London Engagement shoot | Leslie + Aaron (surprise proposal!)
Engagement shoots are always lots of fun – I get more time with the couple than I do on a busy wedding day, and they are relaxed and happy and easy to work with.
So it was with Aaron and Leslie’s shoot, which we did at various locations around London just before New Year. Aaron and Leslie are from Dallas, Texas, and came over to London for a visit over the New Year period.
Aaron had emailed me to set up a shoot with Leslie, explaining that he planned to propose to her and it would be great to have the special moment documented. I agreed – but advised him not to make it a total surprise but to let Leslie know that they were going to have a photo session! That way she would be able to get hair and makeup sorted before the photo shoot.
I met Leslie and Aaron at the apartment they were renting near to Covent Garden. We headed over to Covent Garden itself, and did a few “warm-up” pictures in the Piazza.
Proposal photos at Somerset House
Then we walked down to the Strand, to Somerset House. I had planned to do some photos in the grand courtyard of Somerset House, but most of the space was taken up with a giant skating rink, and it was very busy. So we walked through the building out on to the terrace overlooking the Thames… and Aaron proposed!
And of course Leslie said yes!
After this happy moment we walked along the Embankment to Temple tube station and caught a train to Tower Hill.
Our first stop was the walkway between Tower Bridge and St. Katharine’s Dock, to get the iconic shot of the “Girl with a Dolphin” statue with Tower Bridge in the background. I also took a couple of shots using the red lights of one of the food stalls as an out of focus background.
At this point the daylight was fading and the city lights were coming on, as “blue hour” approached. So we walked across the bridge (threading our way through lots and lots of tourists!) to the park area on the south side of the Bridge, by City Hall.
Night-time photos
After taking some shots with the Tower of London and the City as a backdrop, we completed our shoot with a walk along Shad Thames and some final night-time pictures.
Many congratulations to Aaron and Leslie, and thank you for being such patient and willing subjects! It was a real pleasure working with you!
London Engagement shoot | Leslie + Aaron (surprise proposal!)
If you’ve recently got engaged (or are planning a surprise proposal) please do get in touch if you’d like to know more about having a photo session like Aaron and Leslie’s.
