Blog— 2020 —
Borderland State Park Engagement Photos
Chelsea & Brandon
Borderland State Park, North Easton, Massachusetts
October 17th, 2020
I'm the type of photographer who never takes a shortcut. No matter how many times I have to recompose a photo or how uncomfortable a position I have to get into for the angle I see in my mind's eye, I'm going to put out my best effort to take the best photos I know how.
Because of that, I sometimes get carried away on an engagement session and might keep a couple for far longer than we anticipated. Thankfully, I tend to also make engagement sessions super fun so they rarely mind.
And this is exactly what happened on a beautiful fall afternoon back in October as Chelsea, Brandon and I spent nearly three hours at Borderland State Park in North Easton, Massachusetts.
I hadn't intended on taking up that much of their time but, honestly, how could I not? This park, which I had never been to before, was absolutely beautiful and it was, in many ways, the best foliage I've seen all year.
Add all those things together and there's a reason I'm already counting down the months until their 2021 wedding. Talk about a great fall session!
My time with Chelsea and Brandon began much like most of my first-time visits to a new location. Having done a bit of research but nothing "hands on," the three of us met in the park and just started walking until we saw things we liked. I know. It's pretty scientific.
Thankfully, Chelsea and Brandon had scouted the location a little bit prior to the shoot and let me know about a cool mansion-type building they had their eye on for the first location and the old stone and wooden doors really popped against their first outfit.
Chelsea and Brandon were a blast to work with but one of the things I loved the most about them was their drastic height and size difference as Brandon is a big guy. In fact, it's not often I have to look up to a subject by he had me by quite a bit height wise and that was great because it led to a lot of poses not all my couples can pull off.
The first 50 minutes or so of Chelsea and Brandon's engagement session was spent in that first session but, in many ways, that time was a feeling out period as I got to know how these two interacted together and what looked best for them as a couple.
By the time they switched into their second outfit, a much lighter white shirt for the soon-to-be bride and a grey shirt and brown slacks for the future groom, we were in a rhythm. Which is fitting because out second location was in the middle of a frisbee golf course and staying in rhythm felt important in the moment.
The cool thing about Borderland State Park is, if you're willing to walk a bit, you can find quite a lot. In my research of the park, I saw a TON of photos on a nice wooden bridge but it was tucked away in a place Chelsea and Brandon hadn't seen during their casual strolls through the area previously.
As luck would have it, we stumbled upon it midway through the shoot and I knew we were going to spend quite a bit of time on it because it looked stunning with the beautiful yellow hues of the colorful leafs behind them.
It also resulted in the photo I led this blog off with, one of my favorite shots of the year and a new favorite engagement photo. Talk about good luck.
By the time Chelsea and Brandon had finished up their second outfit, I felt like we could have called it a day but something told me to keep going.
I'm so glad I listed as a location we had tried and failed to shoot photos at earlier -- it was packed with other photographers and families taking portraits -- had finally opened up and it was well worth the wait.
That then led us to our final location of the session as Chelsea and Brandon asked to hit up an area they had seen with a park-style bench overlooking the water. On the way, of course, I just had to stop them several times when the inspiration struck. Naturally.
If I told you I knew Chelsea, Brandon and I had spent three hours shooting their engagement session, I wouldn't be telling the truth. In fact, it wasn't until I looked at the clock on my car driving out of the location that I realized how long we'd spent together.
Honestly, I can't think of higher praise for a couple. Not only were they game to go for as long as was needed to put together the best session possible but they also never got tired of posing and if that doesn't bode well for their 2021 wedding, I don't know what will.
So, thank you Chelsea and Brandon for an absolutely amazing engagement session that I know I won't forget anytime soon. I can't wait to see you next year and do it all over again. Only, this time, I think I'll try to keep to a more structured schedule time wise. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
