Ponderosa Pine Forest Engagement Photos

Arizona Elopement Photographer

I’ve talked about my love of the Mogollon Rim before and these adventurous, sun-soaked forest engagement photos just underscored and highlighted why I love this spot so much. The rim is near Payson in the middle of Tonto National Forest and it’s SUCH a great spot for an adventure session or an elopement. There’s a cool cliff, there’s pretty trees, there’s lakes (which we didn’t get to during this session), the Rim Road is SUPER fun for off-roading, there’s lots of cool hikes, etc etc etc.

And though in a lot of places the coolest spots are the hardest to get to, these awesome views right on the rim are off a parking lot. A decent portion of the Rim Road is pretty manageable for any car, it’s not till you’re driving a ways when it gets dicey and having a higher clearance vehicle is a huge bonus. This spot, in particular, was about 20 yards away from a parking lot.

I love hiking engagement sessions (and hiking elopements, haha) and I love the payoff of working hard and getting to The View, but it’s also nice to be able to get to a place like this with relative ease and still have a lot of privacy (I think only one couple passed us during the whole shoot on the rim).

And boy was this shoot a blast. I mean, any session that starts off with dogs is a great experience in my book, but it was so fun hanging with these two. They were so fun loving and easy going, and really just down to have fun. I *loved* how playful they were with the giant dandelions and making wishes and then the fluff getting stuck in David’s hair.

And (this is one of my favorite things ever) these two *hardly* ever looked at the camera. They were too busy looking at each other. And that, gentle reader, is the whole freaking point. Looking through every frame I grabbed, David and Leah focused on, connected with, and were playful with each other. It was a privilege to witness and document, and I’m honestly so stoked on these images 🙂

Like these Forest Engagement Photos? Then check out this Mogollon Rim Elopement.

Also big thanks to @gebrielandrynephoto + @nickpatton.photos for hosting and styling!
Videographer: @cadebockco