Ally & Kobe
Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, Connecticut
October 22nd, 2025
I've spent a long time building my reputation as a photographer in New England and it's something I take a lot of pride in. But what makes me happiest about my reputation is I sometimes get clients who want to book a shoot with me, without having really met me, simply because I worked for a friend or family member of theirs and they heard or saw my work.
In the case of Ally and Kobe, who asked me to photograph their engagement photos at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut back in October, that meant delivering an experience that aligned with the one I gave Ally's brother Corey during his wedding back in 2022.
Luckily, I knew exactly what Ally meant when she asked for the same treatment as Corey and his wife Jaclyn remain one of my all-time favorite clients for how goofy, silly and personality-based their photos were. My only hope was that Ally and her future husband Kobe were all about that same vibe and I found out very quickly that they were.
In the best way possible.
My time with Ally and Kobe on the day of their engagement session started a bit worrisome as we were right by the water on a crazy bright day and the wind was unbelievably rough.
I always hate shooting in these conditions as it makes it almost impossible to work with anyone who has hair, which is most people, but Ally and Kobe were champs at getting through the initially awkward photos before we really found a rhythm with what we were doing.
I knew we were in for a special day when they asked to do the first of what would turn out to be many strange and silly poses but I loved — and I mean loved — seeing how weirdly creative these two would prove to be.
Ally and Kobe's session was the perfect balance of normal and offbeat and I had a strong feeling their relationship is low key similar.
Anytime I work with couples who have quirky personalities, I try to throw in some standard poses but a lot of it is just staying out of their way and finding ways to highlight who they are ... while also showing their true relationship and beauty when the moment is right.
I'm not sure if it was the sun or the wind but the first chunk of Ally and Kobe's photos felt a little more forced than I wanted them to. I've been shooting engagement sessions long enough to know that sometimes that's just a thing that happens and you always want to find a way to reset and get the ball rolling creatively.
That's why I was so thankful when our second location in the park took us into some shade and I could work on photographing these two in a more natural and relaxed way.
Within moments, things finally clicked and we started capturing photos with the right energy that felt more like traditional engagement photos while also retaining a lot of what makes this couple so great.
One thing I never want to do with my clients is walk away from a session feeling like I was too much on the side of the line between posed and not taking things seriously because as fun as I want a session to be, I also want my brides and grooms to come away from the experience feeling like they got some beautiful and professional photos.
The shaded photos were the real start of what I loved about Ally and Kobe's session and I love that we were still able to find ways to let them fly their freak flag at each little stop along our walk around the park.
Ally and Kobe really only had one place they wanted to make sure we went to at the park and we saved it for the back half of our time together. It was a pretty cool bench area with some overhanging trees.
I loved how natural and beautiful this little spot felt but, more importantly, it led to us discovering a patch of amazing little flowers that I used for the photo that led this blog off, which is absolutely my favorite engagement photo I took in 2025.
As my time with Ally and Kobe came to an end, I couldn't help but smile as we walked back to our parking lots as their session wasn't just fun ... it was a reminder that good things come to those who wait.
I feel like that's the perfect mantra to have define an engagement session as it is a message a lot of brides and grooms should keep in the back of their minds as they begin planning their weddings.
It'll be a while, still, before Ally and Kobe walk down the aisle and say "I do" but I hope when they do, they keep the same silly fun energy they had on our engagement session because, if they do, I know it will be a perfect wedding that they remember for the rest of their lives.
So congrats again on your engagement Ally and Kobe and best of luck on your future wedding. :)