I’m so excited to share about this sunrise couples session in Tuolumne Meadows. Since I live so close to the park, I’ve been able to say yes when people come to me looking for a Yosemite Photographer. There are many logistics that go into photographing in Yosemite and I’m happy to help make it easy on people. Let me share about this sunrise engagement session with Hailey and Bryon…
Why Take Engagement Photos?
Hailey and Byron are one of my 2025 Mammoth wedding couples and the wedding package they picked included an engagement session with me! I’ve been encouraging this more and more as I keep hearing the same themes from couples—since you’re not professional models, this whole experience of being in front of a camera for a whole day is weird and kind of uncomfortable to think about! Meeting up beforehand and taking photos is kind of like practicing for your big day. It gives us all a chance to see what it’s like working with one another. It helps me show you that there is no pressure to look and be a certain way. Turns out, taking photos with me is actually fun and laid back (a plus to working with a Yosemite Photographer).
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park
We had been working with finding a location that worked for both Hailey & Byron and I when the idea of meeting in Tuolumne (Yosemite National Park) came up—we all agreed that would be the best spot for us. I was coming from the Valley after finishing up a Yosemite Elopement the day before. Hailey & Byron turned this into a climbing weekend and brought their camping set up. We met while it was still dark out along the road by Soda Springs and started the morning in the meadows as the sun rose over Lembert Dome. It was so quiet and perfect. I love sunrise in Tuolumne Meadows because it’s consistently crowd free and stunning.
Once we finished up in the meadow, we headed to the Dog Lake parking lot to start our hike to the top of Lembert Dome for a few more photos. As a photographer of Sierra Nevada, I’m constantly thinking about how to capture more than one perspective of this landscape. We ended our time together on the dome that was featured in the background of the photos. Byron busted out coffee and scones before hiking back to the car.
Important Notes
Please do not travel off the trail in the meadows. We can reduce the impact we have on this land by simply sticking to the trails and paths that are already there. All the photos were taken on a trail, on rocks by the trail (a durable surface), or on a gravel road. Give the plants and vegetation a chance and please do not romp into the meadows. Yosemite National Park does require reservations to enter the park this summer so please check before getting to the park gate. If you’re not able to get a reservation try hiking around the Saddlebag Lakes area or see what’s going on in Mammoth Lakes!
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