Katie & Jacob
Borderland State Park, North Easton, Massachusetts
November 8th, 2025
By the time I get to the end of a wedding season, I am completely and totally mentally and physically exhausted. It's hard sometimes in the middle of November/December to want to pick up a camera and even harder when I know I'm going to photograph something that's going to take a ton of effort or is at a location that requires a lot of working.
That's why I always pray that any late-season shoots I get are with awesome couples that can give me that little boost I need to get through the day and that's exactly what I got on the day of Katie and Jacob's November engagement session at Borderland State Park in North Easton, Massachusetts.
Within a few minutes of working with these two, I knew I'd be fine creatively and was actually thrilled to be out and about at one of my favorite locations to shoot an engagement session.
And even though it was far from an easy shoot — seriously, Borderland State Park might be the single toughest location to shoot at when you're tired physically — it was one of my favorites of the fall and a reminder of just how beautiful New England can be ... even as the dreaded cold of winter approaches.
My time with Katie and Jacob started with me arriving a few minutes before the future bride and groom and wondering how much, if any, of the foliage in Borderland State Park still existed. Thankfully, I could tell from our first location chosen in the park that even if the trees were getting quite thin in terms of leaves that it wouldn't matter because the sunlight on this afternoon provided a nice and beautiful ring of lighting and I could work with that.
Add in the fact that Katie and Jacob were absolutely adorable together and we hit the ground running right from the very first few shots together.
What I loved about Katie and Jacob was their willingness to walk around Borderland to find the best locations. I've been to this particular park a LOT and it is a grind to get from one location to the other, especially on a cold day but neither Katie nor Jacob seemed to mind and the moment I pointed my camera their way, they did an amazing job looking nice and warm ... even if we were all lowkey shivering on this chilly day.
My favorite shots of the pair actually came in the middle of our walk as we spotted a really sweet trail with some trees off in the distance. I wanted these photos to give a bit of depth to the location (and also wanted a chance to stop and catch my breath) and I think they showcased this pair's relationship pretty perfectly.
I really only had one goal for Katie and Jacob's engagement session: Get to the iconic small bridge in the middle of the park but, for some reason, I can never truly FIND that bridge when I go looking. It's almost like a mirage. You can't find it if you're looking for it, you just somehow end up there eventually.
When we finally DID get there, it was being used by a family taking some family photos but, as is often the case on engagement sessions, a little patience goes a long way.
In the meantime, while we waited I had Katie and Jacob do a few addition poses as I really wanted to showcase Katie's ring. Talk about some lovely improv work while killing time.
The bridge itself was well worth waiting for and remains my favorite location in the park. For Katie and Jacob, by the time we got to this area, I think we were all of the mindset the day was getting late and looking forward to warming back up in our cars but I'm thankful the pair indulged me for a bit before we headed back as these were some of my favorite shots of the whole day.
Katie and Jacob only had one request for their entire shoot and that was to take some photos near the mansion-like building at the opening of the park and, since we were gonna head that way on our way out anyway, I felt it was the perfect place to close our session out.
By the time Katie, Jacob and I exited Borderland State Park, I think we were all frozen solid and regretting some of our life choices but I think we'd all agree it was worth it for such a beautiful day and beautiful shoot.
More importantly, I loved getting to know these two a bit more before their 2026 wedding. Thankfully, that wedding will be in the summer and I'm looking forward to seeing what this couple can do when the weather is nice and on our side.
So, thank you Katie and Jacob for bearing with me for a chilly but gorgeous engagement session and I can't wait to see you guys again in 2026. :)