Taft Point, Yosemite Elopement | Stephanie & Gabriel
Stephanie and I had been in contact about doing an elopement in Yosemite National Park for a couple of months. We were waiting for the official word that the park would be open. When we were finally able to confidently lock in a date, reservations and the permit what happened? A HURRICANE! That’s right, a hurricane was coming into Florida and Stephanie and Gabriel were unable to fly to California.
Luck was on our side because we were able to postpone just two weeks. I arrived to Yosemite Valley to meet Stephanie and Gabriel on August 23rd. We explored the valley and then proceeded up to Taft Point. We wanted to do the hike once to familiarize ourselves with the terrain before doing the hike in the dark. The rest of the evening consisted of enjoying the sunset, some grilled chicken and an early nights sleep.
Stephanie had her makeup artist Mickie (who is incredible by the way) arrive to the cabin in Wawona at 1:00 AM. When Gabriel and I woke up at 3, her make up and hair was in the finishing stages and by 4:00 Mickie had Stephanie looking absolutely beautiful and ready to go. She put her dress on and we were on the road!
It’s now 5:30 in the morning at the trail head for Taft Point. It is pitch black outside and surprisingly cold. With some headlamps and a lantern to light the way, we began to walk. And yes, if you are wondering, Stephanie did the 30 minute hike in her wedding dress. Each way!
The darkness began to fade and we began shooting. I wanted to use every bit of the changing sunrise light. I knew I wanted some of those cooler blue tones before the sun rose with an increasing warmth as the morning progressed.
The conditions were close to perfect. There wasn’t too much smoke, the wind was absent and there wasn’t a soul for almost the entirety of the morning. The landscape is extremely humbling and it was wonderful to be able to take in the view and enjoy the moment just the three of us. There was no pressure at all.
During the hike back to the car, as I turned a corner I noticed these beautiful light rays coming through the trees and in my head I was like, “we need to stop.” Stephanie and Gabriel were super cooperative and I think they, as I, were amazed with the images that we got during that pit stop.
The day continued with Stephanie and Gabriel reading their vows to each other at Glacier Point. Even though there was a lot of haze covering Half Dome, it was still the perfect backdrop for these two to share some words, laughs, and a few tears.
This bridge leading to Yosemite Falls was a must for Stephanie so we were sure to make a quick loop around the valley floor to get a few shots.
By 12:00 we were ready for a break. We drove back to our cabin to eat, avoid the heat and watch “Free Solo.” When we were in the valley looking at El Capitan I asked Gabriel and Stephanie if they had seen the film. When they said “no” I knew what we were going to do next.
Halfway through the film Gabriel fell asleep on the floor but Stephanie and I stuck it out with sweaty palms til the end. I have seen the film twice and It still stresses me out every minute.
After “Free Solo” and a power nap, the three of us went back to Glacier Point to see if there was any sunset to be seen. By this time the haze was very thick so a colorful sunset was out of the question. I was able to capture a few small sets of images and we called it a day.
The image above was taken in the early morning. I had gotten the idea for a fairy tale type image with the lantern while we were hiking the night before. I didn’t want to spend too much time on it, but I wanted to make sure to capture it so it was the very first thing we did after arriving to Taft Point. While in the editing room I thought about how awesome it would have been to be there and hour earlier with stars still out. Since I was going for surrealism anyway, I thought, “Why not just blend some stars from another photo?” So, I grabbed a photo of the recent comet that I shot about a month ago and composited it in. I was extremely pleased with the final image. Is it 100% real? No, but I wanted to create a fairy tale.
Gabriel and Stephanie, thank you so much for allowing to me to be a part of your adventure and for trusting my vision. It was such a pleasure to spend the weekend with you both and I feel confident in saying I have gained two friends. I look forward to seeing you in Miami in the future!
I also want to give a huge thank you to Mickie Hanson for referring this wonderful couple to me and for getting Stephanie ready on time and making the whole shoot possible.
ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Nic Hilton. I am a destination wedding photographer based in Los Angeles. I shoot many weddings in the Mammoth Lakes area as well as Southern California but I am available to travel worldwide! Contact Me today because I would love to tell your story.