Mike Karas, an avid hiker and photographer, was trekking along Yosemite National Park when he spotted a couple in the middle of a wedding photoshoot in the far distance.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8uNMC-Bq0Z/
They were perched on a cliff at Taft Point, and just as the sun was setting, Mike spotted the picture-perfect moment between the two newlyweds. So he took his zoom lens and snapped a photo — even though he was several hundred yards away and not the official wedding photographer.
“I was with some other hikers and saw [the couple] pop out on that ledge just as the sun was setting,” Karas said. “It was surreal.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ3fNi0BNqH/
The end result was stunning.
Karas said he took pictures — not just of the couple, but of the entire golden scene — until the sun set completely. When he posted his pictures on his Facebook, some of his friends encouraged him to find the two lovebirds so they could see the photo for themselves. One pal even sent the photo to a local newspaper hoping to catch the attention of the press.
https://www.instagram.com/p/9HnOZgSfrP/
Mack reposted the photo to her personal Instagram account with the caption, “This special moment was caught by Mike Karas who we don’t know (at all). [H]e was just taking a sunset shot and we happened to wander into it. Thanks for looking for us far and wide, you certainly caught our attention.”
Karas said he was “so relieved and stoked” that Mack and her husband were “happy and excited about the photo.” He added, “As much of an amazing moment it was for me to capture, it was clearly an even more special moment in [their] life.”