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Johnny Stafford Photography bio picture

We are Johnny and Cindy Stafford, a husband and wife photography team located between Yosemite and Fresno. We love shooting weddings in a documentary and artistic style and capturing the individuality couples bring to their wedding day. We are available for travel for destinations throughout California. Visit our most recent photography below or our old blog here. Enjoy!

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Caitlin & Keith’s Bass Lake Wedding

Wedding & Reception: The Pines Resort
Music: Joe Lenigan Band
Flowers: Fleurie
Gown: Nicole Miller

Caitlin and Keith celebrated their marriage a couple of weeks ago at The Pines Resort at Bass Lake. It was a very beautiful and emotional day for them. Keith had recently returned from military deployment. In November, the week before he left overseas, they were officially married in a small private ceremony by their family pastor. It was very moving that he was there to officiate their union again in front of many family and friends. Music is a very important part of Keith’s life. Their reception was full of energy with live music, but there was also a surprise in store for Caitlin later in the night. She didn’t know that in the morning, Keith and his musician Groomsmen were practicing a special song for her. Keith took the stage to serenade her and you can tell from the photos, she loved every second of it. Caitlin was so fun and energetic the whole night and I don’t think she took much of a break from the dance floor! Congratulations to a very special couple!

Deanna & Jeremy’s Tioga Pass E-session

We definitely know Deanna and Jeremy are not afraid of heights. They’ve chosen Glacier Point for their ceremony next year and asked about doing engagement photos at Olmstead Point. So, for our highest elevation shoot to date, we travelled up to 8,000-9,000 feet on Tioga Road for their session. We just love the crisp blue sky and unique granite formations in the high country. We started at Olmstead Point and also visited Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows. Every location has such a unique and breathtaking view. We can’t wait to capture them at Glacier Point next summer!

Kristin and Jason’s Yosemite E-Session

During the summer, we met Kristin and Jason in Yosemite Valley for their engagement session. The falls were still full (rare for summer) and we enjoyed spending time with them at The Ahwahnee Hotel. We are really looking forward to their wedding this Saturday at Wolf Lakes. We know it will be a day full of lots of fun!

Genevieve and Bryce at The Ahwahnee Hotel

We met Genevieve and Bryce on the day after their wedding at The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. We were already booked elsewhere on their wedding day, but staying in the Yosemite area. Genevieve was so sweet and enthusiastic about photography in her emails that we knew that doing a special “newlyweds” portrait-session would be perfect for them. We are so happy that the timing worked out. They are the nicest couple you could ever meet and so happy to be married in such a beautiful location! We had a lot of fun shooting at Yosemite Falls and The Ahwahnee. Genevieve looked stunning in her antique-style, pale-pink gown!

Ashley & Erik’s Yosemite Wedding at The Ahwahnee

Rehearsal Dinner: Wawona Hotel
Ceremony & Reception: The Ahwahnee Hotel
Hair & Makeup Stylist: Bellissimo Brides
Gown: Rosa Clara “Laura”
Floral Design: Natalie Galasso Designs
Ceremony Music: Sierra Chamber Players
Reception Music: Sierra Jazz Band
Pianist: Christer Norden

Ashley and Erik travelled from the East Coast for their destination wedding in Yosemite at The Ahwahnee Hotel. Family and friends enjoyed a lovely outdoor rehearsal dinner at the Wawona Hotel on Friday. On the wedding day, Ashley looked elegant and graceful in her vintage-style lace gown. We just loved how beautiful her hair was and how her bouquet accented her style. The ceremony was held on the wedding lawn with a view of Yosemite Falls and was followed by a cocktail hour and reception. Their reception details included a nature theme with a custom cake and placecards featuring Yosemite Dogwoods, which were in bloom in May and June. Erik has a love for music and we are sure he enjoyed the wonderful ensemble of musicians who played throughout the evening. At one point, the dance floor was taken over by a brother-and-sister dance team (the Jr. Groomsmen and Flower Girl). We are sure they will be the next ballroom dancing stars. We really enjoyed Ashley’s and Erik’s fun sense of humor and classiness that they brought to The Ahwahnee.

August 26, 2010 - 12:21 am Adam Cavanagh - Really gorgeous work!

August 5, 2010 - 6:29 pm shawnreeder - Wonderful images!!!

July 22, 2010 - 8:09 am Carol Cardinale-Ruiz - Beautiful work Johnny and Cyndy Love all the photos!

Elisabeth & John’s Evergreen Lodge Wedding

Rehearsal Dinner: Evergreen Lodge Coyote Hill BBQ
Ceremony & Reception: Evergreen Lodge
Floral & Decor: Natalie Galasso Designs
Cake: Alicia’s Sugar Shack
DJ: Sound Extreme

We knew Elisabeth and John’s wedding at the Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite was going to be something special. We had photographed their e-session in Yosemite in the Spring and it was obvious that their love of the outdoors would be an integral part of their wedding. The Evergreen Lodge was the perfect location for them. Located just outside of Yosemite near Hetch Hetchy, The Evergreen is a secluded resort of cabins with a rich history. The original lodge was built in the 1920’s as a camp for the workers building Hetch Hetchy Dam. It now features over 75 renovated cabins. Liz’s family has visited there since the 1950’s (her Dad knows all of the prime fishing spots nearby) so the location has special meaning. Their wedding weekend started with a large BBQ for family and friends on Friday night followed by everyone enjoying live music in the Tavern to the SF band, Tracorum, who kept people dancing into the late hours. The wedding morning started with John leading a mountain bike trek with friends and family, while Liz began her wedding preparations. Other guests enjoyed morning yoga out in the meadow or nearby hikes. The ceremony was held in a beautiful meadow with a backdrop of trees and accompanied by lovely acoustic guitar. The scene was very peaceful and serene. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed dinner and dancing in the Main Plaza. And, yes, the after-party made it’s way back into the Evergreen Tavern. We could tell that no one wanted the weekend to end and John and Liz enjoyed spending every minute possible around their family and friends. Congratulations Liz and John!

Elisabeth & John’s Yosemite Engagement Guest Book

Guest sign-in books are a new option we offer in addition to our wedding and engagement sessions. It’s a way to showcase images from an e-session and provide guests with something to sign as they enter your ceremony or reception. We just love this album we designed for John and Liz.

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Tricia & Dustin’s Wolf Lakes Wedding

Ceremony and Reception: Wolf Lakes Park
Salon: Renaissance Salon & Day Spa
DJ: Party DJ Party
Videography: Curtis Nemetz Productions

We feel like we’ve known Tricia and Dustin for a few years. Maybe it’s because they booked their wedding over a year-and-a-half in advance, but mostly because they are so friendly and enthusiastic. We knew after doing their engagement session that their wedding would be a fun one. Their wedding was at the beautiful Wolf Lakes on a breezy Spring day. We started off laughing in the morning while hanging out with their friends and families and left at the end of the night laughing. These guys know how to have fun. The reception was quite a party with a packed dance floor the entire night and ended with neckties worn as headbands. The couple’s Dads hit the dance floor to show how it’s done. Congratulations Tricia and Dustin!

July 3, 2010 - 12:32 pm julie - These are gorgeous!

The Ahwahnee Hotel featured in “Destination Weddings & Honeymoons” Magazine

The August issue of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons just hit the newsstands and features The Ahwahnee Hotel in its top 9 picks of U.S. Historical Hotels for weddings. We were honored to have them feature two of our photographs in the article, including a full-page image of the hotel and inset image of The Solarium. We couldn’t agree more that The Ahwahnee is perfect for destination weddings.

Missy and Josh’s Yosemite Chapel Wedding

Rehearsal: Wawona Hotel
Hair and Makeup: Bellissimo Brides
Wedding: Yosemite Chapel
Reception: Yosemite Lodge Mountain Room
Floral: Coarsegold Flower Shop
DJ: Haro Entertainment
Lodging: Yosemite West, Yosemite Lodge

Missy and Josh started their wedding weekend with a fun and relaxing rehearsal dinner at the historic Wawona Hotel. Guests enjoyed bbq fare and visiting family and friends along the sun decks and in the sun room. Far across the road, a bear made an appearance on the golf course. Their wedding day started with a stop at Tunnel View for their first look and some wedding party photos followed by a beautiful morning Catholic ceremony at Yosemite Chapel. The Chapel was built in 1879 and recently celebrated its 130th year. We love how Missy and Josh integrated retro Yosemite Chapel images into their wedding program and decor. Their reception table was decorated with vintage postcards and they had guests sign postcards for their guest book. Guests enjoyed lunch and dancing at The Mountain Room, with a spectacular view of Yosemite Falls at its peak. Following the reception, we enjoyed a forest photo shoot with Missy and Josh. We just loved how classy and elegant they looked. Congratulations Missy and Josh!

June 14, 2010 - 11:43 pm Carol Cardinale-Ruiz - An amazing job again! Thank you! Carol