SHELLY ANDERSON

Dead Horse Point Engagement | Shannon + IDean

Engagements

May 6, 2021

I was SO excited when Shannon and Idean said they were down to travel to Moab with me and do a Dead Horse Point Engagement session! I had previously never been before, so I did a lot of research on the area before heading out that way. After stalking the roads and overlooks on GoogleEarth, I also read about the history from the Dead Horse State Park website. It turns out these canyons were formed by rivers and floodplains, and the rocks and sediments are comprised of shale, sandstone, and siltstone with beautiful and vibrant reds, pinks, and purples!

One thing that the website did not inform me about, was the WIND factor we had to deal with. (Which, looking back, makes sense, as this park is about 30mins away fro Arches National Park. The Arches are formed by aggressive winds!) I had Shannon and Idean meet me at the Dead Horse State Park Visitor Center, which was about 40mins from downtown Moab. From there, we started our session at the overlooks right by the visitor’s center and we were already in awe. But I knew the views would only get better!

One of the reasons we chose this park, was not only for the amazing views of the Canyonlands, but because it was easy to get to the Dead Horse State Park Overlook! We could drive there, park, and no hiking was involved. The overlook is about 10mins from the entrance. So easy! We ended the shoot there, looking over the horseshoe river below us. As mentioned before, we had to fight some harsh winds on the edges, which was definitely scary. I would NOT recommend getting too close to the edge, for safety reasons. That wind was strong, but I don’t think it is very common. We will just have to come back another time with no wind!

Another Bonus; we ended up meeting again the next morning for a few more photos in Arches National Park! We did a sunrise session at the Double Arch before the crowds got too busy. Totally worth it!

Bonuses for taking Dead Horse Point engagement photos;

There is no photo permit fee for engagement sessions in Utah’s State Parks! There was an entrance fee to enter the park, which was $20 per vehicle. That entrance fee was good for two days. Also, the park is dog friendly! So your pup can be in the photos with you!