A Proposal at Burgh Island — Leah Karen Photography

This weekend I had the pleasure of capturing a proposal at Burgh Island. It was the first time I've captured a proposal and was such a rush of adrenaline to sneak around and spy. It’s also such an incredible event to witness and to document, I really hope there will be more to come. Here's the story of how the proposal was planned and how it happened. I have so much to say about the day and what I have learned from it so brace yourself for a long but hopefully interesting blog about capturing one very important and life changing moment…

The Planning

Matthew had been planning his proposal to his girlfriend Toria for many months. The ring, which was a family heirloom, had been with the jewellers for some time and on the Thursday (three days before the proposal) he was able to pick it up. With the ring back in his pocket, he was keen to pop the question. He made contact with me via email for the first time on the Thursday to see if I'd be available to capture the important moment for him that Sunday.

Matthew had already visited Burgh Island a week before to scope out the perfect area. He had gained permission from Burgh Island Hotel to use their grounds, which gave him a little more privacy than areas elsewhere on the island. He had three locations in mind that he was thinking of using for the proposal and he wasn't sure which spot to go for. I had never been on the hotel grounds before, so I wasn't familiar with the locations he was planning on using and with the big day being only three days away, I unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to visit the island to scope the locations out for myself.

Matthew and Toria live in London and they travelled down to Devon on the Friday to visit family. I had a wedding to photograph on the Friday so with us both being busy, Matthew and I couldn't make plans for how and where the proposal would happen. This left us with just the Saturday (the day before the proposal) to discuss logistics. I knew Matthew wouldn't find it easy to sneak away from his girlfriend and family to send me long descriptive emails, so communication was limited and therefore we didn’t get to thoroughly plan things out. With limited correspondence, we’d managed to plan to catch the sea tractor across to Burgh Island at 12:30. I didn't know what Matthew and Toria looked like but Matthew told me he'd have black boots, black jeans and a blue shirt. I was to then follow behind the couple to his chosen location to capture the proposal. I told Matthew I had a fringe, long dark hair with blonde at the bottom. And I said I'd have my camera out too. That's all the info we had…

The sneaking around

Sunday arrived and of course there were lots of things that worried me. My main concerns were not being able to get on the sea tractor - what if I miss it or if they turn me away due to it being full? Then the couple would go off to Burgh Island without me, leaving me stranded on the wrong side. But my biggest worry was that I'd stalk the wrong couple. It could have happened - what if there were two men there with black jeans and a blue shirt?

I arrived nice and early and sat in the car park looking out for a man with black jeans and a blue shirt and I definitely felt the adrenaline kicking in. I had 45 minutes til the sea tractor was due to leave and I’m so pleased I did arrive so early because I needed that time to sort out parking. Ringo (the parking app) wasn’t working due to low signal so there were long queues in the gift shop because people needed change. I did have change on me but not enough to cover the parking and the sea tractor.

I had arranged for my friend to meet me (also called Matt) and he was going to see if he could capture a video of the proposal, as an extra bonus for the couple. Matt isn’t a videographer, he’s actually a photographer who also captures weddings. He’s not confident with video (it’s a function us photographers don’t really use) but I wanted him there to support me more than anything. I felt like I'd look less suspicious if I had someone there with me and having my friend there helped to calm my nerves a bit too. I’d never photographed a proposal before and although I am used to high pressure situations like this with wedding photography, there are so many unknowns with a proposal shoot. Like I said, planning hadn’t been very thorough for this proposal, I didn’t know what the couple looked like or where the proposal would take place - I think it would have been weird if I didn’t feel a bit nervous considering the circumstances.

Matt (friend Matt) was running late so I was walking around the large car park looking out for him. I was worried he would also have to queue in the gift shop for change if his phone signal was also compromised and I knew we had to be on that 12:30 sea tractor. Whilst I was looking out for my friend a man with a blue shirt and black jeans walked by me. It must be him I thought, so I moved my ponytail over to my shoulder to show my blonde tips. He asked 'are you Leah?' and I was instantly relieved to have found one of the Matt's I was looking for. He pointed out his girlfriend who had her back to us, she was taking photos of the view but she suddenly turned to look back and quick as a flash Matthew and I parted ways. We then both noticed a big white van which we stood behind to have a quick chat. I told him I was still looking out for friend Matt and that I'd see him on the sea tractor.

12:20 arrived and I couldn't find my friend. The couple had started making their way down to the beach so I had to follow behind and hope that Matt would catch up. When we got to the beach we were surprised to see that the tide was out and the sea tractor was no longer running, we could just walk across and so there was no reason to delay. But we still had to wait for friend Matt to arrive, Matthew knew my friend was going to try to get a video so he wanted us both there for the proposal. A few anxious minutes went by where I wasn't sure if I'd have to go off and do it alone but Matt found me on the beach and we were good to go. Just as I’d suspected, he also had trouble paying for parking.

Now that Matt was with us, Matthew and Toria set off towards Burgh Island and we followed behind.

The Proposal

Not being familiar with the location Matthew had in mind for the proposal was a bit nerve-wracking for me. I was hoping there would be something for me to hide behind but it was a very open area. You will see in the first photo here that there's a bit of greenery in the foreground - I loved that vantage point and with the greenery framing the photo it gives the impression that I was quite hidden. The reality is that I was not hidden at all from that vantage point. I was also too far back from the cliff edge to pretend I was photographing the view, so if Toria had spotted me it would have looked incredibly suspicious. That vantage point was also a little too far away from the couple too, I knew I wouldn't capture Toria's reaction very clearly so I had to move in a little closer.

In a situation such as this, I'd have normally wanted two camera bodies on the go at once. One to capture the wider scene and one to capture a close up of with their facial expressions. But having two cameras on me would have been very suspicious and I was sure that would have given the game away - who would be out capturing coastal landscapes with two cameras? And I did have other lenses with me in my bag but again I wouldn't have had time to change lenses in a moment as quick as a proposal. So I'd settled for my 24-70 2.8. This lens allowed me to get some wide shots of the location but also those all important close ups. I was acting as someone who was capturing photos of the view so it made sense for me to be positioned on the cliff edge but out there I had nothing to hide behind either. Toria didn’t seem to notice me, she could sense something important was about to happen and all she saw was Matthew. I snapped away at the view whilst keeping one eye on the couple. When Matthew went in for a cuddle, I knew it was about to happen and I focused in on the couple so that I could capture the progression of emotion that Toria was experiencing. It was such a magical moment and hotel guests clapped and cheered for the happy couple.

Once the ring was on her finger, I sensed that Toria was beginning to notice she was being photographed. So I introduced myself, telling her that Matthew had hired me to capture the special moment. I told her that I had an accomplice with me who was capturing a video, I said 'he's in a bush somewhere I think'.

Matt was nowhere to be seen as he was much further back and had managed to find a lovely vantage point. I'm so thankful that he was able to come along because the couple now have that wider scene that he captured as well as the closer shots I took. Matt’s video was taken from a much riskier vantage point. He was far away and if the couple had been standing at different angles then he may not have had such a clear view. It all came down to luck but it worked out perfectly. And it’s got us thinking that you really do need two people to capture a proposal. That wide shot is so important but so are the intimate shots, this couple are lucky enough to relive this moment from both perspectives, thanks to Matt.

This is a still that Matt took from his video.

A Photo Shoot

Now that I had introduced myself to Toria and didn't have to worry about sneaking around, I asked if they'd like some photos taken. Matthew had booked me for an hour so there was still time for me to capture some more memories for them both. We started off with photos at the location where the proposal happened. It was nice to be able to photograph that area from different perspectives. Obviously beforehand I was limited as to where I could go because I needed the couple to be side on to me for the proposal.

We then moved onto Matthew's second choice of proposal location (remember he had three in mind initially). This second spot was called Mermaid Jetty and it was down a set of stairs, just below the first location. It was absolutely beautiful there and so quiet there too. But logistically it wouldn't have worked well for the proposal because I would have really given the game away if I'd have followed them down the stairs with a camera around my neck.

We did also visit Matthew's third possible proposal location which was very busy with people (it was no longer on hotel grounds). And although it was stunning there too, it wouldn't have been as private if he'd have proposed there. Of course it looks like a private area in my photos as I removed everybody else using Photoshop. Matthew definitely picked the right spot to pop the question though and it was lovely to be able to visit all three places with the couple for photos afterwards.

We still had a bit of time on the clock so I asked the couple if they fancied having some photos down on the beach, which they were more than up for. When I asked if they'd be happy to get into the water Matthew replied “this is a once in a lifetime thing, I don't mind getting wet, I'll dive in if I have to.” I just love that enthusiasm! But I didn't make them dive in, getting their feet wet was all that was required to get some romantic photos in the sea. I also noticed that we could see the proposal location from down on the beach, so I made sure to get that in some of the photos for the couple too.

Behind The Scenes

While I was busy taking photos of the happy couple, my good friend Matt took some behind the scenes photos which are a lovely keepsake for me from my first time documenting a proposal, but also a lovely extra for the couple to have.

What I have learned from my first time capturing a proposal

If there’s an opportunity, scope out the area with the person who’s planning to do the proposal beforehand. It would have been really beneficial if I could have seen the location before the day and discussed with Matthew where he’d stand and where I’d hide. It also would have been helpful to know what he looks like beforehand too.
Two people capturing a proposal is so much better than one. I am so glad that Matt was able to come along and help out at short notice. And if I am asked to capture a proposal again in the future I hope to do so with Matt as my second photographer. He will photograph the moment from a distance, capturing the environment and bigger picture. While I will capture the intimate details, the look of surprise and the tears of joy. We feel that video isn’t something we would offer as a professional service as we are not videographers but I do have a Go Pro that Matt could set up if given enough time and if there’s an appropriate place for it.
I want to do more - so get in touch to discuss your proposal plans with me! I hope to hear from you soon.