Zoe & Sydney’s gorgeous green engagement session at Cherry springs State Park in Coudersport, PA

Zoe and Sydney met me out at Cherry Springs State Park, which, if you’ve never been, is very much in the middle of nowhere in the best way. You drive through little towns and mostly woods and then suddenly it opens up into sky and quiet and trees that feel like they’ve been there forever.

This was originally meant to be a surprise proposal. That part didn’t exactly go to plan. And the weather wasn’t really cooperating either. It stayed cloudy, a little moody, and kept threatening rain at a place that’s usually known for wide open stars.

Thankfully, because of who these two are, none of that ended up mattering :)

We started at an overlook with that soft, hazy distance, then made our way back toward their campsite where there was this little clearing that felt like its own tucked away world. Right next to that was a woodsy spot with tall trees and some gorgeous deep green light. We eventually ended up down by the creek.

It felt less like “a session” and more (for me) like hanging out with people I’ve known for a long time. Despite just meeting, we had so much freaking fun. There was a lot of laughing, a lot of quiet moments, a lot of the two of them just being super close, and all of it without needing to perform anything.

And I think that’s why it worked so well.

Nothing was really trying to be perfect. The surprise wasn’t perfect, the weather wasn’t perfect, the plan wasn’t followed. But they were so present with each other, and so willing to just lean into whatever the moment was offering.

That’s always the thing that makes photos feel like something you can come back to.

Not the stars, not the location, not whether everything went “right.”

Just the feeling of being there together, exactly as it was.