Yosemite National Park

the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers

Chris + Kay’s Adventurous Elopement Portraits in Yosemite National Park

It’s no secret that Yosemite is one of our most popular locations, and while I don’t keep an official count, I’d guess Taft Point in Yosemite National Park is the one place we’ve shot the highest number of weddings, elopements, and adventure sessions. I’ve probably hiked out to this spot over 50 times in the past four years, yet I never EVER get tired of it. Every single time, I’m completely blown away by the sheer cliff drop-offs, the rumbling of Yosemite Falls in the distance, and the unique perspective looking down on El Cap’s incredible 3000 foot face. It’s certainly grown in popularity in recent years, especially for wedding photography, so these days we’re often sharing the area with a few other photo shoots. Some photographers and couples might be annoyed by that, but I’ve found it’s (for the most part) a really fun community. Fellow wedding couples are often stoked to see another couple come out, and fellow photographers aren’t a problem as long as everyone is respectful (and most are). I have photographers ask me if I get tired or bored of shooting in the same place multiple times, sometimes 3-4 times in one week, but the truth is every experience is so different. I love going out here with our couples, and for most of them it’s their first time seeing the overlook so I get to experience it through new eyes! I also always the the sunsets in Yosemite are all different — there is never one like the last, so it says super exciting and interesting to me! But the bottom line is, I love Yosemite down to my bones and just never see myself getting tired of spending time there! Plus, some people drive the same highway to the same building to sit in the same office every day, every week, of every year…if walking through a forest out to an epic overlook is my daily “commute” I consider myself pretty lucky :)

Chris and Kay got married earlier this year, but before that they knew they wanted to do a photo session with us in Yosemite afterwards! We get a lot of questions about wedding portrait sessions — where a couple chooses to meet up with us somewhere epic for wedding portraits before or after their actual wedding day! We only do a few of these sessions a year (we reserve most of our adventure sessions for engagements!) but Yosemite is a really popular spot for them! A session like this is perfect for couples that are having a more traditional wedding, or their wedding location/timing didn’t line up with our schedule, so they can be flexible and meet us wherever we are for a shorter two hour photo session in their wedding clothes! One misunderstanding is that we do not allow these sessions to be an “elopement” or have any sort of ceremony, because we truly believe your wedding day deserves much more than two hours! We also put a ton of work into planning a timeline, adventures, vendors, and so on into wedding days, so we have a bigger minimum package for elopements. All of this is based on our three+ years of experience working with these kinds of weddings and settings, and what has made the most sense for us!

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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US. You can typically find them in Moab, Utah or Yosemite National Park, California, with side-quests to Patagonia and Alaska. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.

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