Sunrise AND Sunset at Griffith Observatory, for these Foggy, Cinematic Engagement Photos

If you are new around here, you may or may not already know that Griffith Observatory is one of my favorite place to capture engagement photos if you are looking for a spot that feels quintessential to Los Angeles while still providing a really lovely elevated look. The architecture of Griffith Observatory is a masterpiece and the views from its various observation decks offer a panorama of the city of Angels unlike any other. For the fans of La La Land, the movie, out there, you will recognize the area from the film with every single dazzling city light in the background.

Jaime and Bree were coming to visit from Spain where they reside and will be celebrating their wedding later this year, and were hoping to see those incredibly dazzling city lights. Very inspired by the “after dark” look, we planned to meet even earlier than sunrise to greet the day before it was ready to illuminate the sky.

Unfortunately, the morning we met at Griffith Observatory was uncharacteristically foggy with incredibly low visibility. What was usually an endless horizon of city lights was hidden behind a thick blanket of gray. The hazy weather made the photos feel almost dream-like, quickly fading between mist illuminated by the lamp lights, to soft sunrise colors, before a bright white sky hidden behind a thick layer of fog. Bree and Jaime embraced the unpredictable weather, but still longed for the twinkling city lights that they might’ve otherwise experienced. Together we decided to roll the dice and return again that night with fingers crossed the fog would have lifted enough by the evening to see some of the LA skyline view.

Luckily, throughout the day, the fog burned off just enough for the city lights to shine through the clouds when we went back that night!

From sunrise to sunset, from dreamy pink sunrise hazy to lear city lights, Jaime and Bree had a truly one of a kind engagement photo experience!