One of my absolute FAVORITE things to photograph are proposals! And when it comes to proposing, most people haven’t done it before. This blog post is meant to accomplish two things: one, to walk through the things that people might not think about considering when it comes to planning a proposal. And two, if you plan on having professional photos taken of your surprise proposal, how to set yourself up to get the best photos possible!

1. Consider Having a Weather Rain Plan

If you’re from Pittsburgh or have lived here for any length of time, you know how crucial this point is! When planning a proposal in Pittsburgh, it is always important to consider the weather, and to consider having a backup rain plan.

If you’re planning an outdoor proposal, consider having a backup location that is shielded from the rain. This could be somewhere indoors, or an outdoor location that simply has an overhang or something blocking the rain. If you do plan to have an indoor backup location, and you plan to have a professional photographer there, consider talking to them about a location that still has good natural light. While photographers can bring artificial, off camera light to light a location, you will most likely want to keep the element of surprise, and will not want flashes firing, alerting your fiancé-to-be of what’s about to take place.

There are lots of options to consider that would make excellent backup plans. For example:

Phipps Conservatory & Botanic Gardens: Did you know that you can rent a private room at Phipps for proposals? It’s true! And what’s great about Phipps is that you are shielded from the rain – and any other type of inclement weather - and there is great natural light. If you don’t want to have to worry about any sort of inclement weather right off the bat, this might be a great route to go in the first place! If you’re interested in renting a room at Phipps for a proposal, click here. And you can click here to view a proposal I’ve photographed at Phipps!
Mellon Institute: You may have seen the huge Mellon Institute columns in Oakland in a friend’s wedding photos or while driving by – but this spot makes for an excellent backup rain location! The architecture is beautiful and this location has a large area (in the columns!) that is shielded from rain. It’s also free to shoot there!
The Pennsylvanian Rotunda: Have you seen this place before?! There are few spots more beautiful in Pittsburgh than the rotunda at the Pennsylvanian! This train station turned event space & luxury apartment complex is what photo dreams are made of. You do have to pay to take professional photos in this space - but it meets all of the qualifications of a good rain spot! Covered, access to natural light, and oh-so beautiful. Click here if you’d like to contact them to inquire!
Coffee shops, bakeries, & restaurants: Many coffee shops and restaurants have large windows that give lots of natural light! If you plan on having the proposal photographed, you may just want to check with the coffee shop/bakery/restaurant ahead of time to make sure they’re okay with a photographer hanging around for a little while!

2. Time of Day & Location Light

When it comes to photos, light is such an important factor. In fact, I would go as far as to say that good or bad light can make or break a photo! Of course, part of the fun of a proposal is that it’s candid - meaning that it’s usually unstaged and happens on the spot! But there are some things you can take into consideration if you want to have a more “picturesque” proposal!

The best time of day for natural light photography across the board (most of the time!) is 2 hours after sunrise, and 2 hours prior to sunset. Planning a proposal within one of those two time frames might help you have better overall light for photos!

Something else to talk about with your proposal photographer is how the light will look at the time of day at the particular location you chose. If you choose Point State Park fountain in Pittsburgh for your proposal spot, for example, you have a HUGE space to work with with so many different angles and spots to choose from. Your photographer can help give you some suggestions on what side of the fountain might have the best light at the time of day you’ll be proposing, as well as what angle of the fountain would make the best backdrop.

3. Positioning on one knee

We’ve talked about rain plans, time of day, location, and now we’re here… the big moment - the moment you get down on one knee. What you’ll want to make absolutely sure of is that your photographer knows where you’ll be getting down on one knee so that they can know where to position themselves. If your photographer is in the wrong spot when you take a knee, they might miss the emotion of that special moment – which would totally be the worst! It’s so important to communicate ahead of time and have a plan that you can both be confident in, so you know without a shadow of a doubt that that moment (and the emotions that go along with it!) will be captured from the correct angle!

4. Knowing Who You Two Are!

Chances are, if I’m photographing a surprise proposal, I’ve never actually met the couple I’m photographing - and I’m sure that’s true for many other proposal photographers. Because of that, I personally always ask for a few photos of my couple so I can pick them out of a crowd (if need be!). As well as a text to let me know that they are on their way to our meeting spot, which leads me to my last point…

5. Communication

Communication is KEY! If you hire a photographer for your proposal, communicating in advance about where the proposal will be happening, as well as where you’ll actually be proposing, is crucial to the outcome of the images. In addition, it can be helpful to touch base with your photographer when you’re in the vicinity. Personally, I always ask my client who is proposing to shoot me a text to let me know when they arrive to the location, so I know to be looking for them.

For example, for a recent proposal I photographed at Phipps, Nate (who was proposing) sent me a text when he and his girlfriend left their house (about 5/10 minutes from Phipps), and when they arrive at Phipps. That way, I had a couple of minutes to get into position, and then start to watch for intently for them as they made their way to our agreed upon spot.

6. Keeping Things Secret!

Lots of proposers ask me how I’ll “blend in” and go unnoticed by their soon-to-be fiance while I wait for the big moment. The great thing is, if you choose a public space, I’ll blend right in! With so many hobbyist photographers now-a-days, it’s easy to go unnoticed (or at the very least, blend in with the crowd) while waiting for a proposal to happen. I’ve even went so far as to pretend that I was with a group of tourists (for a proposal on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh) to keep my identity a secret! Overall, choosing a public location for your proposal will help your photographer blend in with the people around them, and keep things secret!

7. Choosing a Public Location vs. a Private Location

Piggy backing off of the last point, you may want to consider how receptive your soon-to-be fiance will be to getting proposed to in a crowd of people vs. in a more secluded/private location. Proposing in a public space will draw attention - which is great for those who love attention! But this method isn’t for everyone. If you feel like your fiance would prefer that moment to be more private and just between the two of you, consider choosing a low foot traffic location, or consider proposing during a time of day where a busy spot might not be so busy (for example, Point State Park in Pittsburgh isn’t as busy in the morning as it is in the evening).

I hope that this blog post was helpful as you prepare to propose to the love of your life! If you’re in need of a surprise proposal photographer in Pittsburgh, I would absolutely LOVE to help you out. Feel free to use the contact tab in the navigation above, or email me directly at jhidingerphotography@gmail.com to hear more about the proposal package I offer!