Adapt to Change During Your Photo Shoots

I got hired to take photos of a proposal. I was introduced to the guy through a mutual friend (as business goes a lot of the time). Scroll to the bottom to see the images.

He was planning to propose to his girlfriend at a park near where the two of them lived and often took their dog to play. I went out to scope out the park the day before it was to happen, and we worked out an exact time and place in the park it was going to happen.

They were going to show up to the park, throw the ball for their adorable doodle for a bit, then he was going to ask. The signal that it was about to happen was that he would put the leash on their dog. When the leash went on, I walked over towards them trying to remain incognito without seeming creepy (much harder than I had anticipated, especially when alone at a park).

Prior to this happening I had been waiting at the park for them to arrive, watching the most beautiful sunset happen, with that perfect golden hour vibe that we all are constantly looking for. I had a 75-150mm lens so I could be unobtrusive while still capturing their reactions. I would let them have their moment, but the photos would seem like I was right up next to them. Plus, with the longer lens I wouldn’t be seeing as much of the surroundings (cars, road signs, etc.).

As I wait, the last bits of light creep up the hillside. f-5.0 at 100 ISO, perfect this will look amazing. Getting darker, f-4.0 100 ISO the lowest aperture this lens has, but we’re still good. The last bits of sunlight are just barely hitting the top of the hill now, and since he’s not going to propose right away, I know there won’t be sunlight when he asks. f-4.0 500 ISO, 800 ISO, 1000 ISO I’m getting nervous, it’s getting dark, and I’m going to be pushing it as far as getting a quality image out of this camera.

They show up and start throwing the ball, and I know my current setup isn’t going to work, I see him call the dog over and kneel down with the leash, shit I need a faster lens! Now I’m switching to a 50mm f-1.8 at the last second knowing now I need to walk right up to them when he proposes. Feeling like a creeper, I am walking over fidgeting with the settings knowing any second he will drop to one knee. I need to be ready to catch that initial reaction!

I see him drop down out of the corner of my eye, so I whip around and start firing away. I was able to capture a wonderful gallery of images even though I needed to crop in significantly and do a little editing magic to make the lighting more interesting. I had this whole plan going into the shoot but had to change everything last-minute due to changing conditions. It is important to remain flexible during a shoot. If I had been stubborn and refused to adjust my strategy to a different lens when the sun went down, the images would've been so noisy and gross, I don’t even want to think about it. Probably would’ve been pushing 2000 ISO on a camera I would never go above 1000 on!

Instead, the happy couple have some images that will help them forever remember this special day! Below are some of the images from the gallery. I have received permission to share these prior to posting this

Do you have an upcoming proposal that you want captured? Feel free to reach out and I will be there to get every reaction! (let’s do it before the sun goes down this time)