When my phone rang, the conversation started off like any other client consultation. Seth reach out to me, looking for information about photographing an upcoming proposal. He had two solid ideas in mind and you could tell that he was excited and perhaps a touch nervous for this event. After answering some of his questions and asking a few of my own, I sent Seth a few galleries from other proposals I shot, one of which was a downtown Birmingham proposal. He loved it and thought it would work perfectly with his plans. He and Erin had plans for an anniversary dinner, celebrating five years together at Madam in the Daxton Hotel. After a short walk from the restaurant, Seth would lead Erin to a private and picturesque spot for a downtown Birmingham proposal.
As Seth and I walked the through downtown, we found ourselves sitting on the steps where he would later propose to Erin. We walked through the proposal, where to stand, where I would be hiding and initially shooting from, and confirmed all the details of the event. As we were about to wrap up, I asked Seth for a photo of him and Erin so I knew who I should be looking for. He opened up his phone, scrolled through his camera roll for a few, and settled on a photo to share. As I looked closely at the photo, I began to smile and laugh. “Oh my God, I know your girlfriend! Erin B…right? I taught her in high school! She is such a sweetheart! Congratulations.” Naturally, I was excited for Seth and his downtown Birmingham proposal, but knowing that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with someone so special, I was genuine happy and supportive for him. Now I was excited for the proposal!
Their downtown Birmingham proposal was perfect. I arrived early to settle in, check my camera settings, and calm my nerves. It was a perfect night; 70ish degrees and the golden hour upon us (I sound like a real Michigander mentioning the weather, I know). As I saw Seth and Erin rounding the corner, all I had to do was wait for their beautiful moment to unfold.