Love is the one thing we are doing right.
THIS IS YOUR ADVENTURE…
I love a good story, let me help tell yours.
Elegant Portraits on Nature’s Edge
Let’s keep the highlights and shadows of your wedding day photos and ditch the overplayed light and airy editing.
Throughout your day, I will direct you by placing you in motion. I will guide you through your session choosing complementary angles, and epic locations with dynamic lighting. I use a journalistic approach in my style to create authentic experiences and epic images.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Martin Luther King
Love wins!
Highlighted Weddings
I love a good story, Let me tell yours.
YOSEMITE WEDDING AND ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER
I also specialize as a Yosemite wedding and elopement photographer year-round. Often people ask me why I specialize in Yosemite and Telluride wedding photography. These are just are my favorite places to be and I enjoy crafting wedding and elopement experiences for couples in Yosemite and Telluride. My converted sprinter van helps keep me very mobile and able to photograph all over the western us. For the last 20 years, we have traveled the world capturing extraordinary moments in clients’ lives. Adventuring on bikes, boards, and boots are ways we connect with nature and friends. We are grateful to be a part of clients’ destination weddings, participate in humanitarian projects, and spend time in nature as part of our career. I often donate a portion of time to collaborations with global non-profits. This work has taken us to places ranging from Nepal and Sri Lanka to Greece and New Orleans. The resulting photographs raise social awareness of humanitarian crises, help monitor situations on the ground, and tell the critically important human stories behind the headlines. I will work with you to understand your vision and deliver images that hit the mark. Every wedding, every couple, and every family has a unique story. I help tell yours through compelling, authentic photos in nature. In addition to creating beautiful images, we work hard to create experiences in nature that are meaningful and unforgettable.
“Michael brings a unique skill set and perspective to his adventure elopements and weddings that sets him apart from a typical wedding photographer. Michael is an outdoor enthusiast and brings decades of experience exploring various landscapes. His knowledge of the land is something that cannot be taught, and most certainly cannot be duplicated by simply taking a traditional wedding shoot outdoors. One of the things that really sets Michael apart from a traditional wedding photographer is his unique understanding of natural light, landscape, and weather. This understanding allows him to maneuver and anticipate conditions as he shoots in both familiar and new locations. Michael’s ability to scout and select beautiful and “off the beaten path” locations is a clear reflection of his decades of experience as an outdoor photographer, his passion for making connections through shared exploration, and his genuine respect for the land.”
– Kristin DeMore
GET IN TOUCH
Looking forward to connecting with you and exploring if I would be the best fit for your adventure elopement or wedding photography needs. If I am your favorite photographer and my pricing fits your budget we are on the right track. Next step is to connect. Please fill out the form so we can begin a relationship. Average Photography Price Point is $4,000-6,000, but let’s talk about your budget and needs and find a win-win.
EXPLORERS + HUMANITARIANS + ENVIRONMENTALIST + HOSPITABLE + SPIRITUAL
MICHAEL
Has a big laugh and a young sense of humor. Addictions include poke, craft IPA’s, surfing and well roasted coffee. Has been accused of having a 70’s surf style and uses his arms expressively while riding in the back country or the ocean. Yosemite and San Onofre make him feel like he belongs. Alpine landscapes and the night sky evoke a deep state of awe and inspiration in him.
RENEE
She starts most mornings making up silly original songs for the dog. An animal rights activist, and committed to helping others in their spiritual formation. Finds value in her volunteer work. Regularly dreams of the cabin she will design in the Sierras. Does all her Chaturanga’s in yoga and a great question asker.
EBAN
A foodie, naps on road trips, revels in routine and gets excited when a tent is being set up. Enjoys cuddling and belly rubs after breakfast. Compulsively hunts for seals whenever water is present. His heart is so big his little legs get tired carrying it around.
Michael did an amazing job photographing our mountain wedding in Colorado. He was professional, refreshingly thoughtful of our needs, and made the entire process fun. He went above and beyond to get some of the most incredible shots, worked around our busy wedding day schedule to get the night sky and first look photos we were hoping for, and beautifully captured some of the most memorable parts of our day. The photos were truly phenomenal. We could not ask for a better way to remember our special day. In addition to Michael’s skills as a photographer, he is a also wonderful human being. Michael is passionate about his work and it is clearly shown in his photos. We are so thankful we chose to work with Michael and strongly recommend him to anyone that is looking for a photographer.
- Kamey Newman
Michael was an absolute joy to work with. His photography truly captured intimate and authentic versions of ourselves. The shoot itself was a blast. A must book for any outdoors photo shoot!!
- Michael Orcutt
Michael was an absolutely amazing photographer! His laid back and fun spirited approach was just what we needed to be comfortable in front of the lens. We made him take a few of the traditional shots we've seen before, but then he got creative and took some beautiful one of a kind shots that turned out perfect to make our elopement truely unique. I highly recommend Michael for really any photography needs! Thanks again Michael!!
- Michael Phillip
Michael was absolutely FANTASTIC to work with! He has the exact demeanor and attitude you want in a wedding photographer- talented, laid back, fun, puts the couples at ease. As a planner, I am always looking for new awesome photographers and Michael was the find of the year- he came early to scout thoroughly- so few actually do that! He was easy to work with, took it seriously but didn't act to serious if that makes sense- he organically captured the couple without posing them all day- LOVE him and can't wait to work together again!
- Gemini Event Planning & Design Jennifer Pletcher
My husband and I eloped in Telluride and aside from knowing we would trade vows, I knew I wanted it to happen in an Aspen grove. Since we were eloping alone, the photography was important to me. Michael was very communicative and on the big day he was able to accommodate our request, going above and beyond my expectations. After discreetly shooting the ceremony, he directed us to pose in a natural and easygoing manner. My husband dislikes getting his picture taken, but Michael was able to help him relax. Everyone has complimented our photos, and I am so pleased I was able to have Michael with us on our special day. I highly recommend him!
- Sara Goodwin
We do not like to have our picture taken, I don't enjoy traditional wedding photography, so I waited and waited to book a photographer for the wedding. After reviewing sites, and putting off a decision, I came across Morse Photography. I knew immediately that this was the person we needed to go with. He understood what we were looking for and gave us the perfect combination of family/group shots, fun shots, and most importantly, the epic scenery shots that I chose him for. My husband is not an easy person to impress, but Michael delivered. In fact, he just commented last week that he wishes we had hired him for the reception. I still feel guilty for not asking him to stay to join in the fun and hope this review makes up for my poor hostess skills! Thanks Michael!
- Nisha Barlow
I had the pleasure of having Michael photograph our wedding in Yosemite on November 12, 2017. It is not often that after only a few phone calls and exchanges of emails, that one can express the vision you have and want for your wedding to a complete stranger and have it come to fruition, but Michael is that exception. Michael was professional, gracious and timely, and his warm energy helps to make anyone apprehensive in front of the camera, comfortable and enjoyable. He kept our day on track, while ensuring we were having fun and enjoying every moment. It was an absolute pleasure working with him, and I would do it again in a heart beat, and recommend him to anyone looking to capture an important day.
- Sara Domz
Michael took our wedding photos in Yosemite. He was professional, creative, fun, courteous, and made our day that much more special. He went above and beyond helping my wedding party hike back in the dark! (this was our favorite part!) Overall, he was such a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer. Great photographer, great human. Thank you Michael!
- Elizabeth Mirson
My now-wife found Micheal when looking for Yosemite-area wedding photographers. She showed me his work and I couldn't help but notice how his work was different than all the others that we had looked at. Micheal didn't just capture couples, but also captured amazing landscapes along with it. He also featured night photos which I hadn't seen with other photographers. We were thrilled that he was available for our wedding, and even more blown away on our wedding day at Tenaya Lodge and the day after when we did adventure photos in Yosemite. I was surprised how much fun the experience was with him, especially spending 6+ hours hiking trails in the park and capturing beautiful photos. I would highly recommend Micheal for any couples getting married, especially those with an adventurous side.
- Billy Cunha
The perfect choice for our perfect day! My husband and I couldn't be happier with our choice to have Michael capture our wedding day at Tenaya Lodge and take adventure photos the next day in Yosemite. He surpassed our every expectation. We were thoroughly impressed with the planning process; Michael listened to our hopes for wedding day photos and planned for us far better photo spots than we could've imagined. His knowledge of Yosemite blew us away; we've been to Yosemite many times and were amazed to be taken to secrets spots away from crowds (during the busy summer season!) that we didn't know existed. We were so happy to have a wedding photographer that encouraged our adventurous spirits and took us on our first adventure as husband and wife - we'll never forget hiking through Yosemite in our wedding clothes! We truly enjoyed getting to know Micheal during our photo day and capping off the experience with night photography. We knew we loved Micheal's night shots, but were further impressed with his ability to work with the night nature gave us to create beautiful photos. I completely recommend Micheal for Yosemite photography; he's a true and genuine person who made our wedding dreams come true. Wedding photos will last forever, and we're so happy to have such beautiful keepsakes of our big day.
- Jocelyn Cunha
Phenomenal is the word that comes to mind when thinking about Michael and his photography! I was looking for a photographer that could capture those magical moments at my wedding as well as the majestic landscape of Yosemite and Michael was absolutely the best choice!!! His friendly demeanor made us feel at ease and his knowledge of Yosemite and wedding portraits have provided us with breathtaking photos of the most amazing weekend of our lives! We couldn’t be happier! Thank you Mike!!! You deserve 10 stars!
- Cori Maiden
We knew we were making the right decision when we chose Michael for our wedding photography, but we didn't know just how RIGHT we were! Wow! He took the time leading into the wedding to get to know us and what we wanted out of our photographs. He gave us advice on different options, while respecting our decisions. On the day of, I so appreciated his calming professionalism, and I trusted his artistic choices. He matched our adventurous spirit and it really shined through in our photographs. Further, our bridal party really enjoyed working with him. When I asked my now husband what his favorite part of the day was, he said "taking pictures"! Thank you for being a part of the best day of our lives!
- Megan Lynn
What an incredible experience... all captured by Michael himself. Just a dream to work with. He’s up for basically anything and has an eye for everything. My wife and I were so happy to have him share our elopement and his desire to capture all the scenes from the day were unprecedented. From the town of Telluride at 8600 ft to the lakes we hiked to at 13000 ft, Michael was there for all of it. Cool, calm, collected, composed, gathered, chill, and a dream to work with don’t even begin to tell you all the accolades that we could throw him. You’ll meet him once for a shoot like ours and I promise you’ll want to cross his path again, he’s that awesome at what he does and just such a great guy. Thank you Michael! You captured our dreams and I’m sure you’ll capture many more!!
- Tyler Whittemore
Michael did a wonderful job photographing our family of 10 (6 adults plus 4 children) on site in Yosemite National Park in June 2019. We were together to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary and these photos were our gift to them. They are keepsakes that we will treasure! Michael provided great guidance to us regarding location and he was very flexible to our needs given that we had four children 10 and under. I highly recommend him.
- Aimee Henderson
My husband and I couldn’t be happier with our wedding pictures!! Michael is an awesome photographer and person! He made it so much fun on our first look/adventure shoot we were laughing and smiling the entire time! We just got our pictures back and we’ve already looked at them so many times, they make us feel all the love and joy we felt on our wedding day. The photos are gorgeous and we both said if we were to do this all over again hiring Micheal as our photographer would be the first thing we would do! 10/10 we would recommend him!
- Morgan G
We wish that we could give more than five stars! Michael is incredibly talented and very professional. From scouting out the town for the perfect location for our photos, to spending six hours in below freezing weather, Michael went above and beyond for our wedding day. We could not have asked for a better photographer. The photos are absolutely breathtaking!
- Katy Lilly
We were blessed to find Michael and his insane talent for our maternity photo session. It was like meeting up with an old friend to do these photos! We were blown away with the photos that we will now have for a lifetime. He has an evident talent and passion for photography and I was very impressed with his knowledge of positioning for maternity photos specifically. My only regret is that that wish we could have found him years ago to have done our engagement and wedding photos!!! I can’t wait to pursue family photos with Michael in the future.
- Lorin Thompson
We hired Michael recently for an adventure session in Olympic National Park. We're blown away with the images he was able to capture of us that day. He is so fantastic to work with, very laid back and made the whole day one to remember. Thanks again!
- Hilary Yacobucci
Choosing Michael Morse Photography for our wedding was hands down the best decision we made! Michael brought out the very best in us and was a pleasure to work with. He captured our joy, kept our energy levels high, and was probably the main reason why our wedding day was so FUN. I expected it to be a lot of things, but "fun" was not top of mind-- but Michael made it that way. He truly captured our vision and we have some of the most amazing photos because of it! He is such a kind, passionate and talented individual on top of it all. I look forward to the day we need professional photos again, just so we can work with him again!
- Colette Hinckley
When we decided to get married in Telluride we wanted to make sure we worked with a photographer who would not only document our wedding, but also capture the beauty of the town. Since Telluride was a destination for us we completely relied on Michael to pick out our first look location and boy did he deliver. Despite the fact that our timeline was thrown off from torrential downpours (as will happen in CO), Michael hustled to get ALL of the amazing shots that he promised and more. He was a complete professional and made two camera shy people feel completely at ease. If you have an opportunity to work with Michael, I highly recommend you do, you will be in the best of hands.
- Juliana Weber
