March on Jeju Island is when spring begins in full swing. The canola flowers are thick and by the end of the month, the plum and cherry blossoms are usually in full bloom.
It’s a beautiful time of year and Gen had hoped to have his proposal with the cherry blossoms overhead. We had shared ideas and planned everything well in advance. The final step was for me to check on the flowers during my trip to Jeju Island the week before and prepare a full guide for Gen so he would have no problems bringing Elissa to the perfect spot.
Things were looking great. The weather bureau had released its predictions for the blossoms, the Jeju Government had scheduled its cherry blossom festivals, and we had a date right in the middle of it all. Then, I flew down to Jeju for another shoot and my scheduled recce for Gen to find not a single blossom on the island. From time to time, the blossoms are a few days early or late, but this time around, they never even showed up. The cherry blossom festivals were held without cherry blossoms!
After a quick discussion with Gen, we switched up our plan to take in the canola flowers instead. We’d still be going ahead with Gen’s plan, which was to ask the guy with the camera that they stumbled across (me) if he could take a couple of nice pictures of them to remember their holiday. We’d discussed taking a camera-facing shot, then I’d have the couple turn their backs to each other. At that point, Gen would pull out the ring and call Elissa to turn around. The rest, as they say, would be history. As you can see, his plan went spectacularly!
As the seasons change in Korea, we typically have quite unpredictable weather. Days can go from sunny to rainy in an instant and wind is quite common, especially on Jeju Island. Gen and I watched every weather forecast we could find like hawks the day before his proposal. Rain had entered the forecast but it was unclear how much. Some sources were saying a light drizzle at the end of the day. Others had heavy rain from lunchtime. We’d really need to wait and see. Gen had agreed that unless it was a torrential downpour, we’d pick up some umbrellas and make it work either way.
In the end, we had no rain at all for the proposal and there was only a light drizzle and a little wind to keep things interesting during our session afterwards. Gen and Elissa were happy to roll with the challenges and lean into what we had available to us. I honestly love working this way. Not forcing the issue and allowing the weather to do what it will do often results in some of the most meaningful images.
Thanks, Gen, for being so cool with all the challenges the Korean weather can throw at you! And, thanks Elissa, for being so cool with spending time out in the wind and drizzle. You guys were amazing! Congrats again!
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