Proposal Photography: An Obsession

Thanks to Pinterest I have become totally and completely obsessed with proposal photography. No really, I am so obsessed that I happy-cry for people I don’t even know. Its such a wonderful thing and I am so glad its becoming as much of a trend as engagement photography! (Did you know engagement photography is a new thing?.. Ask your parents if they had an engagement session and they will laugh.)

Every girl is a hopeless romantic at heart and probably has a vision of the unique way her man will propose to her someday. However, the one thing we can all agree on is that the best proposals are a total surprise. While getting down on one knee at a romanic dinner is sweet, asking for her hand on Splash Mountain or at the bottom of a coffee mug is much more memorable and makes for an amazing story to tell your grandkids one day.

There’s this one website called www.howheasked.com that I spent at least three hours + browsing on the day I first discovered it. (WARNING: Do not click that link unless you have time to spare!) Whether you’re looking for some inspiration on how to propose yourself, or maybe you’re just another hopeless romantic like me, its a must-see. There is also more unquie inspiration here.

Did you think I was kidding when I said I was obsessed? Because I wasn’t. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I think it might scare Sam a little bit 😉

There are two kinds of proposal photography. The first is “paparazzi style” where a friend/ photographer hides in the bushes and captures the big moment from afar. When you hire a professional photographer to do this, they would then come out of the bushes and start a perfectly-timed engagement session! I would guess this became popular before the other kind because it captured something on film that people only used to be able to explain in words. Go talk to your parents again (I know, we’re doing this a lot today) and ask if they wish they had photos of their proposal… I would bet at least a dollar they would say yes. Here are a few of my favorite examples of paparazzi proposal photography:

MY personal favorite is the second option. Being a photographer, I have mad respect for those that pull this little trick off. In this kind of proposal photography, the couple is fully aware of being photographed. There are a few ways to do it: either the girl books a session and the guy contacts the photographer later to let them know of his secret plan, the couple “wins” the session (or at least thats why the guy tells the girl), the photographer asks the couple to model for a styled shoot, etc. The most adorable and romantic pictures EVER come out of it with perfectly raw emotions.

And my personal ALL TIME favorite proposal (so far) that makes me cry every time I read it… is this one..

Long story short, this is an amazing thing. I would love more than anything to photograph a proposal… so please, tell your friends, casually share this blog post with your boyfriend, and pin it. Because I could be a fantastic paparazzo or come up with some fabulously secretive photo-shoot ideas. In fact, the first person to contact me about having their proposal photographed will receive the session for free. Because that is how far my obsession has stretched.