Jonah & Annabelle Surprise Proposal They're engaged! Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

There is something special about getting married on the Oregon Coast and after coming out of Covid, everyone seems to be making their big plans for the future. I’ve never had so many weddings to shoot! I’ve also had several surprise proposals. Most recently, Jonah made plans to propose to his darling Anabelle on a family trip to Newport. He wasn't sure where he wanted to pop the question so I suggested the Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It is an incredible spot and definitely one of my favorite locations for portraits. Jonah and Annabelle journey'd to the lighthouse with some other family for some "sight seeing." Meanwhile, I meandered nearby, pretending to be a tourist, until I could tell he was ready to make his move. With so many people around I wasn’t noticeable and was able to capture his proposal in real-time with neither Annabelle nor the family being any the wiser until well after she had said "Yes!". It was a great success and her genuine surprise was skillfully captured in those perfect moments.  Jonah & Annabelle Surprise Proposal at Yaquina Head LighthouseShe said yes! Going for it!Elopement Going for it!Elopement Surprise Proposal She's so surprised! Surprise Proposal She's so surprised!

Big Creek Reservoir is in Newport, just a few miles inland. It’s a small reservoir surrounded by beautiful spruce trees. In the summer it’s stocked with trout and can be a quick and easy escape from the wind and fog. 

But this was fall, and it rained. 

We carried on. 

For this shoot I used my Nikon D600, 28-300mm lens. Most of the shots are natural light, for some I used my SB 910 speed light on camera with a diffuser.