My favorite thing about being an elopement photographer is not only because I get to shoot amazing couples in epic locations but because I get to see these couples grow as a family together!

I photographed Li and Byron’s epic engagement session in gorgeous Yosemite National Park as well as their wedding and now their maternity session in Joshua Tree! (which in turn was a referral from a previous family’s wedding that I photographed!)

It’s such a beautiful feeling when my couples trust and love my work so much that they keep coming back to have me document their lives!

At Li and Byron’s Yosemite wedding Li knew right away she wanted to do a maternity session in Joshua Tree with the Milky Way Galaxy as she saw a previous shoot of mine where I did the same thing. Li was so excited that she got a handful of dresses for the session and they both made the trip down all the way from the Bay Area!

Li-and-Byron_0014 Li & Byron's Milky Way Galaxy Maternity Session

Milky Way Galaxy Photos

We started the session off around sunset, but were out in the park until 3:30 am! When capturing the Milkyway, it can take a lot of time so always make sure you take breaks in between and bring snacks! Although it can take a couple of hours to get the “perfect” shot it’s worth it in the end!

Joshua Tree is one of the most peaceful places where you can see the milky way with the naked eye, the whole sky is full of glistening stars, planets, and passing meteors and shooting stars, which many people don’t get to see outside of Joshua Tree, due to the artificial lighting and pollutants that wash out the natural light of the stars. It’s unfortunate. If you’ve never been I highly recommend that you go! It’s something you’d always remember!

But keep in mind that the Milky Way Galaxy isn’t around every night, there are optimal times and days to capture it. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see the Milky way on just any day of the year so you must time it correctly!

Shooting Li and Byron’s maternity session was a blast. Both Li and Byron have such adventurous spirits and mindsets! Li got poison ivy all over the right side of her body from a hiking trip two weeks before the session but still wanted to go forward with the shoot! She was such a trooper and even though the dresses were slightly itchy to wear, she was a total badass and went all in any way!

Li and Byron have such a beautiful relationship as they are so compatible! Byron is up for anything Li wants to do and they are both huge nature lovers and are always up for an adventure. We had so much fun exploring Joshua Tree National Park capturing Li in different dresses and being as creative as can be.

Maternity Session Tips

One thing I like to tell my clients is that you still have the freedom to make the first maternity session epic. Your second and third maternity shoot will be dovetailed into a family shoot and keep those more simple whether you go to a nearby city or park or do a home shoot. So if you’d love to have a creative and adventurous maternity shoot like this one dont miss your opportunity and do it with your first maternity shoot because it’s your only opportunity to make the effort to go to a national park and go all out with it just like Li and Byron did!