visit in-between classes in college and Megan recalls summer hikes with her family dog that usually included a cooler of cold beers and ended with a swim. It’s as beautiful as it is peaceful. When Tim proposed to Meg, he found a quiet rock on the edge of the lake and they shared another special moment. It felt natural to visit once more for the backdrop of their engagement photos.

We hiked for close to an hour and I watched the light change as we made our way to that familiar rock. By the time we got there, we had the perfect golden glow and just the right amount of wind to make Meg’s soft chiffon skirt dance. Tim had packed a cooler full of drinks and Reeses which made the whole session feel like a fun picnic.

The most perfect fall day made for beautiful photos which I always thought was the point of a photo session. But when one of my couples or families says after we wrap up “that was so much fun” I realize that’s really the point. When I hear that, I know I’ve succeeded. Because those photos are nothing without genuine emotion behind it. And there is really nothing close to that feeling when you're wrapped up in the arms of the person you love most and think I can’t wait to marry you.

For Tim and Meg, they yelled it from the mountain tops. Literally.