When was the last time you had professional photographs taken with the person you love?

For Miranda and Scott Pogue, the answer was apparently...their wedding!

And I'm so glad they decided it was time to change that.

Miranda and Scott are part of my church family, and this was actually my first time photographing them. We met up in Forest Park for a fall mini session at the Victorian Bridge, and it was such a fun evening.

One of my favorite things about photography is that a session doesn't have to feel stiff or formal. You don't have to know what to do with your hands. You don't have to know how to pose. You don't even have to be particularly comfortable in front of a camera.

That's what I'm there for.

I'll give you prompts, tell you where to stand, get you moving and interacting, and hopefully make you forget that you're even being photographed.

Miranda and Scott were such good sports and jumped right into everything I asked them to do. We laughed, chatted and enjoyed a beautiful fall evening together.

And the light?

Absolutely gorgeous.

That warm golden-hour glow through Forest Park was the perfect finishing touch to their session.

But more than the pretty light or beautiful location, I'm just really glad they made the decision to take the pictures.

Because life gets busy.

Years go by.

And it's easy to think you'll get around to pictures "someday."

But these are the photographs that become more valuable as the years go by.

The photographs that remind you what you looked like when you were younger. What you were wearing. What your relationship felt like in that season. What it was like to simply be together.

You don't need a special occasion to document your marriage.

You don't need to have little kids running around the house.

You don't need to wait for a milestone.

Sometimes it's enough to say, "This season matters, and I want to remember it."

I'm so glad Miranda and Scott did just that.

It was such a joy to photograph you both, and I'm already thankful that these photographs will give you something tangible to look back on for years to come.