I am so excited to capture your proposal! I require a $200 deposit to reserve the date, and the remaining balance is due on the day of your session.
In this scenario, we will have no interaction at the meeting spot until after the proposal has happened. All communication will take place beforehand via email and text. At the shoot, the I will remain at a discreet distance until the proposal and reactions are finished.
You and I will text each other selfies or descriptions before the proposal to be able to easily identify each other at the meeting location and check in with timing.
I will arrive at the proposal location 5-10 minutes before you and your partner, and blend into the scenery as a tourist; you and your partner will arrive at the agreed upon session start time.
When you are ready to propose, take a quick selfie with your partner. As soon as your cell phone goes up, this is my cue that the big moment is about to happen.
You will then turn to the side (to have one shoulder towards the camera), drop down on one knee, and propose. Try to stay down on one knee throughout your partner’s entire reaction until the ring is on their finger.
I will continue to discreetly capture the proposal and reactions following, and when you are ready, you can point me out and introduce me to your partner. Then we will continue to take engagement photos for the remainder of the shoot length.
"From start to finish it was a great experience. Upon first contact you were very responsive and informative, you cared about the end result right from the get-go. When I described a little bit more about what I was after you had a well thought out response detailing every aspect of what was going to happen. All of my questions were answered with clarity. For the actual Surprise Proposal, it was executed as flawlessly as I can imagine. I could not have done it without your help. The photos have turned out wonderfully and I’m absolutely in love with them. In a heartbeat, I would recommend you to anyone else. You helped make this dream come true and captured the moment in time." - Zack
In this scenario, a photo shoot has been planned and you and your partner know they are meeting a photographer (me). It starts like any other photo shoot, but at my cue, you will drop to your knee and pop the question to your unsuspecting partner.
For the vacation cover, there are two scenarios that work well.
At the beginning of the shoot, I will take a few photos to warm up, leading you and your partner over to the exact proposal location. When you are in the right spot, we will start with a traditional portrait of you both facing the camera, and then I will ask you to turn towards each other and hold hands. When you are ready, this is your cue to go down on one knee and propose. Stay down on your knee as long as you can to give me time to capture both of your reactions.
- OR -
At the beginning of the shoot, I will take a few photos to warm up, leading you and your partner over to the exact proposal location. Once here, I will suggest that you take an “artistic photo” with you both facing away from each other. You and your partner will take one photo touching back-to-back, and then I will instruct you to take a step away from each other, still facing in opposite directions. While your partner is still facing away from you, you turn around to get into position on one knee, with the ring presented towards your partner. I will then tell the partner to turn around – and be surprised by the proposal!
"This was a complete surprise to me, (being proposed to.) After finding out Kristin was our hired secret surprise photographer, my FIANCÉ and I were blown away. She was prompt, professional, so very kind, and made the both of us feel so comfortable during our session. We received our pictures back today and OH MY GOSH. I am in love! Kristin is so very talented! We could not be more happy with how these turned out. I am in love and would do it all over again if I had to. Kristin, wanna come to Texas and take our wedding photos? Thank you!!!!" - Patti
If your partner is the type to consult you about her hairstyle and has long hair, encourage her to try a style that gets the hair up out of her face. We want to prevent her hair from blocking those crucial expressions for the camera when you are on your knee and your partner is looking downwards at you during the proposal.
If it is a windy day, position your partner so that the wind blows his/her hair away from their face. If you are taking the selfie or initial photo on your phone, move your partner’s hair all to one side (the side that you are on) so that when they turn to you and you propose, their hair falls behind their shoulder rather than covering their face. Another cute and effective tip is to tuck your partner’s hair behind their ear to keep it out of the way right before the moment. This might not be something you often do, but it’s a nice intimate gesture that paves the way for your heart-felt proposal – and your partner will later appreciate having visible expressions!
Practice taking the ring box out of whichever pocket you will put in to make it a smooth movement. During the actual proposal, take it out of your pocket before getting on your knee. Practice opening the ring box away from yourself so you are confident in opening the box towards your partner, beautifully presenting the ring. Another smart idea is to place a small mark or sticker on the bottom of your ring box to make sure that when you open it, the ring is facing upwards instead of dangling down and – yikes! – possibly falling out.
Remember to be conscious of the camera when you go down on one knee. You either want to have you and your partner facing each other so that I capture both of your profiles, or have your back at a slight angle to me, and your partner facing towards me to best capture his/her reaction.
Very important! Stay down on your knee for longer than your instincts might tell you. The longer you are on your knee, the more opportunity I have to capture more shots of this special moment. This also allows me to reposition myself to capture both of your reactions. Say any sweet words you’ve prepared and put the ring on his/her finger, all while you’re still on your knee. Then you can stand up and celebrate! It doesn’t really matter which knee you go down on, but since it's best to stay down for a while, practice which one feels the most balanced for you.
Bonus points if you can discourage your partner from bringing a large purse/bag (but if they do, you can place it off to the side during the initial photo) and/or remove any sunglasses, hats, gloves, etc., during the initial selfie/photo so I can capture your expressions better.
Savor this moment and don’t rush through it – these are very special memories you’re making. Take a deep breath right before you drop to your knee and relax: you got this!
"I booked Kristin to propose to my girlfriend in Breckenridge, and I have nothing but great things to say about the entire experience. Kristin was so easy to communicate with in planning the proposal, and the day of went exactly as planned. We were incredibly happy with the entire experience, and when we received the photos we were absolutely blown away. Kristin did an amazing job capturing such a special moment, and the photos turned out better than we would have ever expected!" - Eric
