This two-day destination Joshua Tree engagement photos session was one for the books. Jump in and see the breathtaking results.
Joshua Tree is one of those magical, other-worldly locations that you have to see to believe. It’s no wonder that it’s one of our top two favorite National Parks to take photos in – tied with Yosemite! The unique landscape and desert climate creates such unique imagery.
We had the pleasure of meeting up with Kate and David in Joshua Tree for their destination engagement session. They flew in from Cleveland and opted to have a sunset session and a sunrise session the next day. Joshua Tree was the first national park Kate and David visited together after they started dating, so it made sense to come back to this surreal landscape for their engagement photos too! Sunrises and sunsets here are awe-inspiring, unlike anything we’ve ever seen! The park is huge – we’re talking 800,000 acres, so having two separate photo shoots allowed us to go to several locations and get a ton of variety in scenery.
There are two different desert ecosystems within the park, we were in the high desert which features large rock formations and iconic Joshua Trees for the sunset portion and then we went to the high desert for mountain views and endless fields of cholla cacti the next day.
We can’t recommend a destination engagement session enough. Whether it’s here at Joshua Tree National Park, or it’s across the country at Acadia National Park, soaking up natural scenery is one of the best ways to celebrate this rare moment.
Airports Near Joshua Tree National Park:
Palm Spring:: 40 Miles / 50 Minutes
Los Angeles: 143 miles / 2.5-3 hours
Park Entrance Fee:
$30 for a 7-day vehicle permit
$55 for an annual pass to Joshua Tree
$80 for a National Park Pass – This pass is valid for one year and gets you unlimited access to over 2,000 national parks and federal recreation lands. This pass is worth it and will save you money if you plan to visit a few parks throughout the year.
There is little to no cell phone reception throughout the park. We recommend meeting outside of the park to avoid any confusion or delays in your photo session (because you don’t want to miss that good light)!
“You immediately felt like friends we had known forever and made us feel so at ease, which allowed us to have so much fun taking the photos. Both the sunset and sunrise were so gorgous and seeing the photos on the back of your camera, I was just blown away. We have a couple pictures from the shoot over our bed and everyday I look at them and want to get on a plane and go back.”
Kate + David
Ready to plan your destination engagement session but aren’t sure where to go? As elopement photographers, destination engagement sessions like these are our bread and butter. Check out a few of our other blog posts below for some inspiration or reach out to us – we would love to help get your adventure started!
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