Our Guide to Capturing a Surprise Proposal

It’s not uncommon to ask a friend or family member to capture your proposal. In many ways, having someone you know and trust photograph such an important moment can make the experience feel even more personal, relaxed, and meaningful. 

However, proposal photography is its own artform. From hiding in anticipation, candidly capturing the moment, and being prepared to direct you for some posed portraits - we’ve seen even the most confident commercial photographers become nervous wrecks because they care deeply and want to capture your moment perfectly.

Therefore, we’ve devised this handy guide to help make the experience easier, more enjoyable, and more successful for everyone involved!

First things First
Communication is key!

The ideal person to photograph your proposal or special moment is someone who is patient, attentive to detail, and comfortable giving gentle direction when needed.

Before the shoot, it’s important to have a conversation about what you’re hoping to capture and what your expectations are. Talk through what the photos are for, the style and mood you like, how many edited images you realistically expect to receive, whether they feel comfortable directing poses, and how much time you’ll need for the session. Having these details clear from the beginning helps everyone feel more prepared and avoids misunderstandings later on.

A Practical Checklist

1. Send them 5-10 realistic examples of the kind of imagery you like which focus on mood and posing.
   Explain what you like about each image so they understand what details you are drawn too, and what style you’d be interested in replicating. Our Instagram is a great place to start, as you’ll be able to see what other photographers have planned with each of our set ups.

2. Create a simple shoot list together.

   Creating a shoot list might sound like overkill, but it’s a great way to help your photographer stay grounded if they get overwhelmed in the moment. Start by considering your shared examples, and then what else you may appreciate being captured. Our Photographers usually try to include some imagery of the set up, some of the finer details, the moment, and a collection of portraits.

3. Discuss you proposal timeline
   Your arrival time, their arrival time, and how long you’d like the photoshoot to last is a good place to start. If they’re there to just candidly capture the moment, they might only be with you for 10 minutes, however if you have a comprehensive shoot list they might be with you for 20-30 minutes.

   As your proposal stylists, we highly encourage you have them arrive at least 25 minutes before you. That way they have enough time to park somewhere discreet, make their way to the spot, liaise with us, and get a couple practise photos in before you arrive.

   
   There is nothing more stressful than watching a photographer arrive mere minutes before the couple and be flustered when the proposal comes.

4. Discuss the deliverables

   Are you expecting a dump of 100 Raw images, or expecting a curated gallery? Chat through expectations together (on average our photographers will stay for 20 minutes and share a gallery of 30 polished images)

5. Share your location

   The best way to ensure they don’t miss anything important - share your location with them. We recommend WhatsApp, sharing your location up to 8 hours, and ensure your location sharing preferences are set to ‘sharing when not using the app’ in Settings.

Help Them, Help You

If you and your partner are nervous in front of a camera, come up with a game plan that focuses on movement rather than stiff posing. Try walking slowly, talking to each other, adjusting clothing or hair, embracing, laughing intentionally, and interacting with the environment for images that feel authentic.

Your photographer might not be confident directing people and posing, so getting an idea of how to lead your partner into candid shots is a great way to help everyone.

Other things to consider as your walking up to your moment

• Remove any jackets, bags, and visible phones from you and your partner

• Consider if your partner has a side they like to be photographed from, and try your best to have them stand on that side for the moment

• Remember that the best images usually aren’t the perfectly posed ones anyway

If asking for the above feels like too much, then consider hiring one of our fantastic and talented photographers. Photography prices start at $450 with a styling package, or $550 for Photography only. Available Australia Wide, click here to learn more.