Sometimes, everything just falls into place. That was the case with this sunrise proposal on Jeju Island. The light, the temperatures, the early summer timing. It was all just perfect. While it wasn’t Joseph’s initial idea, it worked out more spectacularly than we could have hoped for.
Joseph had asked me about Hyeopjae Beach and how that might be as a location. One of Jessica’s favourite groups had recorded a music video there and it seemed like it might be the perfect venue for such a special moment. It’s a lovely spot, but the beach right next to it, Geumneung Beach is usually much quieter, especially in summer. I offered to quickly scout both and see how they were looking this year.
When I arrived at the beach town, the parking was full, the streets were full of parked cars, there wasn’t a spare inch of sand left, and there was a queue of dozens of cars waiting for parking. We quickly decided against that as a proposal location!
So, back to the drawing board. Joseph spent a little time looking over my proposal and Year in Review blogs and came back with a new decision, he’d like to be able to see Seongsan Sunrise Peak in the photos. I offered up a couple of different locations that you can see here and here. He liked the look of Seopjikoji, so we planned for that.
Joseph wanted pretty light and a morning shoot, which left us with summer sunrise times as our final hurdle. He’d need to get Jessica up and ensure she was happy to be out and about by 5:30am. He was sure he could pull that off, so we had a final plan. As the last step in my pre-shoot service, I stopped by Seopjikoji to prepare a step-by-step guide for him so he could arrive right on time and have nothing to think of except this life-changing moment.
On the morning of, I arrived at 4:45am to the peaceful sound of the ocean lapping at the volcanic shore and the first hint of light illuminating the sky. We had a narrow band of cloud on the horizon that would block the first rays of sun, but it was clear above that. It was going to be a cloudless sky and strong light for us that morning. I touched base with Joseph to ensure everything was good to go and got myself in position to wait for the couple’s arrival.
As they moved into the scene, I took up my cameras and began to photograph every moment. Between the surprise, the laughter, and even a couple of tears, Joseph made his proposal in the dawn light and then introduced me. It turned out that Jessica had actually been worried that they’d stopped in the middle of my photo of the scene, which caused a little bit of extra laughter as well!
I gave them a few minutes to soak in the moment and make their calls back home to announce what had happened before we launched into our post-proposal session. I really wanted to make the most of the strong light that we don’t get too often, so we moved quickly and used it as side light, front light, and back light to create a variety that is often elusive here in Korea!
In Korea, especially in summer, the light goes from zero to one hundred in an instant. As you can see from the images above, which were photographed just a couple of minutes apart, we go from soft illumination to direct, harsh sun in no time. Thankfully, Joseph had heeded my guide and arrived perfectly on time to make use of the best of the day’s light. We skipped around a couple of different micro locations nearby to really take advantage of the beautiful morning light, al the while jumping between my ideas and some little Korea-isms that they knew and loved. As the day started to really warm up and the light got harsh, we wrapped up and parted ways to have our respective breakfasts! Of course, as part of my service, I copied the files over and immediately shared a few images for them to make their announcements with while I sipped my morning coffee.
Looking to have your own proposal photographed on Jeju Island (or anywhere else in Korea)? Please reach out and start the conversation! I’d love to hear from you.
What I love about this Session
- Fun, willing couple. Like most regular humans, Joseph and Jessica were not used to being in someone else’s photographs and they let me know. But, they were open to direction, willing to try everything, and brought their own ideas to the table, which made for a session unique to them.
- Sunrise light and stillness. Once the sun crests the sea haze on Jeju, there is nothing standing between you and it on a clear day. It’s harsh, unforgiving, and contrasty. It suits a certain type of image and is rare enough that it’s exciting to work with.
- Summer greens. Summer is a green season in Korea. The deep greens of early summer are on display here.