Photographing a wedding proposal in Devon - South Milton Sands.
Russell got in touch with me just before Christmas, and told me that he was planning on proposing to his girlfriend Abby in February.
’This beach is my partner, Abby’s favourite beach in the area she grew up. My plan is to take her to the beach house which is a small restaurant near the beach for breakfast then go for a walk along the beach with our dog Nala and propose on the beach. I would like to have this captured without a rousing any suspicions from Abby! There are dunes and paths that over look the beach so should be possible for any photographer not to be seen by us on the beach.’
Luckily, Russell reached out with plenty of time to plan, so on the first sunny day of January, I headed to South Milton Sands to scope out the location. I explored the different vantage points, checking the views from the dunes, and captured photos from various angles to work out the best positioning. I also filmed GoPro footage of my visit, compiling everything into a video for Russell.
This kind of preparation is invaluable—it ensures I know exactly where to be, how to stay discreet, and how to get the best possible shots of such a fleeting, emotional moment. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into capturing a proposal, a lot of the work happens before the big day! You can see exactly what I mean by watching the video HERE.
The first set of photos captures Russell, Abby, and their dog, Nala, enjoying a stroll along the beach—completely unaware that I was watching from the dunes. Every time Abby turned around to check on Nala, I had to quickly duck down or step back to avoid being spotted with my camera.
I definitely got some funny looks from people sitting outside The Beach House. At one point, I even found myself saying, "Sorry, I’m just spying on someone and trying not to be seen—don’t worry, they’ve hired me!" before quickly making my escape. I can only imagine what they must have thought!
While waiting for the perfect moment, I also snapped a few shots of The Beach House itself—not just to pass the time, but also to capture a little piece of the setting that made this proposal so personal and meaningful.
This next set of photos captures the moment of the proposal itself. Thanks to all the planning Russell and I did in advance, we had a specific spot in mind—one that ensured I had a clear view from the dunes while staying hidden.
Beaches don’t come with built-in markers, so positioning was key. We chose this exact location because of a distinctive breakwater rock running vertically down the beach. If you’ve watched the planning video, you’ll know this was our marker. By timing the proposal for a similar tide level to my scouting visit, Russell knew to position himself just in front of the breakwater rock. Even if the tide was further out, he could adjust by walking away from the surf and aligning with the top of the rock. This ensured he was close enough for me to capture the moment while avoiding blind spots from my vantage point in the dunes.
And then—everything unfolded perfectly. As Russell dropped to one knee, their dog, Nala, ran excitedly around them, adding even more magic to the moment. Because I shoot proposals in a way that’s almost like a stop-motion film, Nala’s excitement played out beautifully in the sequence of images. I was able to capture not just the breathtaking backdrop, but also the couple’s expressions up close.
It honestly couldn’t have gone better.
After the proposal, I made my way down to the beach to finally introduce myself to Abby and congratulate them both. It was also lovely to finally meet Russell in person after weeks of planning together—after so many messages back and forth over five or six weeks, it felt like I already knew him!
As a little keepsake, I handed them an engagement card and a small glass vial so they could collect sand from the exact spot where Russell had proposed. It’s such a simple but meaningful way to hold onto a piece of that moment forever. I also tracked down the exact coordinates of where it happened and sent them over to Russell—just another little detail to help them remember this special place for years to come.
This final set of photos is from the engagement shoot we did right after the proposal. We didn’t have a huge amount of time, as Russell and Abby were heading straight off to Cornwall for a spa break (another thoughtful surprise from Russell!). So while we didn’t explore much of the beach, we still captured some beautiful moments between them—and, of course, Nala was loving every second of being part of it too.
‘Abby and I have just sat and looked through them all, we absolutely love every one of them and you couldn’t have done a better job. So thank you for that. 100% worth the money and I’m so glad we did it. Thanks so much for all the hard work and effort that you put in. We will 100% recommend you to anyone that asks.
Genuinely can’t get it across enough, we are so happy with them and for me it couldn’t have gone better. It looks like we have the whole beach to ourselves and the moment was captured perfectly.’