Surprise proposal at St. Pete Beach sunset

What an exciting moment I had this past week at St. Pete Beach. I was contacted by Nate a few weeks ago to photograph his proposal to his girlfriend Taylor. As a photographer, I’m always trying to capture genuine emotions. Photographing a real proposal and freezing that moment in time for a couple is amazing. It’s such an honor to share the joy and capture a life-changing moment for a couple.

To Taylor this was a beach vacation to St. Pete Beach but to Nate it was so much more. The location was Plaza Beach Hotel Beachfront Resort in St. Pete Beach which is a great 1940s era beachfront hotel with original Florida charm.

The happy couples evening included dinner and after a romantic walk on the beach at their hotel. Nate told me he was going to walk down the beach and then come back. This was an excellent decision as it provided me time to get situated as they walked away and back towards me. The plan was executed with military precision and Nate stopped just a few feet away from us to admire the beach view and sunset with Taylor by his side. Then the magic happened!

For this photoshoot, I was dressed as a beach goer. I also brought my trusted associate photographer Xina Scuderi with me. This gave Nate additional photographs of the proposal and also made it appear that we were just beachgoers. To not stand out, our camera gear was in a cooler. The gear I brought was my trusted 70-200 f/2.8 and my 85mm f/1.4 lenses. Of course a macro lens for the ring shot.

After capturing the actual surprise proposal, we took on a mini engagement photo session.  Congratulations, Nate and Taylor! Thanks for having me be part of the moment! I hope they come back so we can photograph their wedding.

Thinking of popping the question in Tampa Bay Florida? Call us and we will help you plan and provide pictures of your engagement moment!