Surprise Proposal at Jane's Carousel in DUMBO, Brooklyn (LGBTQ)
A surprise proposal in New York City requires a little bit of planning, a little bit of secrecy, and a lot of coordination. For this proposal at Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, both partners were visiting New York together, but only one knew that the trip would include a major surprise. He worked with the carousel operator to arrange the moment and created a custom playlist with a specific song marking the exact timing of the proposal. I coordinated with him and the carousel operator ahead of time to make sure everything lined up perfectly, including finding a place to hide before the big reveal. After the proposal, we continued taking photos around Brooklyn Bridge Park and celebrating the engagement, though the newly engaged couple soon found themselves dealing with unexpected calls from their dog-sitter that their dog had gotten into a bit of trouble back home. Balancing a romantic photo session with real-life problems is something every couple can relate to, and my goal was to help keep the mood light while still giving them space to handle what they needed to.
We ended the evening with a toast and a few additional photos at nearby Time Out Market, preserving not just the planned moments, but the funny and unexpected ones that made the night uniquely theirs. Surprise proposals are some of my favorite events to photograph because they combine careful preparation with the unpredictability of real life, and the best images often come from both.
Here are some of my favorite images from this shoot (click/tap to view full size and un-cropped):
To see more examples of this style of photography, visit my couples gallery >>
All images in this blog post were shot on a Nikon D850 using a variety of lenses, and all individually post-processed in Adobe Lightroom using custom-built presets.
Jinnifer Douglass is a full-time freelance photographer based in NYC, shooting for both individuals and brands such as Google, Sotheby’s, Uber, Make Up For Ever, Squarespace, and more! Specializing in portraits, food, and special events, she works to make every piece of your social and website content ‘Insta-worthy’ with high resolution, full-frame DSLR photography and expert Lightroom editing. Interested in chatting? Leave a comment below, or send an email to info@jinyc-photo.com!