We've all been there before - making meticulous plans, double checking setups and equipment weeks ahead of time, only to have to deal with an unexpected curveball at the last minute. And that's exactly what happened to me yesterday morning.

And what does this photo have to do with anything? Well...

Let's recap a little bit to start with.

A month ago, a buddy of mine told me he was planning to propose to his girlfriend, and asked if I would be kind enough to capture the moment for him. Obviously, I had to say yes, because it's something unique to shoot. And...you know... because I'm not an asshole.

The plan was to propose during a walk in one of their favourite nature reserves on their anniversary weekend. Sounds simple right? Well, nearly.

Obviously, if his girlfriend saw me standing around with a camera, she would know something was up. Therefore, we visited the location about 2 weeks ago to scout out a potential hiding spot, which was actually pretty easy. The nature reserve is part of a huge gorge that runs across many miles just outside of our city, which gave good potential for hiding places. Eventually, we found a great viewpoint that would make for a scenic proposal, as well as giving me the opportunity to remain hidden in some trees on the other side of the gorge.

The view from the proposal site. I would be in the treeline on the other side of the hill

A quick look at Google Maps revealed that I would be standing 175 metres away from the proposal location. Sounds like a job for a big lens.

Luckily, I have just the thing - a Sigma 150 - 500 zoom lens

The date was set, the location finalized, the ring was bought, speech rehearsed - you name it, it was all done. All that had to take place now was the actual proposal.

And this is where it took a slight turn

I woke up on the morning of the planned proposal and looked out my window. You guessed it - after weeks of sunshine, Mother Nature had decided to bring down some heavy rain instead. Since I live over 40km away from the proposal site, I phoned my buddy (who lives a mere mile away from the site) to ask what the plan was. Essentially, it was too late to change any plans. So I jumped in my car and rushed to get in position.

A mere two hours later, I saw two figures walking down the hill towards the proposal location. I had been in my hiding spot for a good half hour already, and was soaked to the bone - how my 6D didn't get damaged, I don't know. Also, I don't know how my mate convinced his girlfriend to go for a walk in a torrential downpour.

Within a matter of seconds, it was over. The knee was dropped, a ring pulled, and a few tears. From my hiding spot 175 metres away, I had managed to focus on the rocky outcrop, and was just holding my shutter down, hoping to get a good photo through the mist and rain. And, I managed to luckily get a few.

Just like that, the proposal was complete. The newly engaged couple came back to meet me on a very wet and muddy path (by this time, the girlfriend had been informed I was hiding nearby), and we all headed to a local restaurant to warm up a bit.

A challenging photoshoot? You bet. But I'm happy to have been involved in capturing this moment in time.

Equipment Setup

Camera	Canon 6D
Lens	Sigma 150 - 500mm
Processing	Lightroom CC
Location	Kloof, South Africa