When Will first contacted me from Hong Kong, he already had a plan…

A Location That Meant Something

His girlfriend Mimi was a big fan of the K-drama My Love from the Stars, and Petite France had become one of those places she wanted to see while visiting Korea. So rather than invent some random “romantic” setting, Will did the smart thing and chose a place that already meant something to her.

That part was good.

The Reality of Shooting Petite France

The tricky part was that Petite France, like a lot of places people see online or in dramas, is a lot easier to imagine shooting in than it is to actually shoot in. (It helps when you’ve got a 200-person crew and a few million dollars behind the camera.)

That’s not a knock on Will. Clients do this all the time. They picture a location emotionally first and photographically second. Which makes total sense. They’re imagining the feeling of the place, not thinking about crowd flow, sun direction, clutter, elevation, background depth, weird statues, bushes swallowing kneeling men, or the fact that a “perfect” viewpoint in real life can photograph like absolute garbage.

Petite France is a bit like that.

From a distance, it has charm. Colourful buildings, a European village feel, and enough personality to make people think they’ve landed in a K-drama set. Up close, though, it can also feel a little fake, overcooked, and oddly cluttered in the way tourist attractions often do. There are cute angles. There are also a surprising number of bad ones.

Reworking the Plan

Will had originally picked a lower area near a statue. On paper I understood the logic. In practice, it was not ideal. Too low, too messy, not enough depth, too many distractions, and too much stuff competing with the actual proposal. One of the hardest things for clients to see is that what feels “iconic” in person often doesn’t translate once a camera gets involved.

So I pushed him higher.

I looked over his reference images, then went out and scouted the location properly. The better choice was up on the steps, where the lines were cleaner, the background opened up, and the whole frame had more shape and depth. There was also a nice bit of symbolism there in literally taking the next step, which I couldn’t resist mentioning to him at the time.

Of course, that still wasn’t the end of it.

Timing, Light, and Logistics

By the day of the proposal, we were already juggling shuttle schedules, closing times, and the fact that Petite France sits in the mountains, where the sun disappears earlier than people expect. That’s another classic trap. Sunset time on your weather app is one thing. What actually happens when the sun drops behind a mountain ridge is another.

Then there were the crowds.

Going on a Monday helped, but tourist spots are tourist spots. People were still wandering through, drifting into frames, doing what tourists do. Which, to be fair, also made it easier for me to blend in. I told Will I’d pose as a tourist, and the busier it was, the easier that became.

Details That Matter

On the morning of the shoot, things got more interesting.

Will had arranged for flowers as part of the proposal, and those were done by my wife Hyunmi at Petal Palette. He wanted pink and red roses because those were Mimi’s favourite colours. The bouquet looked great, and we worked out a small strategy around it too. If Mimi held the flowers in the right hand, they wouldn’t block the ring or the important angles once he got down on one knee. Romantic? Yes. Also practical.

Will’s proposal plan itself was solid. He was going to get Mimi to close her eyes and listen to a recording he’d made on his phone. While she listened, he’d grab the flowers, get into position, and be ready when she opened them. Then a few words, and the question.

Simple. Thoughtful. Just enough moving parts to keep things interesting.

Final Adjustments on the Day

When I arrived and did my final scout, I realized we had to move the spot again.

The place we had discussed was close, but not quite right. If Will proposed there, the bushes were going to eat him alive the second he kneeled. So I texted him and moved the proposal two landings higher, to where the washroom sign was. Not the most romantic landmark, but the best shooting position.

That’s the part I always find funny about this job.

People imagine these moments as effortless and cinematic. In reality, they’re usually held together by timing, text messages, light checks, crowd management, and someone quietly saying, “Not there. Two landings up. Trust me.”

The Moment

To Will’s credit, he handled all of it perfectly. Calm, flexible, and very trusting.

And Mimi really had no idea.

Later, Will wrote:

“Yes she really had no idea, I kept it stealth all the way… Although we always discussed about marriage, having kids, and talking about other friends getting married etc, she really didn’t know when and how until that day. But yes it went very well, it didn’t go all to our plan but we coped and adjusted to the changing environment. I’m very happy and I know she is too!”

What This Comes Down To

That line says a lot.

It didn’t go exactly to plan.
We coped.
We adjusted.

That’s basically the job.

Because the reality is, something always changes. The light shifts. The location isn’t what you expected. The background needs work. The crowd shows up. The “perfect” spot isn’t actually perfect.

So you pivot.

That’s the difference.

In the end, we got the shot. More importantly, we got the moment.

And Will followed up with this:

“The photos are fantastic, you’re a truly talented photographer and I would definitely recommend you.”

Which is always good to hear.

So thank you, Will and Mimi, for trusting me with Proposal 006.

If you’re planning something similar and want it to feel right in both the moment and the photos, you can get in touch with me here.