The Tetons are a bucket-list photography spot for a reason – it’s truly one of the most stunning and diverse national parks you’ll ever visit. This also makes it intimidating to shoot or elope there, to be confident in your knowledge of the park beforehand, and to know how to make your photos stand out. So if that’s how you’re feeling, you’re in the right place.
1. Know the best spots.
Grand Teton National Park is not a park you just show up to and hope to find a good picture-taking or elopement spot. While the entire park and its surrounding areas are gorgeous, you don’t want to stop too early and run out of time to get to (in my opinion) the best photo spots.
Some of the best spots in GTNP aren’t even in the actual park, which actually makes it easier to take clients there, because they won’t have to pay for a park pass, or wait in a long line to get in.
If you only have 1-2 hours at The Tetons, which is standard for a typical photo session, I would recommend checking out Mormon Row and Swabacher’s Landing. These two spots are only 10 minutes apart, have free access and parking, and provide what is my personal favorite view of the Grand Tetons. The photo below was taken at Mormon Row at blue hour, right after the sun sets over the peaks.
2. Know the best times.
Sunrise and sunset are the best times to shoot in the Tetons, with sunset definitely being the best time to elope there. I typically stick to sunset for shoots so I can get that gorgeous backlit glow with the Tetons in the background, but have also shot at Swabacher’s landing at sunrise as well. That’s the most popular spot for sunrise photos around the Tetons, and for good reason. I’ve only watched the sun rise in the Tetons once, and the one time I did there was a rainbow.
If you’ve been to the Tetons more than a handful of times you know that it’s a park that’s known for its unpredictable and sometimes overcast weather. This is why I never show up for just the last hour before sunset. I always start shooting two, or sometimes even two and a half hours before sunset. That way, you’ve already gotten plenty of photos with the Tetons showing by the time it might get darker, more cloudy, and cover the tip of the mountains.
The two locations I listed before, Mormon Row and Swabacher’s Landing, are the farthest locations from the Tetons, at the highest elevation, meaning that they stay brighter for longer after the sun has set, giving you more time to keep shooting. So you want to end your session at one of these spots.
You’ll want to start your session at the other side of the park, somewhere like String Lake Trailhead (pictured below), or Cascade Canyon. Those are both beautiful, popular photo spots with a slightly different view of the mountains, with the most unique being String Lake. String Lake has a river with a bridge to cross, and can also be a great spot for spotting wildlife, if you walk along the trail past the bridge. This is where I’d also recommend beginning your elopement.
There’s about a 25 minute drive between the two sides of the park I’ve recommended, so make sure you factor the drive time into your session timeline.
3. Know what to wear.
The last factor in an amazing photo session is what you wear. The Tetons are rich in lighter earthy tones like lighter browns, sage greens, and blues. To contrast the colors that appear naturally in nature, rust/burnt oranges or red are an amazing pop of color in the muted, earthy environment.
Or, if you’re wanting to go for something a little more neutral, white, denim, and beige always look great as well. You really can never go wrong with some good neutrals. The contrast with white is one of the reasons elopements in the Tetons are my favorite, the stark white pops out against the muddy earthy landscape and creates a super cinematic feeling.
At this point you should be fully prepared for your photo session or elopement in the Grand Tetons! If you’re planning on eloping in the Tetons this year and are still searching for a photographer who’s experienced with the park, I’m your girl! Head over to my website to check out more of my work, my elopement pricing, and see if we’d be a good fit!
And if you’re just prepping for a session- good luck! I’m sure it will be amazing!!!
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