The Amara Resort in Sedona doubles as a great backdrop for your special moments—like a proposal—and of course, a place to rest your head before a hike up to Cathedral Rock. Travis reached out to me from Australia, as he had won a sweepstakes to travel wherever he wanted from an Australian airline, and he chose Sedona. He would tell Alyse he was going to the gym in order to meet with me on Zoom via his car, and it would be nearing evening time for me. We had fun planning his proposal and making it work to not drop a single hint to Alyse!

The Amara Resort worked with Travis to lay out rose petals for not only his proposal spot, but also for their hotel room with celebratory champagne to follow. They were a great resort to work with and kept everything under wraps. Travis wanted Alyse to be able to dress up for their proposal, but also wanted to have an adventurous hike in Sedona for epic backdrops. Which is totally fair, it’s Sedona and a proposal! The way to get the best of both worlds is to book a next-day adventure session. We did 30-minutes of photo coverage to purely capture the surprising moment, some shots by the creek, and then an 1.5-hour session for a Cathedral Rock Hike the next morning. This allowed for them to have dinner at the resort together all dolled up, to take in the moment just the two of them, and then prepare for an epic hike the next day. It’s a perfect combination in my opinion.

And just like that…we woke up before the sun rose and headed to Cathedral Rock.

Cathedral Rock has its own challenges when it comes to its popularity, parking/shuttle, and timing. I always give my clients all the options and what their outcomes will be experience and photo wise. The timing chosen allowed for more intimate moments and epic lighting show thrown against the rock walls.

I love seeing my clients get down and dirty with the adventure; throwing off the hiking boots and walking barefoot on the rocks in order to safely change into picturesque shoes. I also love when they keep their hiking boots on for shots since it’s how it truly got them to this point. Genuine!

On top of giving options, I always provide my clients with a Cathedral Rock guide in order to thoughtfully prepare them for the hike, and all the necessities they will need for the adventure. It helps make a great experience for all and not to sweat the small things. Cathedral Rock is truly my favorite spot in Sedona for its views and the epic vantage point it provides for photo sessions. Cheers to Travis + Alyse!

Photos taken for Flytographer

What a unique morning hike proposal I captured for Andre + Alex on their dream trip to Sedona, Arizona featuring an Alebrije. When Andre first contacted me, he immediately mentioned two things:

1. “We're keen hikers so happy to go somewhere in Sedona that you recommend, we've never been to Arizona before – we're flying in from our home in New Zealand on holiday.”

2. “I've made a small Alebrije [ring] box…so it's a bit of a funky one.”

It was exciting to be able to help curate a proposal for someone from New Zealand, AND for someone that built their own Alebrije that doubles as the ring box! Extremely cool. Now some of you surely may be asking, ‘what is an Alebrije?”

An Alebrije is traditionally a papier-mâché or wooden sculpture. It is a form of art previously invented by Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, with a large influence in Oaxaca today.

With Andre having family from Oaxaca, he explained to me that he has made his own Alebrijes over the years. He even made one for Alex when they first started dating, and he explained it felt right to make one for his proposal to her with a special twist. The addition of their home cities HAND PAINTED on it made it extra special to show Alex. He also explained he felt it would be a good way to display both of the Alebrijes he has made her as bookends. A very special idea!

From there, we chose a hike with a summit but a casual one, as it was an early morning hike or “stroll” to start their first day in Sedona with. We specifically also chose a hike where the trailhead was only steps away from their Airbnb. All of these things were decided to keep it feeling casual, in order to not give the surprise away. The photo below is me spying on them from above as they started the hike!

About 15 minutes later, I start acting like a fellow hiker; eating my snack bar and taking phone photos of the sites, as I see they made it to the top as well. As planned, Andre asked me to take a photo of them with his phone and when I got them into place, that was Andre’s cue to go ahead and do the thing—propose!

Alex was enamored when seeing a familiar Alebrije, and couldn’t help but put together the pieces of Andre’s suspicious behaviors back home in New Zealand. Her happiness and excitement for his proposal was palpable.

From here we took celebratory photos to commemorate the moment and take in the views. This was all possible for their 1-hour photo session with the hike included in the time. For those wanting something short & sweet, a 1-hour session with me is just right. If they wanted to do a more extensive hike, or a longer session for more options to adventure further, I always recommend beyond an hour. I have plenty of location advice to provide in Sedona for whatever kind of adventure you’re looking for. Consider me your hiking guide!

Congrats to these two on their engagement and for bringing a slice of home with them on their dream vacation. Nothing is better than doing what you love to celebrate your engagement.

K + A got married at the courthouse in Flagstaff, Arizona before heading north to Grand Canyon National Park to commemorate their day with elopement portraits, yurt camping under the stars, taco bell dinner, and Mario Kart racing on their Nintendo Switch. This was truly THEIR day and exactly how they wanted it.

They helped each other get ready in their Airbnb yurt outside of the National Park, and got their florals ready from Sedona Flowers. From there we drove together to the Grand Canyon and captured some lovely portraits for them.

Their beautiful florals curated by Sedona Flowers perfectly complimented the cotton candy post-sunset skies we got. I had them exchange rings again, and share some extra vows to commemorate their time here at the Grand Canyon.

As the sun went down, their minds ached for celebration and stomachs ready to feast. We headed back to their yurt, where we would soon learn of all the fun yet to be had for their special day. The first thing they were excited to dive into was their beautiful succulent cake made by Sedona Cake Couture.

And oh no, they did not stop there. Next up they pulled out a bag of their favorite goodies: Taco Bell and endless snacks from the convenience store. Now this is where they thought of themselves and what THEY wanted for THEIR day. When I asked during their early consult meeting, “What do you both love to do together?”, they both replied with exactly what you’re seeing here. They love playing games, munching on their favorite snacks while cozied up on their couch together. What’s better than comfort food and some Mario Kart competition after your elopement day?!

During their consult meeting, this is everything we went over and talked about: How do you want your day to look? What do you hope to feel and see in your final photo gallery? Timing wise, are you looking for an epic sunrise? sunset? starry night? All of my elopement packages come equipped with this in mind. They wanted something that felt them, not out of the ordinary—except for the Grand Canyon of course. They immediately mentioned sunset at the Grand Canyon and that they were beyond excited booking a yurt—so starry night photos were a “yes please!”

These kinds of questions I asked when designing their elopement, ultimately helped them to enjoy their day and it not feel like a timed and rigid photo shoot. It’s more about experiencing and being present. After-all, this is their elopement day they traveled thousand of miles for, it should be enjoyed! This allows their final gallery outcome to tell the full story, and again, not just be a timed photo shoot.

The next day we met back up in the morning at the Grand Canyon South Rim to take advantage of capturing more Grand Canyon view points, and they also FaceTimed their family and friends to share the news—they eloped!

If you’re looking to capture your Grand Canyon elopement, look no further than Earth Below Photo. As an experienced destination elopement and wedding photographer, I specialize in capturing the raw beauty and intimate moments of couples against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the Grand Canyon, all while being able to help you plan out your perfect day. Inquire here. I can’t wait to join you on your next adventure!

An elopement not only in the desert, but at Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona is truly magical. Especially with these two, they made this adventurous photographer so inspired. This canyon view has become one of most iconic travel spots in the southwest. Being able to see the natural horseshoe curve of the Colorado River and its accessibility is truly why so many crowd this destination.

Regardless of influx of crowds over the past 7 years, this place still remains a special place to me. I work hard to make couples’ sessions, elopements, and weddings as intimate as possible. That’s due to the endless amount of time I have spent and photographed in this location.

We started the day before their elopement. I offer an extra adventure session in my Dream collection of photography packages. This gives me the opportunity to either photograph the couple before their day—I really get to know them during this time and how they like to be photographed—or after if they want more adventures to celebrate afterwards. Now this gives the couple the opportunity to explore places in the area they also want photos of in their elopement attire or just to be casual—without elopement attire—purely for the adventure and to document it. So really, if you want ideal sunset lighting in multiple locations this is the perfect option! We traveled off to other mars-like rock formations the evening before. It was a great opportunity for all of us to get to know each other in person, and I got to hear more about their story together. Magical again with a cotton candy sunset on the cliffs.

The morning of their elopement, S + C got their hair done in the Flagstaff area and headed up north to the city of Page. We met up at a spot along Lake Powell to adventure and capture some portraits before the sunset ceremony at Horseshoe Bend. I like this spot because you’re closer to the water and get insane wave-like rock formations. From here you can actually go down to the water with small sandy spots to relax and jump in. We decided to stay up amongst the rocks.

As you can see I really enjoy those wide, wide open landscapes shots where the subjects look small, and you can really feel how expansive our world is. After all, that’s why these clients pick these places. You WANT to see these epic backdrops in your photos—not only closeups.

From there, we headed over to Horseshoe Bend with our proper permit and met up with their officiant, Jen from Life Passages. Quick little rant: I absolutely love working with Jen who really is such a positive and fun person to work with. The detailedness and personable ceremonies Jen provides are beautiful. Hire Jen for your Arizona wedding!

S + C set up their phone on a tripod and started a Zoom video chat so family could join their elopement. It was a complete surprise to them that day. We timed it perfectly for the sun to be setting on the cliff of Horseshoe Bend as they were giving their vows and we really got such great changes in light and the sky. Plus, we had the perfect amount of time to take portraits afterwards with the golden light!