The story behind the shoot
Finding the quiet end of the grove
Hi everyone! I'm Gerald, the photographer on this shoot. I wanted to share with you how P and M's proposal came together in one of Kyoto's most visited spots, and why the timing made all the difference. Read on!
What they wanted
P wanted the bamboo grove. She had been thinking about it from the start, and when she mentioned it I was direct with her: Arashiyama works, but the window is narrow. Too early and the light through the bamboo is still dim. Wait too long and the path fills up quickly. We agreed on 7:30am, which meant she had a real chance at a relatively quiet moment. She also knew M was shy, and that was part of the planning too. The more private the setting, the better.
The challenge
Even at 7:30am there were already people in the grove. That is the nature of the location. What works in our favour is that most visitors stop and take photos along the first half of the path and then turn back. The further you push toward the end, the fewer people you find. I briefed P before the day: do not propose at the first good spot you see. Keep moving until you find somewhere with space. She followed that instruction precisely, and it paid off. By the time they reached the section closer to Okochi Sanso, the crowd had thinned enough to make the moment feel private.
How we shot it
I was already in the grove when they arrived, walking slowly and photographing the bamboo. When P found her spot and got down on one knee, I was close enough to be shooting without anyone nearby noticing. M was shy at first, which I had prepared for. My approach with clients who are reserved is to be carefully and deliberately low-key with them. Not drawing attention, not pushing for poses. I made some frames early in the portrait session that were relaxed and unposed, just the two of them moving naturally, and that shifted things. By a few minutes in, M was completely comfortable. If you look at the photos from that session, you cannot tell that she was shy when we started. The light through the bamboo at that hour was exactly what it needed to be.
"Do not propose at the first good spot. Keep moving until you find somewhere with space."
"If you look at the photos from that session, you cannot tell that she was shy when we started."
Thank you so much, Gerald! We are very satisfied with the result! Myrna is in love with every single shoot! Insane your work with the edits! Great! Many, many thanks!
P · Proposal · Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto
Plan your proposal in Kyoto
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