A Surprise Proposal

Honestly I’m afraid I am doing this post too late. However maybe someone out there can arrange this on short-ish notice. What is it? A Christmas gift of the best kind. A surprise proposal {as the name above gave away} photo shoot! I love these and the master of them is Sharon Bushman in New York. Maybe I should explain this further. You know you want to propose and do something special. So you arrange a walk in the park or other scenic public place where you want to propose. The photographer hovers about in a discreet stalker undercover like way. You know, pretending they are taking photos of the scenery.  When you get to the agreed spot and have the nerve, you pop the question and the photographer has it caught in film. I am a big fan of these just like I am a big fan of ‘First Looks’ before a wedding because of the genuine emotion and expressions that are captured. Sharon was kind enough to send one to me and here is her story on this happy day. “ I shot this proposal just this past Saturday.  The couple’s name is Cesar and Ashika. They flew in from California and he surprised her with a proposal in Central Park.  When he emailed me, we pre-planned that he would get a carriage ride and tell the driver to drop him off by Bethesda Fountain.  He had emailed me a photo of them so I knew what they looked like and we also texted on the morning of the proposal with details like coat color, scarves, etc.  He even did better by texting me a photo of them that morning so when their carriage came, I saw her scarf from way far away and knew it was them. Then I followed them and snapped a few shots before he then got down on one knee!  After a moment or two I’m “revealed”.  We then take photos in and around Central Park for about an hour.  It was SO cold, but they were troopers.  “ And here is how it went: {Love it!!}

I so love the look on her face there!!Please go over here to see the full slideshow. It’ is just brilliant to see it click by click. Well worth a look.

So back to our photographer. Experienced in these types of covert  operations , this is Sharon’s story: “My first proposal shoot was in May of 08.  In 2009 I did nearly 40 proposal shoots.  This year has been just as busy.  Most take place in Central Park, but I’ve also done proposals on the observation deck of Rockefellar Center (Top of the Rock) and Brooklyn Bridge Park.  I’ve had guys hire bands, have secret picnics set up, and one guy (a pilot) even hired skywriters.  Most of the time though, it’s just simple and sweet and those are my favorites. I love getting emails from guys wanting me to photograph their proposal because it’s just so thoughtful!  It’s such an important moment in their lives and to capture it forever for them is such an honor for me.  The question I get asked the most is “Has anyone ever said No?” Not yet.  I think if a man hires me to do this, he’s probably pretty sure she’s going to say Yes!” How adorable are they? I just think that is wonderful. So if you are going to propose, off you go and get on to Sharon! Good Luck!