Proposal at Clay Banks
Rajan contacted me earlier this week as he wanted to capture the moment of his surprise proposal to his girlfriend Diana. He wanted to propose the next day and was wondering if there was a possibility that I was available. Thankfully I was! Weekday availablity tends to be more open and Rajan was able to get this last minute appointment! He already had the whole thing planned out, he just needed someone to be able to get the moment. We went over the entire outline of what he was going to do over text that evening and to me it looked perfect. All I had to do was make sure I was in the right place at the time of the proposal and we’d be good to go.
Rajan had planned a picnic near the river at Clay Banks in Rancho Cordova. The location was gorgeous and the time of day provided a beautiful golden light. I parked in the small lot at the park and waited. Shortly afterwards I saw a couple walking towards the river with a picnic basket - it had to be them! I gave it a few minutes and then gathered my gear to go to the river. I didn’t want to look conspicuous so I didn’t bring a lot of camera gear with me. I looked like a person who was just there to take nature photos. I spotted the couple from a distance and went on to capture a few shots of the pre-proposal moments.
Rajan spotted me as I got a little closer so he knew he was good to propose whenever he was ready to. He was even able to send a text over to me letting me know that he would be proposing soon. I took a position far enough from them so that I would be in the way. Diana never saw me as I was positioned a bit behind her. I used my bread-and-butter 70-200mm lens to capture Rajan on his knee asking for Diana’s hand in marriage. I absolutely loved the images I was able to get with the lens.
Diana said, ‘Yes’ and I came over to introduce myself to the happy couple. Diana was completely surprised and had no idea I was there to take pictures of this moment. She told me she saw me but assumed I was just a park visitor there to take photos - mission accomplished! As with all my surprise engagement shoots, I then went to take a few photos of the newly engaged couple before letting them spend this happy time to themselves. The photos taken I’m sure will be something that they look back upon frequently to remember exactly the day of their engagement.
I’m so happy for Rajan and Diana and feel so honored to be the one to capture this moment of their lives. Surprise proposals are incredible and being trusted to get the moment is something that is important to me. If you’re looking for any type of photography, please message me and let me know what you need! I’d love to photograph you!