What could be better than remembering the moment you proposed? I can tell you that I don’t remember mine. I prepared and rehearsed for weeks but the moment I had to take out that ring, my mind went blank! Having your proposal photographed can be the perfect way to remember and relive all those little moments that get lost as your emotions take hold. Proposing during a visit to Korea is another great way to make it really special for you and your partner but it can be difficult to plan from home. I offer several different sessions to help with both of these and would love to talk with you about your upcoming proposal. I’ve included quite a bit of information below, but it’s always good to talk in person. Please use my contact form to get in touch to talk about my proposal photography sessions.
Proposal Photography Session Types
I offer several different packages for proposals that range from a basic hands-off capture of your proposal to a consulting service and even couples sessions right after the proposal. Before we get into planning your proposal, here are the basic options I offer.
Base
With the base package, you’ll have a location in mind and have prepared the proposal itself. We can discuss the best way to make the photographs come to life as you envision them and I offer a single scouting visit to the location you have chosen in order to finalise our plans.
Coordination and Consulting
These services include things like organising flowers or props for the day and coordinating with the location on your behalf if necessary. These vary on a case-by-case basis, so if you’re looking to have something special like this, just let me know and I can organise a quote for you.
Couple Session
I have often found that couples like to have a condensed couple shoot directly after the proposal while emotions run high. Unlike a traditional pre-wedding photoshoot, I don’t recommend making these multiple hours in length. Thirty minutes to one hour is usually plenty of time for us to capture some great images to go with your proposal photos.
Choosing Your Proposal Location
Especially if you’re planning this from overseas, it can be tough to find just the right location and nail down all the details to realise your perfect proposal day. There are a few things you can consider that will help you best prepare and also communicate with your photographer.
What do you Want in the Background?
It’s always good to think about what you want in the background of your images. For example, if you want to see Seoul Tower in the images, then actually proposing at Seoul Tower is not particularly conducive to this. The tower is simply too close to be able to get it in the photographs. If you can let me know small details like that, I can help you with finding a much more suitable location to achieve the proposal you want. Once you have a basic idea, we can work together to bring it to life in camera on the day.
Time of Day
If there’s one thing about Korea that can make your proposal not quite turn out the way you envisioned, it is the crowds. Time of day plays a huge role not just in the light we’re able to work with for your big day, but the number of other people that will be in the area. The difference between 8am and 9am on Nami Island, for example, is hundreds (if not thousands) of people. Once we’ve worked out your location, we’ll want to talk about time of day. Striking a good balance between your being able to get to the location, the light, and the crowds is crucial for successful proposal photography. Even if we’ve got great light and there’s nobody around, if you’ve had a fight with your significant other over getting there on time, the day will be a wash for all involved.
How Likely is it You can get Your Partner There?
We’ll talk a little more about selling the illusion to get your partner on board below, but while you’re choosing your location you’ll want to consider how easy it will be to get your partner there. Yongma Land might make a cool background for some of the images, but if your partner has no interest in going there on the day, things aren’t going to go well. I recommend talking with them early on in the planning and getting them on your side as much as possible when it comes to visiting a special location for your proposal.
Planning your Proposal for Photography
Working with your Partner
As I mentioned above, getting your partner to a specific location at a specific time can take a little effort. From experience, I’ve found that weaving a little narrative to get them there on time works best. If you can book a dinner reservation nearby or have the visit coincide with something else that would make your partner feel like they need to be there and can’t back out on you (believe me, I’ve seen this happen!), you’ll have a better chance of them coming along happily and not getting suspicious of your plans. If you need help with finding restaurants or other things nearby that could aid your cause, please let me know. I’m happy to help.
Working with Me, Your Proposal Photographer
There are certain things I’ll need to know from you and certain things you’ll need to know from me. Once we’ve got your location down, I’ll do a recce to find myself some hiding places and plot out my angles. Once I’ve confirmed these with you, I’ll provide you with an exact map and a sketch of the final image. If there are any other services you’ll need like coordinating with a restaurant, proposal location, or extras to realise your vision, we can also plan these at this stage. It’s best to have variables at a minimum on the day so you can focus on what needs to be done and not plotting additional details.
Coordinating on the Day
When it comes to the day of, it’s usually best for us to keep in touch via an instant messaging platform. I use KakaoTalk, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, so you can choose your prefered method of contact and we can keep each other in the loop as the day progresses. I’ll always be at the location at least an hour in advance just in case Seoul has scheduled a random festival or school groups have all decided to take over your location on the day. This way, we’ll have time to redirect things a little and make sure your proposal goes off without issue.
What About the Weather?
Seoul’s weather is unpredictable at best and there’s nothing quite like rain to change your plans. I’m usually quite flexible with my schedule and able to reorganise things ahead of time in the case of heavy rains, a typhoon, or similar. Don’t worry about that. We’ll make it happen for you!
After the Session
Couple Sessions after the Proposal Photography
If you’ve requested a couple session after the proposal itself, I’ll introduce myself when you’re ready and we can get started right away. While we can do more involved couple sessions directly after the proposal, I find that most people like to keep it short and as casual as possible. Let me know your preference when we’re communicating and we’ll tailor the session to your wants.
Getting Your Files
Under most circumstances, I can usually get you a file or two on the day of your proposal to let your friends and family know what happened. The delivery time for the final set varies depending on the type and length of the session and also the time of year we work together. We can discuss this on a case by case basis and I will provide the digital images for you as soon as they’re ready. You’ll be able to download them and print or display them on your social media pages.
Booking Your Proposal
You can use my contact form to get in touch via email and start the process. In that initial contact, the more information you can give me about what you’re looking for, the better. It helps me to understand who you are and how I can best realise your vision. Looking forward to talking to you soon!