This session will always be special to me. My sister’s then-boyfriend, now my brother-in-law, had asked me to photograph his proposal. I was taking a course through the New York Institute of Photography and had just bought a new camera, so we had the perfect cover story: I needed photos for an assignment and wanted to test out my camera at a park in Morristown, New Jersey.

Getting my sister there was the first challenge. She didn’t want to go to the park at all, which made us laugh later because she clearly had no idea what was coming. It was a beautiful day, and the park was a perfect spot for proposal and engagement photos. Once we arrived, I started taking a few photos of them “for my assignment” while waiting for his signal. This also helped me triple check my settings before a moment that couldn’t be repeated.

I guided them to a spot beneath a large tree that would provide the best lighting. When he gave me the signal, I stepped back to give them space and used my 70–200mm lens to photograph the moment he asked her to marry him.

Afterward, we walked around the park for their first engagement portraits. It was my first-ever shoot, and getting to document such an important moment for my sister and brother in law is a memory I’ll always treasure.