A Surprise Second Proposal in Provo Canyon for Ari and Connor
Connor had a ring in his pocket the whole time and Ari had no idea. Not that ring. A second one. A promise ring, because he wanted to ask her again out here, with nobody watching but the mountains.
July 8. Hot. Overcast in a way Utah almost never hands you in July. And an empty canyon, because it had rained that morning and everyone else made other plans.
So I spent the opening stretch of the session doing what I always do and also quietly watching his hands.
Then he stopped in the middle of the meadow and got down. Ari's face did the thing I will never get tired of. That half second where she has not caught up yet, and then she does, and then all of it arrives at once.
She cried. He cried. I did not, but I was close.
A Meadow to Ourselves
The rain earlier that day is the only reason we had it. Provo Canyon in July is usually shoulder to shoulder. Instead it was the three of us, wet grass, and a wall of mountain going straight up behind them.
The clouds kept breaking and closing and breaking again. We chased it. When the sun cut through we let it go sharp and let their shadows stretch, and when the clouds swallowed it again we went all the way into the moody version. Two completely different galleries out of one evening.
The Wildflowers Were Just Starting
Not the full field yet. Just enough coming in to catch in the foreground, and enough to tell you the canyon was about to turn. July 8 is early for them. If you want them thick, give it a couple more weeks.
When to Shoot, From a Provo Canyon Engagement Photographer
Late evening. That is the whole answer. Utah in July is dry and hot and pretty unforgiving through the middle of the day, and the canyon does not cool off until the sun starts dropping behind the ridge. Take the last two hours of light and you get comfortable people, softer color, and a thinner crowd all at once.
And if the forecast calls for rain earlier in the day, do not rush to reschedule. That storm is the reason we had the meadow to ourselves, and it is the reason the light did what it did.
She Said Yes Again
Ari and Connor never needed an audience for any of it. He asked. She said yes again. We kept shooting.
A hot, cloudy, quiet, completely perfect evening in the canyon.
If you are planning an engagement session in Provo Canyon or anywhere in Utah, I would love to hear what you are thinking.