Kathleen and Stephen - Yosemite Elopement In the Rain

An elopement is the ultimate in wedding freedom. When Kathleen and Stephen first began to plan their Yosemite wedding, they suddenly realized all of the wedding details that demanded answers. It wasn't long, they told me, that they knew that the freedom of an elopement was right for them. All at once, questions about the appetizers and musicians melted away leaving them to have their wedding. When you're having a wedding on your own terms, you only see each other, not the seeming obstacles.

That's why when I first saw the weather forecast for their wedding day, I knew the wedding would not be postponed. Kathleen and Stephen were not going to let a little bit of rain and sleet stop them. Instead, we embraced the rain and moved forward. The way that they looked at each other as the rain drenched them was simply poetic.

We started the day in the Ahwahnee Hotel, for a few quick portraits before we stepped into the rain.



We crossed the Merced River and held a small ceremony at the base of Yosemite Falls. The ceremony was uber-quick; they exchanged their vows and rings before a passionate kiss.





After the ceremony we traveled around the Valley for a while shooting in the rain.





We headed up to Tunnel View, hoping the clouds might open up as the storm passed, but we didn't get that lucky immediately. Instead, we went into the tunnel to stay dry. I've been wanting to shoot in this tunnel for quite a while, but normally there is a lot of traffic here. Thankfully this day there were only a few cars (and snowplows) that we had to dodge. Hey, no one said this photography thing was totally safe.




Finally, the sky opened up for us to gaze across the valley.



After the sun went down, we stopped for just a few more photos.






For me it was a challenging day to say the least, I've never shot all day in the rain. In the back of my mind I kept wondering what a "weatherproof" camera really meant. But not even once did I have to tell Kathleen or Stephen to force a smile or look happy. And for your family Kathleen, I was there and it did happen - they got married!

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Jennifer and Bryan - Yosemite Engagement

I first met Jennifer almost a year ago shortly after Bryan proposed to her. They were in the earliest stages of planning their wedding and were interested in my photography. It was only after talking with them for quite a while over the phone, that Bryan sprung the fact that he is also a professional photographer on me (nice one Bryan)!

When it came time for the engagement session, I gave them complete and total freedom to choose a location that fit their style. Somehow I imagined shooting an urban feel someplace in Fresno or even near their home in Visalia. But after talking with them a bit more, they revealed their love of nature and how much they feel at home in the mountains.

So last Sunday we met up just outside of Yosemite and jumped in my car for a quick Yosemite tour. On the way to Yosemite Valley, our conversation started off with their wedding plans, but quickly spilled into everyday life. And truth be told, even though I was in the drivers seat, I really had no specific place in mind to take them to. I was driving with one eye always out the window looking for the perfect light.




Once we made our way into the valley, it seemed like I stopped the car every quarter mile (hey, I'm driving so I can do that) to soak up the fall colors. Thankfully, nature was on our side to create these fall engagement photos.




If you know me, you know how much I love to shoot in water. Unfortunately, the water here is cold, like really cold, so I put Jennifer and Bryan in the water instead.






We continued to milk every last ray of susnet on our slow progression to the Ahwahnee.




Once we got the Ahwahnee, the photos took on a different look as stone walls replaced falling leaves.




After all of this, it was a short ride back with my new friends Jennifer and Bryan. It's still almost a year until their wedding, but I have such high expectations already. Thanks for sharing such and amazing afternoon with me and I can't wait for the wedding! You guys rock!

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