Some sessions hit your heart differently, this White Oak Park engagement session
was personal. Emily is my niece, and if you know her, you already know what I mean when I say she’s a walking ball of sunshine. She’s joyful, bubbly, and always in motion. She never stops talking, and you never want her to (jk).
Emily and AJ’s engagement session at White Oak Park felt like something out of a summer romance movie – complete with golden hour glow, pink cowboy boots, and a few rogue geese.
Two Outfits, One Perfect Evening
For this session, Emily showed up in peak coquette energy. Her first outfit was a pale blue mini dress paired with the cutest little white cowboy boots. She topped it off with a bow in her hair that tied the whole look together – soft, sweet, and playful. Later, she changed into a white linen summer dress with a statement bow tied at the back, paired with dusty pink cowboy boots. So cute!
We had a backlit sunset that did everything it was supposed to do. The warmth in the sky wrapped around them like a filter you can’t replicate, and the mood? Pure magic. One of my favorite shots is from behind, just the backs of their heads, leaning into each other while looking up at the moon. Soft, simple, dreamy.
A Note for Photographers: Shooting Into the Sunset 🌅
Backlighting with the Morrow Method™
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about The Morrow Method™ – my approach to shooting backlit, golden hour portraits that glow without looking washed out or overexposed.
This session was a perfect example of it in action.
For this shoot, I used my Canon 5D with an 85mm L-series lens, which gives a gorgeous shallow depth of field and incredible color saturation when the light is low. The secret? It’s not just about shooting into the sun. It’s about timing, angles, and control—knowing exactly when that sun hits the horizon line, where to position your subject, and how to let the flare wrap around them without killing the exposure.
When it’s done right, you get that soft, ethereal glow that makes skin tones look creamy and light look like it’s hugging your couple.
📚 Want to learn more? I’m breaking down my full approach to backlighting in an upcoming post:
👉 The Morrow Method: Mastering the Golden Hour Glow
The Unexpected Guests (Thanks, Geese 🪿)
Oh – and did I mention the geese? White Oak Park has a couple of ponds, which means the geese were very much around and very much in our business. At one point, they swooped low across the sky behind Emily and AJ and gave us a few surprise shots. Chaos? Yes. But also: kind of perfect.
A Little Love Story
AJ is gentle, steady, and absolutely smitten with her. You see it in the way he looks at her, holds her, listens to her. (Even when she’s talking a mile a minute.) It’s the kind of love that feels like a gift.
They’re getting married in September 2026, and if their wedding day is even half as sweet as this session, it’s going to be unforgettable.
Planning Your Own Engagement Session?
This session is proof that you don’t need a big production – just the right light, the right outfits, and someone who loves you for real.
If you’re planning your engagement session and want to talk about dates, locations, or what to wear, I’d love to chat. White Oak Park is one of my favorite hidden gems for golden hour photos, and I’m always down to shoot there again.
👗 Outfit ideas:
You can also check out a few of my other engagement sessions here:
👉 Spring Engagement at Serenbe
👉 Alabama Mountain side engagement
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