Plan to Propose? Then Plan For A Professional Photographer

Get ready, folks! February is one of the months couples will most likely get engaged if it didn’t happen in December or around the New Year festivities. Any way you look at it and no matter when you do it, getting engaged is a big deal that is fraught with uncertainty until you get a “yes”. The engagement proposal is the first major event leading up to your wedding, and hiring a professional photographer to capture your proposal erases the uncertainty that you won’t have images of one of the most pivotal moments of your life.

I’m Already Spending Money On An Engagement Ring, Wedding, Etc. Why Pay Extra For A Photographer For The Proposal?

Because you want to see the surprise and joy on your future spouse’s face when they say “yes!” in more ways than just your memory and your heart. Because you want to be able to share that moment with people who couldn’t make it and with the world in a way that repeating the story over the phone or over coffee will not. Because if you’ve invited family and friends you want them to fully participate in the moment, and they can’t do that from behind a camera or a smartphone. Because you want something more than “good enough” for a moment you’ve been planning for a long time. Because you want images of the moment that look better than a Selfie. And, most importantly, because you want to make sure the emotions shared in one of the most important moments in both of your lives are made tangible with an image you can hold in your hand.

Why Would I Want To Hire A Photographer To Capture My Proposal? Can’t My Friend Do It?

Quite simply, you can’t rely on friends and family to get a decent image because you run the risk of them getting caught up in the moment and missing the shot. They also won’t know that there’s more than one moment to the proposal, and which moments to anticipate and capture. They may forget to charge their smartphone; they may forget their camera altogether. Also, since engagements largely rely on the element of surprise, you may tip your hand a bit if friends start appearing out of nowhere with cameras. As a photographer, it’s my job to capture the moment without you even knowing I’m there. I know what to look for, and I have just enough emotional distance to not get swept away and miss the moment.

It’s Going To Be Expensive

This moment is priceless, so whatever expense it takes to capture it is well worth the money. We’re not talking thousands of dollars here, and you’ll spend more on the ring. You can also ask the photographer if they will take the cost of photographing the proposal off the total price of your wedding photography collection, or give it back to you in the form of extra prints of your wedding.

What If The Answer Is “No”?

Let’s not even go there.

Alright; I’m Going To Make The Investment, And Hire A Professional To Shoot My Proposal. What Do I Need To Do?

Congratulations! I’m glad to help you have one less thing to worry about! Here’s what we need to do next:

• Discuss location and time of day so I can do a site visit and know what to expect and what gear to bring;
• Although I will anticipate moments and will look for them, make sure I get the “high sign” when you’re going to pop the question;
• Have a backup date available and let me know so that I can be there;
• Have a backup location, especially if it’s outdoors, and let me know what that is;
• (This is important!) Tell any restaurant staff, friends, etc. to please leave their cameras at home, and to not interfere with the shot. An outside flash or someone in my way can ruin an image and once the moment is gone, it’s gone.

You are already doing so much in the way of planning and preparation to make sure that your proposal is a memorable one. In a sense it already will be because we all remember that moment when someone asked us to be their Forever, and we said, “yes!”. Hiring a professional photographer to capture that moment ensures you have tangible images that live up to your heart’s memory of it.