Out in the tall grass
I photographed this engagement session in Hope Valley in October 2026. The meadow is dry gold grass edged with red-brown brush, with a stand of yellow aspens below a rocky hillside of pines. The tops of the trees catch the low sun. In one of the later frames a mountain rises behind the pines under a sky full of small clouds.
He wore a black cowboy hat and a plaid jacket with a brown collar. She wore round glasses, a brown knit cardigan over a white dress, and red beaded bracelets. In the first frame they stand close in the grass and smile at the camera, her hand flat on his chest with the ring showing.
Up close, he grins down at her from under the hat brim while she smiles up at him. They touch foreheads and laugh with their eyes shut. In another frame she leans her head against him with her eyes closed, and he rests his face on her hair.
Then I stepped back. He leads her by the hand through the tall grass, and she follows, smiling, her other hand trailing out to the side. From farther off they are two small figures holding each other in the middle of the meadow. Below the mountain he dips her back and they smile at each other. The last frame is her hand held out to the lens, the ring sharp and the two of them soft behind it.
