Connected Lively Engagement | Mary-Korine + Zafer

October 30, 2026

Mary-Korine Insunsa and Zafer Genc, or MK and Z as she calls them, did something at their Phoenix engagement session that almost never happens. Aside from already being connected and lively celebrating their engagement, they naturally created their curated-appearing poses

Chad would set them up in a pose, step away for a second to grab his next angle, and turn around to find them already talking and laughing. Totally wrapped up in each other. Most couples look to their photographer for the next instruction in those in-between seconds. Not these two!

Chad told me how cute this was. He’d pose them, walk away for a second, and come back to find them in their own little world. And honestly? That’s where so many of the best images in this gallery came from.

Look at the black and white of MK laughing up at Z. Or the one by the wooden gates where he’s kissing her forehead and she’s grinning ear to ear. Nobody told them to do that. Chad gave them a starting point and some space, and they filled it with themselves.

That’s what connected looks like. It wasn’t performed. It was just them. Their connected lively energy is what an engagement session dreams of.

The Wigwam in Phoenix gave us so much to play with in one session. Arched wooden gates with black iron lanterns. Creamy adobe walls with ivy climbing up them. A covered walkway with old wood beams. A tall green hedge wall. And those palm-lined paths that glow when the sun starts to drop.

Then there’s the wagon wheel swing. MK and Z sat down, leaned in forehead to forehead, and it turned into one of the sweetest moments of the whole session.

Can we talk about their outfits for a second?! MK wore a white lace dress with worn-in cowboy boots. Z went with a cream textured button-up, khaki pants, and crisp white sneakers. Two totally different vibes, and together it just works.

It felt like them. Relaxed, a little playful, and not trying too hard. And when Z spun MK on the path and her dress flared out over those boots? That’s the lively side of this session in one frame.

We are so excited to be capturing MK and Z’s wedding too! Chad already knows how they move together, how they laugh, and how fast they forget the camera is there. That’s a huge head start for the big day.

Congratulations, Mary-Korine and Zafer!! We can’t wait for what’s next.