Proposal session

The whole difficulty is being present without being seen. So there is a short briefing beforehand that settles three things: the exact spot you will be standing on, the time, and a signal — a gesture, a hand going into a pocket — that tells the photographer it is starting. The proposal itself is photographed on a long lens from thirty to fifty metres, usually from a bench or a café table where one person with a camera does not register.

After the yes the photographer comes over, and from that moment it is not a surprise anyway. The thirty minutes that follow are a compressed couple session in the same place, and they are the reason this package is not only the proposal: the frames immediately afterwards, when neither of you has quite reassembled, are almost always the better ones. Thirty-five edited photographs, with a small set delivered the same evening — because that is the evening the phone calls get made.

Most plans fail on details nobody thought about rather than on the photography. Pick a spot where the two of you will face open space rather than a wall, so the long lens can see both faces. Carry the ring in a pocket you can reach without searching. Think of a reason for being there at that hour that will not raise suspicion, and a rain alternative that is also within walking distance. Kneeling or standing is a matter of taste; the one thing to avoid is stepping in front of the person you are asking.

Enquire through the form and give your own number rather than a shared one, so the call back does not give anything away. You receive a fixed price in writing, and anything that would change it — a longer session, a permit fee for a particular place — is stated first. If severe weather forces a move, the date is changed at no cost. What you do with the photographs is up to you: they are licensed for private use, and when and with whom you share them is entirely your decision. We show none of them anywhere without your written consent.