Yosemite Surprise Proposal at Cathedral beach
Yosemite Engagement Session | Surprise Proposal
Yosemite Proposal Photographer + Summit and Sur Photography
When Jack reached out to me looking for a Yosemite proposal photographer, I was ecstatic. There isn’t anything I don’t love photographing in Yosemite and proposals are high on that list. The stunning views, the element of surprise—-it’s a blast! I also just love photographing proposals in general because it gives me the opportunity to concoct wild excuses as to why a photographer is talking to you mere seconds before you propose to your partner (I swear, in another life, I was an actor…but I digress…).
On our first call, Jack told me all about how he and Katherine would be visiting Yosemite all the way from London and renting an RV to tour the western Sierras! Turns out, Katherine had visited a long time ago as a kid and while Jack had considered some other more local options like the Lakes District (which I made sure to tell them both later on that the only reason I knew what that was because of a Taylor Swift song which puts me solidly in the stupid American category…), he knew that a surprise proposal on their trip to California would be the most perfect, unsuspecting time to ask her to marry him. So with lots of expert knowledge of the park in hand, I helped him plan the perfect proposal with El Capitan looming in the background. While I once took couples to a similar spot, this one at Cathedral Beach was not only better, but approved as a shooting location by the powers that be over at the Yosemite special use permits office (Hi Cat!). We planned with the best light of the day in mind, I sent him GPS pins for where to stand, and agreed that I would be waiting on the beach for when they arrived, being as inconspicuous as one can be with multiple cameras.
On the day of the proposal, I arrived with plenty of time to try and give a heads up to others on the beach so that hopefully the spot we picked ahead of time would be clear of anyone in the background or super close. Luckily, there were only a handful of people that day on the beach and everyone was pretty stoked about getting to watch a surprise proposal in Yosemite. As I waited for Katherine and Jack to arrive, storm clouds passed through and gave us some light rain and a few small clashes of thunder. I texted Jack and let him know that the weather was acting up a bit but that we would still make it all work—-as long as we didn’t get electrocuted! Luckily for us, the weather cleared up nicely and left us with perfectly lit overcast skies that created some serious magic on El Cap in the background.
Whenever I have surprise proposals in places that have a moderate to low amount of people around, I try to crowd control in the 20 minutes or so before I know the couple will arrive. I try to let them know what will be happening and where as well as giving them little signals for when it’s about to happen. The goal here is to not push anyone out of a public space or demand anything but to ask nicely if they would be willing to just give the couple some space during this big moment. I always let them know that as soon as the partner has said “yes”, they are more than welcome to clap, cheer, and resume their regularly scheduled plan. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning this doesn’t typically work with super crowded spaces because it’s basically impossible to coordinate with more than a handful of people or groups.
Upon their arrival to the beach, I gave everyone on the beach the signal and pretended to just be a nature photographer very intent on taking photos of the beach and surrounding areas. I tried to nod in the direction of the spot we had picked and somehow Jack and I ended up talking while Katherine waited for him to set up his camera (he was going to record a video of it but she thought it was just a timed photo like they normally do together). I then broke out my Oscar-award winning performance of “do you want me to click the button on your camera for you?” It was really a real winner, I am telling you. So while I crouched down, pretending to press play on his already running camera, I got ready for the epic moment that was about to unfold. As they stood there taking in El Cap, Jack dropped to one knee and Katherine looked absolutely floored! It was so amazing to watch and document the pure shock and elation that existed between them in that moment, even more so when Jack pulled out the box with the ring. After she said yes, they kissed and hugged and then kissed some more—-it was absolutely perfect.
After popping some champagne and taking in the view one more time, I had them follow me deeper into the valley to grab some photos in one of my favorite meadows that has a great view of Half Dome. Yosemite was truly showing off on this afternoon, giving us her best colors, coolest clouds, and amazing light. I showed them around the meadow area for a bit before we hopped in the car for one last stop: tunnel view. Upon getting to tunnel view, we scurried up the top to get away from the crowd and into our own little secluded piece of paradise overlooking the incredible Yosemite Valley. We grabbed a few final photos with the fading light and then brought out the lanterns for some fun blue hour photos before wrapping up their session.
Congrats again to Katherine and Jack on their engagement! If you are trying to plan a surprise proposal in Yosemite and are looking for a photographer, reach out via the link below to get started…