I am so beyond excited to share Melissa and Andrew’s engagement session here at Yosemite National Park!

It was honestly such an honor to be able to capture this couple’s engagement, solely because of the couple themselves. They not only were so happy that I flew all the way from Florida into San Francisco to meet them, but also welcomed me into their home to stay, treated me in such a grateful way, and truly left behind some great memories for me as I made my way back – I really felt like I made some amazing new friends. From the moment they booked me, I already knew that Melissa and Andrew were the type of people who had giving hearts and an appreciative nature to them – it made me all the more happier to go out of my way to document such an important moment in their lives because they truly deserve it. The way they look at each other melts my heart, and these portraits of them really reflect that. I’m absolutely in love with how moody the sunset in Yosemite looked.

It was my first time at this national park, so I naturally had some jitters about how to approach all the landscapes this place offered for photos in order to make the most out of the environment and document their engagement session properly in a way that reflects this couple. However, when we arrived at the park, even Andrew was focusing on making sure I was the one who enjoyed the novelty of this park since it was my first time, and I was like !? I never had a client who wanted to make sure I was the who would take in the beauty of the location we planned on shooting at since my mind is usually occupied with how I could do that for them, so small gestures like that alone makes me feel so grateful.

Since Glacier Point Rd was closed for 2022 (you can read about that here), we made our way to the meadows that would give a wondrous view of all the rock formations and trees in the background. Later in the day, we headed to Tunnel View to get that view of El Capitan and Half Dome in the background. Afterwards, we returned to the meadows as the sun set further, and I especially loved how the sun would peek between the rocks and greenery as I had them twirl each other around and around. We incorporated some shots of them playing chess together in the field, since that was something they said they did every night together. Andrew had taught Melissa how to play and now they do it every night, with Melissa having enough experience now to be a worthy opponent to Andrew – and I can vouch for the fact that they do, in fact, play every night, since the nights I stayed over, I would catch a glimpse of them downstairs playing before I headed to bed, haha.

I’ve already been back from California for about a month now, but I already miss this couple, their good boy Ollie (their golden retriever), and Yosemite – I can’t believe I wouldn’t see them again until next year when I’ll capture their wedding at The Howie Mansion, but I already know it’ll be such a great feeling to reunite with them and the energy they have again when the time comes!