Ali and Dan met online in the winter of 2021, and after four years together, Dan proposed on July 4th, 2025. Ali had saved photos from a session I'd previously done at Borderlands — and after their engagement, she reached out that summer with those images as her inspiration. I absolutely loved that she came to me with my own work as a reference. We set out to recreate the spirit of that session while giving it its own identity. Since we were shooting in fall rather than spring, the color palette shifted naturally — a little more muted, a little less pastel, but just as beautiful in its own way. Ali and Dan brought a couple of outfits, and I brought my changing tent.

Such cuties!!!!! And a fall color scheme

When we arrived, we laced up and started our hike. If you've never been to Borderlands before — it's really more of a walk in the woods. The trail is quite long, but it's dotted with scenic stops throughout, offering a wonderful variety of light and landscape. Along the way, we talked all about their upcoming wedding. The location felt especially fitting because they're getting married in a micro-wedding in the White Mountains of New Hampshire this September. We also discovered a shared love of a café and bakery in Jackson, NH — which, as it turns out, is also making their wedding cake. I love when those little connections reveal themselves on a session.

Everything about Ali and Dan felt grounded and real. I could tell they both deeply value presence — being fully there for each other and for their closest loved ones. They love the outdoors, their dog Francesca, and, naturally, Taylor Swift. Her new album had dropped just a few days before the session, so it was playing on my Bluetooth speaker the entire time. The castle at Borderlands fit the vibe perfectly — I loved leaning into some motion blur and natural, unguarded moments there.

Making you run for the photos is one of my favorite pastimes.

An in-between moment… what happens after the prompt!! Think I told them to walk down the steps.

Some of my favorite light from the day came in the open field. We only had small windows when the sun broke through the clouds, but waiting for it was absolutely worth it. That soft, filtered light is everything.

on 120 film - shot on a medium format Yashica 124G :)

A lesson I'll be taking with me from this session: always bring the rolling cart, even when I think I won't need it. Dan ended up carrying his firefighter gear through the fields for most of the day — though to his credit, acts of service is very much his love language. And one of my favorite images from the whole session is a black-and-white film photograph toward the end of the walk. The long grass was creating too much distance between them, so I had Ali step up onto Dan's boots — and it made all the difference.