Film and Digital Engagement Session at The griffith Park Observatory- Los Angeles, CA
I don't do a lot of early morning sessions. I wake up early with my kids almost every day, so honestly it's not my favorite.
But when Chloe and Adam said they wanted Griffith Observatory first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds, I said yes immediately and then I told them about the parking! Because here's a little LA secret that not enough people know: parking at Griffith is free before 10am. In Los Angeles. Free!! I feel like this information should be on a billboard somewhere.
We weren't alone up there — there were still plenty of hikers who had started early and were already making their way down through the park by the time we arrived — but it was calm, uncrowded, and had that good morning-person energy where everyone you pass is just happy to be outside. We wandered down one of the trails for a bit to get some different light and scenery, which was great right up until we had to hike back up. Let's just say none of us are professional hikers.
Chloe and Adam are both originally from Northern California — the kind of people who grew up knowing they'd eventually end up somewhere bigger. They moved to Southern California for school and just... stayed. And good for them, because they are lovely people and anyone who lives in Southern California knows that we need more lovely people around. They love the movie industry, the culture, and the particular energy of a city that is constantly making something. And they are, predictably, big La La Land fans. They even wanted to recreate the dance pose from the film — you know the one. And I'll be honest, watching two people who are actually in love do that and just have fun with it was really what makes waking up at 5am worth it.
I've shot at Griffith Observatory a handful of times now and it never gets old. The observatory itself is beautiful — 1935 Art Deco architecture, that iconic white concrete, the dome — but what makes it genuinely special for photography is the skyline. From up on that hill you get all of Los Angeles spread out below you, and in the early morning before the marine layer burns off, the whole city has this soft, slightly blue quality that is incredible on film. Blue skies will always look better on film than on digital. Always.
Here's the other thing about this session that I keep thinking about: we are moving to North Carolina later this year. And while I've been deep in research mode about everything waiting for us there, this session was a little bittersweet. I will admit I avoid Los Angeles parking like the plague, but it has been my home for over 30 years. And the Griffith Park Observatory is just so iconic, it's hard to think of leaving it and especially the skyline view of LA.
But I found out that Charlotte has that too, actually — just differently. Marshall Park sits right in the heart of the city with a serene pond, mature trees, and a fantastic vantage point of the Uptown skyline — nature and city in the same frame. It's not a hilltop observatory. It's flatter, greener, a completely different architectural backdrop. But that quality of nature and city in the same place will hopefully remind me a little of this session, and Los Angeles in general.
If you're a Charlotte couple who loves your city the way Chloe and Adam love LA — I would genuinely love to explore that with you. Bring me to the spot that means something to you. Show me the spots, I'll bring the film.
Chloe and Adam are getting married later this year at Descanso Gardens in Pasadena and I cannot wait. If you're newly engaged in the Los Angeles area — or if you're in the Carolinas and want a photographer who gets the city-skyline-at-dawn-thing — my calendar is open for 2027 and I'd love to hear from you.
I am a hybrid film and digital photographer serving The Carolinas and California. I will remain bicoastal for the foreseeable future for weddings and events.
