Let me set the scene... the week has been a hot 90 degrees and I have forced my family to explore the meadows of YNP with me. This is my location scouting time. I'm in love with the meadows near El Capitan because of the prime Half Dome view. After about 30 mins of walking, we take a break from the heat near the bridge I used to jump off as a kid.

 

There aren't many people there, a few families passing by and one other couple enjoying the river view. my family and I are chilling by the Merced River, listening to the sound of the trickling water. My dad starts telling me and Eric the story of when he proposed to my mom at Yosemite. I've heard the story countless times but never with Eric while actually in the park so it was a special moment.

 

At some point I peak over my dad's shoulders and see a young man on his knee proposing to his girlfriend!!! My heart starts racing because this is the moment I was praying for while I was here! Since I didn't book any shoots while in my favorite national park I was hoping to find myself in this exact situation! My mom, dad, and Eric (being my biggest supporters) started pushing me to tell them that I am a photographer and that I would love to take their photos! 

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I muster up the courage to approach them but I realize that someone is already taking their photos! I start freaking out because I can't tell if it is someone they know or hired! I start thinking, maybe it is one of their dad's maybe it is a nice passerby like myself, I have no idea. As I get closer I weakly ask them if the guy (photographer) is with them, and newly engaged couple tell me that it is their hired photographer. The last thing I wanted to do was step on anyone's toes, so I slowly backed away and tried to forget about the embarrassing encounter. 

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My family sits closely by and watch what seemed like a pretty awkward photo session... I won't go in to the details, but my confidence skyrockets and I wait for the couple to be done with their shoot to show them my work and ask them for a free photoshoot! They eagerly say yes and we get goin, its midday, bright AF, and scorching hot but these two were absolute champs!

 

I find out this is their first time to YNP and they are from Chicago! Dan had hired a staff photographer from the park to capture their moment together because he is not from the area and didn't really know how to find engagement photographers in the area. After all was said and done, I was so lucky to come across these two, witness their moment and be able to capture some special photographs in the magical meadows of Yosemite National Park.