Location Scouting for the Perfect Engagement Backdrop

For Katie and Dan’s engagement session at Valley Forge National Park, I arrived about an hour early to do a bit more location scouting. Even though I’ve been to Valley Forge a bunch of times and absolutely love it, I wanted to explore a bit more. The park is so vast and beautiful, with so many spaces and different types of scenery to work with.

As I was driving into the park, I looked to the left and noticed a field I had never really seen before. I feel like I’ve driven past it a hundred times, but this time it really caught my eye. So when I parked, I knew I had to go check it out from a different angle.

As I arrived, I spotted a skunk chomping away on some yellow flowers and bugs. Am I in a Pixar movie or what?

Capturing the Light and Landscape

I wandered near the parking area where I typically meet my couples and ventured into the field. I felt a little silly at first — no one else was out there just strolling through the grass like I was — but that’s what I love about this job. As a photographer, I’ll walk into spaces others might skip, because you just never know.
Behind a big tree, I found the most beautiful rolling hill landscape. The parking lot disappeared behind the hill, and the sun filtered through the tall grass, lighting everything up. My inner child lit up, feeling the joy of the Lord and experiencing His creation — just Him and I for a moment. I felt so grateful to be out there, in the rippling grass and warm light.

Choosing the Ideal Engagement Session Spots

Right then, I knew this had to be one of the locations for Katie and Dan’s session. The way the sun came in, the rolling hills behind it, the soft grass… it was absolutely perfect.

After that, I scarfed down half of a Wawa sandwich to fuel up and checked out another favorite spot to make sure the light was still good. It was. Then I met up with Katie and Dan down by the restrooms and we started the session.

A Heartfelt Engagement Session

I loved how natural and comfortable they were — especially for a couple who had never done a professional photo session before. I kept telling them throughout how amazing they were doing. They could seriously be a model couple — just so naturally loving, cute, and affectionate. Between every prompt and pose, they were laughing, holding hands, and simply being themselves, which made every photo feel like magic.

This was one of those sessions that reminds me why I love doing this. The location was beautiful. The light was dreamy. And the couple? Absolutely perfect. It inspired me to try new ideas, to walk down a path we hadn’t planned, and to shift the angle for shots that felt like they were captured from a film.

At one point, I wasn’t planning on using the big open field area — it’s usually overgrown and hard to walk through. But that evening, it looked beautiful. So I pulled over, changed my mind, and we went for it. I’m so grateful we did.

It felt like we were in another state — somewhere like Colorado or Utah — running through tall grass, looking out at the hills. We even spotted a faint rainbow in the distance! I brought down the exposure to capture it and got some beautiful silhouettes of Katie and Dan looking out at the scene.

Golden Hour Magic in the Woods

We ended the session at one of my favorite spots — a woodsy area with a winding path and golden light pouring through the trees. I had them dance, twirl, climb on a picnic table, and try fun, spontaneous ideas like jumping off a tree stump. It was the perfect way to wrap up the evening.

By the time we finished, I had gone well over the session time, but none of us minded. I felt creatively fulfilled and deeply grateful.

Katie and Dan, thank you for making this one of my favorite sessions to date. I can’t wait to capture your wedding this September!