When Bekka first approached me about taking her and Loïc's engagement photos, I fought to keep from screaming and jumping up and down in front of our coworkers. You see, Bekka and I work together - in fact, we both returned to the same company we met at within a month of each other. So it felt perfect that I would be able to capture their special time.

Bekka and Loïc are a sweet, wonderful couple, and in fact are already married to each other! They were married in a quiet ceremony and the "party" part of the wedding is next year.

We worked together to find a location that suited them. There are so many great options around Washington, DC. I asked what they might be leaning towards, and got a fantastic reply: "I think we're forest people. When asked what our wedding "theme" was by the caterers, we said Lord of the Rings." Arlington has some hidden gems, and we found the one: Cherry Valley Park.

It had rained the day before our session, so the forest greens were especially bright. A few days before, it felt like we were watching Fall happen right before our eyes: DC went from green to stunning foliage, which helped capture the Fall forest for their engagement even more.

I simply loved taking photos of Bekka and Loïc. Their love is intense, it crosses oceans; they are wrapped up in each other and quietly take care of one another.

No really, it crosses oceans: at the beginning of their session, they showed me the props they brought: flags for each of their countries. For Loïc, a regional Breton flag of France; for Bekka, the U.S.A. Fun fact: this flag of Brittany is called the Gwenn-ha-du.

In keeping with their style and Lord of the Rings, we added another relevant prop:

It was just a joy capturing these moments for them!