Proposal shoots might be one of the trickiest things we do as photographers. The element of surprise can easily be compromised by the presence of a big camera, and it’s not an easy thing to keep unnoticed. So how do we make these shoots work? We have a few strategies. A decoy model placed strategically nearby the couple. A hidden Adam near the planned proposal location. But on this lovely September day, we had a new challenge – to take photos of a proposal on a sea plane. After some collaboration with the Isle Royale Seaplanes crew we “happened” to join Hayden and Kaitlin on their flight under the guise of a last minute promo for fall color tours. Although Kaitlin had a feeling something was up when she heard Brockit was getting on her plane, Amy’s acting skills at check-in sold our cover story and saved us from suspicion. So we took off, and as we feigned taking photos of the trees – and as Adam awkwardly and suspiciously took photos of the couple in the back – we waited for our cue. Pilot Tomas and Adam switched to a private radio channel to plan the route and the timing, and to pick an unscripted spot to land for a chance to get some non-flight engagement photos. Hayden proposed and we landed by the lighthouse on the Keweenaw waterway for some romantic photos before we finished the color tour. And the plane only floated away once…

Thank you to Isle Royale Seaplanes for making this magic happen, and best wishes to Hayden and Kaitlin. See you two soon 😉