Before I decided to follow my dreams of running my photography business full time, I was a high school math teacher. As a teacher, you are supposed to make an impact on the lives of those you teach. However, during that time, I met a a number of students who taught me just as much (if not more) than I taught them. I recently had the honor of photographing one of those students as she and her soulmate celebrated their engagement to each other.

Kayla, Colin, and I met up at Penn State University, Berks Campus for their engagement session. It was windy. It was cold. I think the temperature was somewhere in the teens. But you would never know it, looking at these photographs that we made together. From the way Kayla and Colin looked at each other, smiled at each other, breathed each other in, and had a way of doing something at just the right time that would make the other one burst into laughter, I don't think they even noticed the chill in the air. In fact, I think they hardly noticed me and my camera there at all - which is my goal at all of my photoshoots and weddings. They were so into each other, and it was amazing to witness. One of my favorite parts of this job is being surrounded by so much love, and this session did not disappoint!

Kayla and Colin, congratulations on your engagement. I'm so happy that you found each other, and I'm honored that you asked me to photograph this milestone event in your lives. Kayla, it has been an absolute joy getting to know you over the years, and watching you turn into the incredible woman who you are today. Everything happens for a reason, and those reasons brought the two of you together at just the right time in both of your lives.

On a side note, I've been trying to introduce a new editing style into my work that has been really tugging at my soul. It's difficult to time such an artistic change, but something about the light, the mood, and the energy at this session just made it feel like the right time to do it. So, I took the leap. I hope you enjoy these samples from our session.

Finally, I owe big thanks to my daughter Kaiya for braving the cold with us and assisting during the session!

Sujal reached out to me after we met at Niva's Sweet 16 party. He wanted to surprise his wife, Raji, with a vow renewal ceremony to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Fast forward a few months, and he pulled off his surprise perfectly! Some of their closest loved ones joined them as he proposed, she accepted, and they got married all over again. I'm so glad that I was there to experience it all! This was the first time I witnessed a Hindu religious ceremony (a Puja), and I was captivated by all of the beautiful colors, textures, smells, and sounds! Oh, I can't forget to mention the absolutely incredible Indian food that was served! I'm so thankful for all of the wonderful people I have been able to meet through my photography. Here is just a small collection out of the many photos that I captured that day.