Jeju Island is an absolute paradise for an autumn proposal photoshoot, but it can come with the challenges of the seasonal change. These include unpredictable weather, and the shifting timing of the seasons. In this post, we’ll explore Si Chuan and Lussandra’s big day and everything that went into it.
When we started planning, Si Chuan and I had initially settled on the beautiful silver grass at Saebyeol Oreum as the location for his proposal. But as the summer wrapped up and autumn began, it was clear that the season was late and the brown and silver grass would be much later than usual this time around.
As I do with all of my Jeju trips, though, I’d scouted several additional possible locations to present to clients in case of a scenario like this. I shared several with Si Chuan and he liked the look of The Secret Forest. So, we settled on that as our replacement.
It’s a beautiful park with avenues of all evergreens and a field of grass that is used quite often by local couples for their pre-wedding shoot. It’s one of the great privately owned locations on Jeju where they’re just fine with photoshoots as long as we don’t disrupt the other visitors.
We had a replacement location, which was great. However, we’d soon have one more challenge to overcome with regards to the changing season. As the forecast began to develop for this special day, it was looking more and more likely that it would rain. But we agreed that it was best just to keep the plan and hope for the best. Si Chuan was fine with going ahead as long as it wasn’t a downpour. Those are rare in the autumn, so we were cautiously optimistic. I suggested he buy a clear umbrella from the convenience store so that the light wouldn’t be blocked from their faces if it did rain.
The morning of the shoot, I arrived an hour early and checked the surroundings before opening time, keeping Si Chuan updated the whole time. There was a steady but light drizzle that didn’t look like it would get any worse. I prepared a small plastic bag he could use to keep his knee dry for the big moment and let him know to give me a two-minute head start before following me through the forest to his chosen location. That would give me a moment to get everything just so before they walked into the scene.
I marked the floor with the bag so Si Chuan would know exactly where to stand to make the most of the scene photographically. Then, I pretended to photograph the trees in the opposite direction when I saw them approaching. But, secretly I was watching the reflection in my camera screen so I’d know when they arrived. Then, it was game on!
We enjoyed some almost rain free moments after the proposal and made the most of that time, flitting from place to place. Just as we were starting to warm our session up, the rain got quite a bit heavier. We took the opportunity to make a couple of unique images that had the feeling of the day. As soon as the rain had started, though, it stopped again and we were back to the deep, dark greens we had started with.
As the seasons change in Korea, the weather can become quite unstable. When winter changes to spring or summer to autumn, we often get huge temperature swings and frequent showers. This is especially true on Jeju Island, which finds itself at the confluence of all the different weather systems. This combination, however, is what makes the island so beautiful.
While I had been waiting for the couple to arrive that morning, I’d also been checking the weather for several different areas of the island and had found a couple that looked like they might avoid the rain. So, I pitched the idea of heading across the island to a drier area and the couple agreed. Just like that, we found ourselves driving 90 minutes to the opposite side of the island towards one of it’s greatest tourist traps: Camellia Hill.
Don’t get me wrong, Camellia Hill can be spectacular, especially in the spring and autumn. But, it does have a parking area for dozens of buses and finds itself on just about every first-timer’s itinerary to Jeju Island. So, it can be quite a challenge for photography as the crowds can be immense.
As you can see, though, careful choice of location allowed us to take in every piece of Jeju’s autumn in this single park. We got the evergreen trees, the silver grass, and the pink muhly, all within a half-hour period. The cloudy day also meant that we had soft and flattering light in every direction. It’s hard to ask for more than that!
After a couple of fun frames to wrap up the session, it was time to say goodbye and let the couple enjoy their first moments of engaged life together. A big thanks to Si Chuan for choosing to work with me on this special occasion and and even bigger congratulations to the pair on their engagement.
Looking to have your own proposal during autumn on Jeju Island? Get in touch sooner rather than later! It’s the most popular time of year for us, and slots fill up quickly.