Proposal Photography at Lake Minnewaska in Ulster County

I am happy to say it’s always exciting when a new photography lead comes in. It could be for wedding photography, party or portrait photography. It may be real estate photography or really, any subject at all. As your event photographer I’m an insider. I know what’s going to happen before most of the guests and sometimes have a role in directing the activity.

When photographing a real estate listing for sale or rental, I’ve sometimes also been hired to assist in assessing or staging the property. With trained eyes and experience, I bring a lot to the table.

Birthdays and anniversaries can be exciting especially when the guests of honor are surrounded by multiple generations all clamoring to celebrate as one.

But, I also truly enjoy photographing proposals. These are the ultimate in insider photography. Like an embedded journalist, I know most of what’s going to happen before just about anyone else.

This was the case on a recent visit to Lake Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Nick reached out by text, as many do these days, asking if I photographed proposals. “Yes,” of course. He wanted to know if I could make a certain date at Lake Minnewaska. It was available, so we were off and running.

Photographing the moment someone asks for another’s hand in marriage isn’t like anything else – at least not when it comes to scheduling. As a proposal photographer, I need to be in position ahead of the couple. I need to blend in with the scenery with a big ol’ camera so nobody suspects anything is about to happen.

Fortunately, I am as comfortable with a Nikon in hand as with the fresh mug of coffee I’m enjoying as I write this.

Naturally I need to know who to look for, and have an idea of what the desired backdrop should be. These things are all shared or discussed ahead of time.

People pick their places and their moments carefully. Scenic overlooks, favorite restaurants, future wedding sites. I think few people carry those expensive rings in fancy little boxes around for longer than necessary waiting for the right moment to present itself. .

From my experience, though the asking has been planned in advance – and the answer has never been other than the affirmative, the person being asked has never appeared to feel the event was anything less than spontaneous!

“Well done!” I say to all those who have done the asking this year.

I love listening to the stories, the inside moments shared during the asking, the afterglow…

For Nick and Casey (and their beautiful pooch), I had to hike to the agreed upon spot that neither he or I could identify well ahead of the day we would meet, and we only have one chance to get that proposal shot right. The hike was more of a walk, to be fair. It would have been a stroll had I not overshot my target location and needed to hustle back. Fortunately I always build enough extra time in to allow for missteps.

A proposal, a wedding, a reunion or any other photo session is for me a production worthy of planning. Sort of the way a film crew prepares for the days’ filming.

That is the different between having ‘uncle Joe’ capture your big day and hiring a professional.

When I deliver your photos, I want to hear from you what I did from Nick:

“Just wanted to say the photos came out incredible!! Thank you so much for your time and skills!”

Thanks for reading,

Jonathan Ment

You can find, follow and like Jonathan Ment Photography on Facebook and at www.catskillsphotographer.com