The story behind the shoot
A quiet garden, soft light, water in the frame
Hi everyone! I'm Gerald, the photographer on this shoot. I wanted to share with you how H and Y's proposal came together, from his initial ideas for the photoshoot to the final photos we achieved. Read on!
What they wanted
H came with a clear picture in his head: a quiet garden, soft morning light, water in the frame, no crowds. He only had two days in Tokyo, so there was no backup date. After talking through the options he chose Rikugien over Shinjuku Gyoen for the privacy, and settled on the Chidori Bridge. His plan was to guide Y to the center of the bridge, pretend to take a photo of her from behind, then get down on one knee. He wanted the whole sequence covered: the approach, the kneel, the speech, the ring, the reaction. He also came with a few reference shots on his phone. Specific frames he and Y had liked, and he wanted to work those into the portrait session after.
The challenge
H was prepared. He had specific ideas about what he wanted, and he trusted our recommendations. But that trust was not a blank cheque. He was not looking for a generic plan that would work for anyone. He wanted recommendations that matched what he knew about Y, about the location, and about what would actually work for the two of them. That meant we had to listen carefully before suggesting anything. May mornings at Rikugien bring strong sunlight. Not harsh, but strong enough that positioning matters. The garden has enough variation in shade and half-shade that you can work well with that light if you know exactly where to place people and when. The job was matching H's specifics to what the location could actually deliver.
How we shot it
I was already on the bridge when they came through. At that hour there are always a few photographers around, so nobody notices one more. When H moved Y to the center and started his speech, I was already shooting. Wide frames first to get the bridge and the pond reflection, then closing in. He had a lot to say to her. That gave Y time to move through the whole range. She smiled. She laughed. She covered her mouth with her hand. She cried. Each of those was a frame. After the yes we moved into the portrait session. They were comfortable with each other from the start, which makes the work easier. I always tell couples: "Don't worry about being comfortable with me or the camera. Just be comfortable with each other. We are not taking photos of you. We are taking photos about you." H and Y understood that immediately, and the rest of the session followed from there.
"We are not taking photos of you. We are taking photos about you."
"He had a lot to say to her. That gave her time to move through the whole range."
Gerald was great. He was prompt at responding prior to the shoot, was able to adapt the shoot to what we wanted, and even let us go a couple of minutes extra for the day of the shoot. Awesome experience throughout, highly recommend both Gerald and Photomytokyo!
H · Proposal · Rikugien Gardens, Tokyo
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