When I first heard of this as a wedding photographer, I was like well duh of course this should be a thing. I have to admit I am not the one that came up with this idea although I think I might be the first to write about it in my area. But do you really need a proposal photographer for your engagement?

If you are asking that question then the answer is…MAYBE.

Here’s the deal, if you want to plan your proposal then the answer is yes, if you want to be spontaneous then you might not want a proposal photographer.

Now I am not sure how this should be done, but if I were to be a proposal photographer this is how I would do it.

Plan

First would be the plan, do you want to have your engagement in Forest Park in St Louis, maybe in Arch park by the arch, or maybe your favorite restaurant. But you need a plan, the date you want to propose, food, drink, really whatever you two like. Setup flowers and or wine really just trying to build a romantic time for two on your proposal day. Again, if that is what you are into.

Time

This is a tough one depending on the time of year sunsets at different times. Now I am not saying that you are looking for sunset photos but without the sun it is going to be kinda hard to see you two if you chose a place like a park to propose.

Now on the opposite hand if you are proposing in your favorite restaurant or in any other indoor setting then the photographer would have to be efficient with flash indoors, also the place that you chose would need to be allowed to use flash indoors. For example, if you were looking to propose to the one you love in the art museum on art hill here in St Louis you would not be able to use flash because they do not allow it.

Approch

I have been speaking this whole time as if it is going to be a surprise because that is a bit traditional and still tends to happen, plus if you want to plan something out you would need to know what the approach for your photos would need to be. Do you want some covert type thing where someone like me would hide in the bushes and catch everything and then at the end do a little photo shoot? Or would you like me to be there as a couples photographer where you pop the question without them knowing? Or maybe you just want the entire moment captured even though your significant other knows the whole time.

Capture Magic

Regardless of what you choose, it is going to be an amazing moment. I think that a lot of the time this moment is missed and is a missing part of your love story. I mean everyone immediately goes to “how did you get engaged”, no one really asks “well what was the wedding like” they want to hear the story from the beginning.

Can’t say I blame them.

I am a sucker for a good story especially the story of my couples where I get to help them build it in photos and videos.

I have never done a true engagement shoot, but with all the knowledge I have gained being a wedding photographer. I am sure I can produce some amazing results. If you are interested in an engagement shoot please contact me below.