So, you’re coming up to that time in your life where you’re thinking, “I’m ready to commit to this person and build a life together”. I’ve been there and I know how much there is to consider when you’re looking to ask for a hand in marriage. Now, add to that the complexities of organsing the perfect location for this when considering making it happen overseas and wanting a beautiful document of it, as well. It’s quite a daunting task. That’s where hiring a photographer comes in.
In this post, I want to draw on my 200+ proposal photography experience and 20+ years of living in Korea to hopefully make the process of reaching out and working together smooth and stress free from your perspective. So, what you’ll find below is a list of the most common questions and concerns I get from almost everyone who enquires about my services.
What Services do You Offer?
We have three levels of package and each comes with its own level of service and preparation.
The first is specifically for people who already have a location and plan in mind and can tell me where and when to be. I will show up at the required time, photograph the event, and peel away. This type of shoot is only available in Seoul and is most commonly booked by those who live here rather than are visiting.
The second, and most commonly booked, service is my basic package. This is available Korea-wide and comes with a guidance on location choice and timing, a recce and planning so all you need to do is follow my directions and remember your speech. This session also comes with a short portrait session after the proposal so you can make some additional memories together.
The final package is for those who want me to hire out and decorate a location for them to have a private proposal in. In addition, this comes with a longer portrait session after the proposal.
When Should I Book?
The simple, but entirely unhelpful answer to this is “it depends”. But, the general rule of thumb is the earlier the better, especially in the peak seasons of Spring and Autumn. Those two seasons can book out months in advance, so if you’re looking for a specific date or you already know when you’ll be in Korea, that’s the perfect time to get in touch. Now, that’s not to say I can’t accommodate last-minute bookings, but your chances of being able to book me, especially for specific dates and times, go up significantly the earlier you get in touch. Even if you’ve got some uncertainty surrounding your trip, it’s better to start the conversation earlier rather than later.
What Information do You Need from Me?
As much as possible! Since we’ve likely never met, it’s always great to learn a little about you and your partner as well as the sorts of things you like or what drew you to consider proposing in Korea. Those sorts of things give me context with which to explore potential locations and timings with you. So, rather than letting me know you’d like to propose in a “romantic spot”, letting me know what sort of things contribute to that feeling from your perspective will really help. If you’ve watched some dramas together and the white sandy beaches dotted around Jeju Island make you want to go for a sunrise walk with you and your partner all alone, I can offer you some possible spots where that would come to life. If you’d rather a forest that feels secluded and away from the crowds, I can suggest plenty of those, as well. If you can describe your ideal scene or share an image that’s similar, I can help you bring that idea to life.
How Will Korea’s Seasons Affect my Proposal?
In more ways than you can imagine. On a typical year, the temperatures in many parts of Korea can swing from -15 degrees celcius or sometimes colder to 38 degrees or or hotter. Winters are dry, cold, and occasionally windy while summers are hot, humid, and often dotted with storms.
Korea may have four seasons, but two of them are incredibly short lived. Everyone’s favourites, spring and autumn, often only last in the peak form for a week or two, especially as you head north towards Seoul. Flowers like cherry blossoms last anywhere from just a few days to about two weeks, depending on which part of the country you’re in. Autumn leaves vary every year, but at their longest, only peak for around 10 days in many parts of the country. That’s not to say we can’t find little pockets of flowers and leaves, but it’s always best to be flexible!
Korea’s weather is also incredibly unpredictable and can change in an instant. But, I’m here to help you navigate that! I’ve also got a basic outline of Korea’s seasons on this blog, but remember to be flexible!
What time do you recommend for a proposal photo session?
We offer sessions at the beginning and end of day to get the best possible light for our photography. The length of days here in Korea varies from around 9 hours in the winter to 14 hours in the summer, so the exact time is dependent on the time of year. Not only that, but certain locations have fixed opening hours or are surrounded by mountains or buildings and have shorter effective days. So, really, we need to decide on a location before we can discuss times.
For example, if you wanted to have your proposal at one of Seoul’s palaces, I’d recommend 9am. Unfortunately, that’s not the most beautiful time of day in most seasons, but it is their opening time and in the afternoon, the mass tourism makes it impossible to guarantee a beautiful view without thousands of selfie sticks poking around your photos.
However, if you wanted to have your proposal at one of the beautiful coastal areas of Jeju Island, either first light or 90 minutes before sunset are the best times for most locations.
If you’re unsure, I’ll be more than happy to share my experiences with you to help you decide.
My partner and I are shy/private people. How can we avoid crowds?
Of all the questions I get, this might be the most common. You’d love to have your proposal in a gorgeous setting but want to avoid the crowds and keep things private and intimate.
In Korea, where we have 50+ million people crowded onto a small peninsula and global tourism on top of that, things can certainly get hectic at times. Anyone who has been to Gyeongbokgung at 10am will know exactly what I’m talking about. So, what can we do?
The three best ways to approach this are by choosing the right time of day, choosing a less popular location, or renting a private space.
If you have a location in mind and want to know the best time to avoid people, I can certainly help with that. I can also recommend similar locations that might be less crowded or help you to plan a way to wait out the crowds on the day.
Do you have any sample locations I can see?
Absolutely! There are literally thousands of images on this site showing off all corners of Korea, but the best places to start for proposal photography are my proposal blog and my Year in Review posts. The year in review posts are not proposal specific, but there are a lot of proposals in there as well as families, couples, and some travel images from around Korea. They’re also broken up into quarters, so you can get a feel for how Korea’s seasons play out across the year.
Are you able to get flowers for me?
Absolutely! I have a few wonderfully talented florists I work with in different parts of Korea and they are here to create a custom bouquet to suit your taste. So, let me know the kinds of flowers, colours, and theme you’re after and I can have them produce a beautiful one-of-a-kind bouquet for you.
How many photos will I get from our shoot?
With the post-proposal session, there is a fixed number of photos included that you’re able to choose. However, for the proposal itself, we don’t limit the number of photos delivered. Every proposal is different and I strive to capture all the moments of that proposal and deliver it in full. So, for the shortest of short proposals, you might see ten or fifteen images delivered, but for an in depth proposal with a lot of moments of interaction, we’ve even delivered 100 images in the past!
What video services do you offer?
We offer two video packages that can be booked in addition to the photography and planning services. The first of these is a simple wide angle view of the whole scene filmed with an action camera. The second is a more cinematic style video filmed by a videographer with a camera to match the feeling of your photos.
