Dos and Don’ts For a Proposal Photo Shoot on Kauai
There is no better place to propose to your significant other than the island of Kauai. Whether you’re looking for a photographer to secretly capture the moment, or a planned “couples photo shoot” with a surprise proposal, I have photographed over 100 proposals around Kauai and would love to be a part of your story too. From my experiences with proposal photo shoots, I wanted to give you tips and advice for your big moment. I know a lot of feelings and excitement comes in to play, but if you can remember these few things while still being in the moment, it will ensure your photos will look spectacular.
Positioning
For secret proposals, because I am hidden I can’t position you two before you propose, so it is important to make sure you position yourself so I can see both of you for the moment. Below are images of right and wrong ways to position yourself.
Hanalei Bay
The best way for me to be hidden is to be down the beach, in between you and the pier. That means in order for me to see both of you, either you or your partner needs to have their back to the ocean.
DO: Woman’s back is to the ocean, which lets me capture both of their profiles.
DON’T: Ocean is at the side of them, which put man in front of me so I can’t see ring box or his face, and also get an unflattering perspective of the woman looking down.
Tunnels / Ha’ena Beach
Similarly to Hanalei Bay, because I will be hidden down the beach, the best perspective would be to have one of you facing the ocean so I can get a profile perspective of the two of you. However, at Tunnels Beach there are not really any trees or bushes that I can hide behind, so I am usually pretending to be looking for shells or taking pictures of the surfers. Therefore you will be able to adjust the angle accordingly to make sure I am 90 degrees from you two.
DO: Woman’s back is to the ocean
DON’T: Neither of them are facing the ocean, so man is blocking view.
ALSO GOOD: Man wanted more of a view of the woman for the moment, so he slightly twisted their position so I could both capture her reaction as while still being able to see ring box and him on a knee.
Shipwreck Beach
YOU MUST HAVE YOUR BACK (HER FACE) TO THE OCEAN!!!!!
I can’t stress this one enough. I have seen women step backwards in shock/excitement, and stepping backwards if her back is to the edge would be catastrophic.
2. Take your time
Because of the nerves involved, I sometimes see people drop on their knee and immediately say “will you marry me” and are back on their feet when their partner begins nodding, making the entire proposal around 3 seconds. This makes capturing the moment very difficult and limits my ability to take multiple compositions to give you a variety of photos. So, when proposing, I encourage you to take your time, maybe say a few words while on your knee, and after “yes” staying on your knee to put the ring on.
3. Chest Up
This might just be a personal preference, but in general I think the photos look better when the one proposing is up straight, rather than leaning on their knee.
DO: Upper body is straight up and down
DON’T: Lean on your knee
I hope these tips help you when planning your special day. If you have any other questions or ideas on how to make your proposal great, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Aloha!