When Nitya and Rahul reached out this past spring about engagement photos, I knew right away this session was going to be something special. They wanted soft, vintage, glowy photos and I loved the vision she shared. Nitya would be wearing a stunning white Indian sari, flowy and satin, and we planned everything around golden hour to capture the warm, dreamy light she'd envisioned from her inspiration photos.

We spent time talking through details. Rahul mentioned he had a vintage saxophone, and we knew immediately it needed to come along as a prop. Since the two of them are from the Back Bay area, we mapped out a route through some of Boston's most romantic corners: starting at the Public Garden, moving down Beacon Street past the brownstones, and finishing in Back Bay itself — close enough to their own apartment that we could wander the streets they call home.

A few days before the shoot, the forecast had us nervous. Rain would have meant losing the sunny, golden light that was so central to their vision. But the weather cleared, the sky cooperated, and August handed us a beautiful evening.

I rolled in with my full cart of gear — camera bodies, water, and yes, we tucked Rahul's vintage saxophone right in alongside everything else. With about an hour and a half total, we gave ourselves roughly twenty minutes at each location. It was the perfect amount of time — enough to settle in without rushing, and enough to move before the light shifted too far.

I’ve been watching vintage romance films for inspiration and I don’t know where I got the idea for this prompt but it must’ve been from movies because it kind of just popped into my head - I had him follow behind her along the waterline and had her look out at the water.

My favorite image from the whole session came from a little trick I love using when the light is right: holding a piece of fabric over my lens while shooting backlit. Nitya's sari had a sheer top layer, and with the sun behind her, the fabric-over-lens effect made the whole thing look like it was glowing. The grain and softness it created gave the photo a painterly quality — less like a photograph and more like something brushed onto canvas.

At the Public Garden, we leaned into the golden light with some classic backlit moments, including one where Rahul lifted Nitya up in a pose she'd pulled straight from her inspiration board. It was exactly the shot she'd been dreaming of.

Here's the surprise of the day: the film outperformed the digital. Usually it's the other way around, but the light was so perfect that the majority of the final gallery ended up being film. It's one of those happy accidents that reminds me why I love shooting film in the first place.

When we reached the brownstones on Beacon Street, we brought out Rahul's vintage saxophone for a set the two of them had specifically requested — the two of them sitting together on the steps, saxophone in hand, surrounded by that classic Boston architecture. It's one of those details that makes a session feel truly theirs.

Beyond the photos, what made this session so memorable was Nitya and Rahul themselves. As we walked between locations, they told me about their wedding — which will be a beautiful South Indian celebration in the Midwest — and I got to learn a bit about the traditions behind it. They were up for every idea I brought and came with plenty of their own, and that kind of collaborative energy is exactly what I hope for in a session. When couples feel comfortable enough to be playful and vocal about what they want, the photos always turn out better for it.

It was 90 degrees that day, and Nitya handled her sari with so much grace despite the heat. By the end, it genuinely felt like we were just three friends wandering around Boston together — which, to me, is the highest compliment a session can earn.

Nitya said it best afterward:

"We love the photos so much, you're incredible. The entire photo shoot felt like we were just friends out and about in Boston, which is a testament to how comfortable you make people feel. You captured our vision to the dot. Thank you for all of your hard work and talent."

Congratulations again to Nitya and Rahul — I can't wait to see how the rest of your wedding story unfolds.