Hiking Engagement Photography at Moraine Lake and Larch Valley
The story of their hiking engagement session.
When Paula & Greg reached out to me about their engagement / pre wedding photo session ideas, I was stoked! Their wedding in the Philippines this year was cancelled due to the pandemic. Despite of this, they still want to celebrate their love by making their first trip to the Rockies to be their best adventure yet.
They visited Banff during fall season. To make sure we take advantage of the autumn colours, they decided to hike to Larch Valley. The trails start right at Moraine Lake parking lot so it was perfect to check out both locations.
When things don’t go to plan.
A week before the engagement session, we checked the weather forecast and it predicted to have a small chance of rain and clouds. Paula and Greg decided to go ahead with the plan. We knew the weather can be unpredictable, so we started our day before the dawn. We thought, may be we might be able to catch the alpenglow and sunrise.
The early morning of the session day turned out to be raining so we waited out. The rain did not last long and that was when we quickly start our walk to the Rock Pile where start our session. Then continued the hike to the Larch Valley. The rest of the day consisted of light snow, drizzle, sunny day and hail all in the same day!
Crazy weather makes for a memorable day!
The weather was so wild that the short gush of wind almost blew Paula’s warm jacket mid-session and we had to put a rock of top to prevent it from blowing away. It also started to snow at the end of the session so we found a large rock to hide and protect ourselves when the cold flurry wind picked up. We all laughed and giggled as we realized how ridiculous the weather was.
Something stood out from this experience. Throughout the session, they kept each other warm and comfortable. The less desirable weather allowed Paula and Greg to really meet the moment together; to be present with each other.
They truly embraced the crazy weather and definitely had a heck of a fun day. It was absolutely a memorable one.
