I recently had the honor to photograph a wedding proposal on the beach in Naples, Florida. These weren't the structured "engagement photos" that many couples have made, rather this was the actual process of Damen asking Samantha to marry him. These photographs capture the love and joy they feel for each other as well as documenting a major life event.
The photo session was orchestrated by Damen. He asked Samantha if she would like to take a romantic beach walk to see the sunset, and what women would say no to romance? Meanwhile, I was also on the beach "photographing birds" with a long telephoto lens, but my real purpose was to capture the engagement as it happened. The emotions were real, and they were wonderful.
This is the moment that Damen asked Samantha to marry him. Samantha was blown away with Damen's proposal. 
Samantha's expression is priceless. I was able to capture surprise, love, and amazement in the same photograph. Damen was exceptionally pleased that the proposal was so well received. Note the ring in his hand. . .
What do you do after a proposal? Hug and kiss, of course!
At this point, Damen let Samantha know the extent of his planning . . . the guy with the big camera (me!) was not on the beach to photograph birds, but rather to capture the proposal and the emotions as they happened. You can see the surprise in Samantha's reaction to that amount of planning on Damen's part, as he said "look, there's our photographer!"
Playful and happy with each other, the couple took a walk through the surf.
Then they stopped, and I was able to take a more conventional photograph of the happy couple. The emotions are real, and this is the type of photograph that they will enlarge and put on display both at the wedding reception and in their home.
And finally, a few photos for the "save the date" card from Basic Invite:
As a photographer, this is the kind of work that keeps me happy with my job. I shared the emotions of the proposal and the loving warmth of the aftermath. You can't create these emotions in a structured photo session. As pretty and romantic as my regular engagement photographs are, "Romance on the Beach" has a level of spontaneity, true happiness, and romantic expression that are unique, unposed, natural, and real. Congratulations to Damen and Samantha — may you always keep love and happiness in your life!
COMPANY: Southern Light Photography
WEBSITE: http://www.southernlightphoto.com
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