The cherry blossoms. Oh! The cherry blossoms. Wyatt contacted me about his proposal earlier this year, and we set out to plan the perfect scene for him to propose to Allison. She would be visiting for a few days in April, and Wyatt was hoping to capture the proposal under the gorgeous cherry blossoms of Seoul’s spring. We met early one Sunday morning under a canopy that would soon be covered with blossoms and got everything planned for the big day. Or so we thought.
You see, the cherry blossoms very rarely work out on the day you need them to. Our date had us shooting one day after the predicted peak of the blossoms. This should have been the perfect time as the blooms would still be fresh and clean. But, as tends to happen in spring here, we got some rain. Just a couple of hours drizzle and a light wind knocked them all to the ground five days before the session and we had to re-plan.
We quickly decided on a palace to give us something grounded in Korea and hopefully find some straggling cherry or plum blossoms to shoot a few frames with after the proposal. Arriving early, I found the palace empty of people and a single tree in full bloom. Realising it was too late to change the plans without something going wrong, I quickly formulated a few ideas I could knock out in the few minutes I would have with the couple.
I found a spot where I could remain relatively hidden from sight and locked down my exposure to make sure I’d get everything just right. Wyatt and Allison arrived and it was game on. I quickly ran over and switched on my time-lapse camera for a second angle. Although Wyatt had said he would do a lap of the palace first before arriving at our spot, nerves had kicked in and he bee-lined for the spot the moment he got to the top of the stairs.
Three minutes later, it was all over and as Allison examined her ring and finally took a look around, she spotted me and burst out laughing. We spent the next 15 minutes shooting quickly around the palace and then parted ways so the two could go out to lunch together.
If you’re looking to have a photographer for your proposal in Seoul or anywhere around Korea, please reach out!
