Joshua Tree National Park always leaves me starry eyed and I love taking couples here. The weather is wildly unpredictable and I somehow manage to stumble across a new location with each visit. Not to mention the sunsets out here are pretty spectacular.
It was overcast when I met Amitis and Nico here in April for their engagement session. These two are originally from Southern California, but currently living together in New York. They’ve been engaged for over a year now and were craving a change of scenery outside of the city. Amitis reached out to me a few weeks before a planned trip to Los Angeles for a friend’s wedding and our schedules happened to line up
Spring blooms galore in Joshua Tree
We met at the park entrance just before golden hour to carpool together. Our first stop was the massive, prehistoric boulders along the main road. The winter rains brought heaps of wildflower blooms to life all over the desert floor. Nico helped me precariously perch Amitis’s yellow sapphire ring on one of the vibrant red cactus flowers.
The sun made its first appearance that day as we made our way out of the rock maze. Amitis and Nico quickly changed outfits in the car and we hightailed it into the field of tall Joshua Trees across the road. We frolicked around, goofy as can be, as the golden light peaked over the mountain. Then it was back to the car for one last stop…
Golden Fields of Joshua Trees & Keys View
The sunset at Keys View that evening is indescribable and easily one of my top five favorites (This sunset at the dunes is also on my list). The colors in the sky were something out of a science fiction movie. We clambered all over the rocks to shoot from every perspective, and kept shooting long after sunset. The city lights in the Coachella Valley sparkled below us. We were all smiles driving back out through the gates.
(You can check out more Joshua Tree engagement sessions in the archives).
Debra said:
These are so gorgeous! Even the sky was beautiful and matched her dress! I’ve been dying to visit Joshua Tree before, now I just HAVE to go.
Paige Nelson said:
Thanks so much Debra! Joshua Tree is a surreal national park!
Katelyn McCullough said:
Joshua Tree makes me feel the exact same way! The lighting, the vibe, is just so on point. This couple could not be more perfectly suited for Joshua Tree, not to mention stunning. Your photography style is beyond gorgeous, I adore EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. xoxo
Paige Nelson said:
Thank you Katelyn! I really appreciate that! These two were awesome to work with. 🙂
Best Top 10 Antivirus said:
Wow, what a beautiful moments…I liked and enjoyed all of your pics, thanks for sharing this.
Paige Nelson said:
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed!