Sweet Backyard Surprise Proposal

It’s funny that after all these years of shooting, there’s always still a first for me. That was the case this past weekend when I was asked to shoot a surprise engagement proposal. I said yes, of course, because I know how special a moment like that is and felt inclined to deliver. A side entrance to the backyard of a house, a lawn covered with rose petals and a candle lit path that leads to a sign asking “Will you marry me?”, it was the perfect ambience. The only circumstances that gave me reservations was the time - 7:30pm and the fact that I couldn’t see the layout of the backyard until I got there. As a photographer, lighting is everything. So with it being completely dark outside at that hour and not analyzing the lighting situation before, I knew I had to be prepared and on my A game (haha).

I made sure to bring a strobe because, who knows, maybe there would be no available porch lights or tiki torches (which they ended up having, thank god! haha). I also brought my on camera flash even though I secretly hate using those. Lastly, I made sure I had two cameras with me because the last thing I want to do is miss a moment because I didn’t have the right lens equipped.

I made sure to get to the house early and when I got there I immediately felt like I was going to kill it haha. The way the family had laid everything out, the rose petals, the candles and tiki torches lined up (once again thank god for the torches! haha) and the big question glowing in the bushes. It was just a perfect set up! I used the available light from the torches and candles to shoot them going down the aisle and used the strobe to shoot the actual proposal. I loved how I got two different vibes all in the same area.

Of course because it was a surprise proposal, I felt like I had to get them their images as soon as possible. I told the couple that I would give them the best photos that night and the rest later. But as soon as I got home and uploaded the images, I knew I was smashing through all of them and sending them the very same night.