# I caught it! The moment, that is...



## crimbfighter (Apr 8, 2013)

It's much harder than one would think to work the ML-L3 and propose all at the same time... 

P.S. She said yes!







And once the full on ugly cry had subsided.. My personal favorite.


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## PropilotBW (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats.


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## frommrstomommy (Apr 8, 2013)

congrats! lovely background. you are a bit red in two though.


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## Photographiend (Apr 8, 2013)

Wow... she has gorgeous legs. 'Grats on the engagement. :love: Nice shots.


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## sm4him (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats!!

Are you that tall? Or is she that short? 
My youngest son is 6'8"; his girlfriend is *maybe* 5'1". At least ya'll don't look like you're quite THAT far apart in height.


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## ronlane (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats.


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## JenR (Apr 8, 2013)

Congratulations!


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## Mully (Apr 8, 2013)

Congratulations to you both!​


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## 480sparky (Apr 8, 2013)

So.... what line of baloney did you give her when you set all your gear up?

C'mon..... we want the FULL story now!


Oh, and not only congrats, but excellent captures as well!


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## Fairdale (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats and what two lovely photos to remember the day


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## bunny99123 (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats and beautiful photos.


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## MiFleur (Apr 8, 2013)

Wow! such a nice moment to share, thanks!
real life story, this will certainly be an unforgettable moment!
Nice shots, beautiful smile, lovely sunset colors.


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## crimbfighter (Apr 8, 2013)

Thanks eveyone!



sm4him said:


> Congrats!!
> 
> Are you that tall? Or is she that short?
> My youngest son is 6'8"; his girlfriend is *maybe* 5'1". At least ya'll don't look like you're quite THAT far apart in height.



Both, actually! I'm 6'5, she's 5'4ish.. Sounds like your son has me on the height disparity, though!



480sparky said:


> So.... what line of baloney did you give her when you set all your gear up?
> 
> C'mon..... we want the FULL story now!



Ok, ok. So first, I waited until the last full day of our trip to the Dominican Republic. That way she had already dismissed any notion that I was going to propose. She had no idea I had even bought a ring. Since we shared the safe in the room, I had to keep the ring in the last place I knew she would look, in the camera bag.. buried under the 50mm.. I had also been spending the week, planting the seed that I wanted to take her out onto the beach for a sunrise "bikini photo shoot", because the lighting would be the best, and there wouldn't be anyone else on the beach that early. I also went out alone at dawn two days before, so I could "get some shots of the sunrise" as I told her. What I was actually doing was scoping out the location.

So, the morning of, I woke up before dawn, and checked the skies, "yes, it's clear!" I said as I peered through the balcony doors. I ever so gently woke my bride to be, telling her, "hurry, hurry, the light's about to be perfect!" So, I lead my sleeping beauty to the waters edge, still yawning and shuffling her feet. While I was setting up my tripod, she just stared off into the ocean, unaware she was about to be asked the most important question she has heard cross these lips since, "did you remember to take your birth control?" 

Now, this is where my past tendencies have all come to together. Every time we go somewhere, she want's a photo of the two of us, but because she knows I don't trust anyone to hold my camera, it's not unusual for me to set up my tripod and use her to get composition, focus, and exposure right before stepping into the frame to snap the photo. So after I employed a moment of distraction to slip the ring into my pocket, I casually strolled into the frame. She only knew something was amiss when she felt the tremors in my body. 

Once I was certain the moment was perfect, I held her close, and pulled the box from my pocket and said, "I have a very important question to ask." With the sun rising at our backs, I heard a faint gasp, followed by a stuttered bit of disbelief, "wha.. what?" As her eyes welled with tears, I fell to one knee. I looked up at her, only able to utter her name, "Kate." It was at this point that my mind went completely blank, and I forgot to actually ask the question... But never the less, she got the idea. "Yes!" she exclaimed, with no further delay.

So, that's the story of how I asked her to marry me without actually asking her to marry me..


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## jwbryson1 (Apr 8, 2013)

480sparky said:


> So.... what line of baloney did you give her when you set all your gear up?
> 
> C'mon..... we want the FULL story now!
> 
> ...




^^^^  This.  How did you explain the lens / tripod / gear setup?  Let's have it!


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## ratssass (Apr 8, 2013)

....pretty smooth,dude.congrats to both of you!!


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## WhiteBalance (Apr 8, 2013)

crimbfighter said:


> Thanks eveyone!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Congrats!... I must admit tho that i found it a little cheesy at 1st that you had a remote in your hand snapping pic as you proposed.  Not giving the moment the attention it deserved.  BUT after reading the whole story I see that you went above and beyond what 90% of men do and I salute you sir.   Not only did you get a fiancé, and cool story... You got pics to prove it.


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## YvetteC (Apr 8, 2013)

Beautiful photos and story! Congrats!


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## JacaRanda (Apr 8, 2013)

Special.  Congratulations!  You captured it all right.


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## Rgollar (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats that is a awesome story to be able to tell and show.


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## snowbear (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrat's.  Thumbs up all around!   :thumbup:


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## Derrel (Apr 8, 2013)

Nicely done, on ALL counts dude!!! GREAT sunrise background! Really nice!


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## oldhippy (Apr 8, 2013)

Best of everything to you both. love the whole idea. And I'm going to be in DR in 20 days. What beach is that. it sure is beautiful.Thanks 


We are going Bayahibe Beach for the day


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## runnah (Apr 8, 2013)

crimbfighter said:


> I wanted to take her out onto the beach for a sunrise "bikini photo shoot."



...those must be in another thread?


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## crimbfighter (Apr 8, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the compliments and well wishes!



oldhippy said:


> Best of everything to you both. love the whole idea. And I'm going to be in DR in 20 days. What beach is that. it sure is beautiful.Thanks
> 
> 
> We are going Bayahibe Beach for the day



Thankyou! I'm not sure of the name of the beach, but the resort was along the Atlantic side of the island. It was beautiful every day! Enjoy your trip!



runnah said:


> crimbfighter said:
> 
> 
> > I wanted to take her out onto the beach for a sunrise "bikini photo shoot."
> ...



Haha, no. But, I did kept to my word, and did the shoot afterward. Even though she had to sit down periodically to keep from passing out.. Taken with my Tokina 11-16







She was photobombing everything with her ring afterword.. 






And here's one where I got caught running the remote. This was right when she started to put two and two together. I was gonna Photoshop my hand out, but then decided it adds character..


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## runnah (Apr 8, 2013)

...and this thread delivers!

Gorgeous btw.


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## shefjr (Apr 8, 2013)

That's really cool! Congratulations!!!


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## CherylL (Apr 8, 2013)

Congrats & awesome story.  Wonderful capture of the moment too.


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## duhast (Apr 8, 2013)

It's actually a pretty interesting shot, you out-Henri Cartier-Bresson-ed  Henri Cartier-Bresson  by capturing the 'Decisive Moment' without even being behind the camera.
[h=3][/h]Well played, Sir, well played...


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## mishele (Apr 8, 2013)

:heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart:
Congrats to you and your beautiful lady!!


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## michael9000000 (Apr 8, 2013)

crimbfighter said:


> Thanks eveyone!
> 
> Both, actually! I'm 6'5, she's 5'4ish.. Sounds like your son has me on the height disparity, though!
> 
> ...



Man, that's a fantastic story!  Congratulations, and I hope the honeymoon lasts forever for the both of you!

Nice photos, by the way...


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## Granddad (Apr 9, 2013)

Having read your story and seen the shot of her in the bikini my question is, what took you so long? ... Don't plan on a long engagement, get that lady under contract A.S.A.P!


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## Sue5606 (Apr 9, 2013)

Love this. I love how much thought you put into this, the beauty of the location and that you will have these beautiful pics to remember it by. I think you should use this for the Save The Date cards!


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## jwbryson1 (Apr 9, 2013)

Very cool...


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## crimbfighter (Apr 9, 2013)

Thanks again, everyone! I'm just glad I could give her an engagement story she'll be proud to tell for years to come. A month or so before we left, I remember seeing one of the silliest proposals I've ever witnessed, and had a conversation with myself. First, I said, "I can do better than that" followed by, "challenge accepted.."



Granddad said:


> Don't plan on a long engagement, get that lady under contract A.S.A.P!



Drawing up the terms as we speak!



Sue5606 said:


> I think you should use this for the Save The Date cards!



It's funny you mention that. Those were some of the first words out of her mouth when she saw the photos! I Think it might end up as the cover photo that we put up at the entrance to the wedding.


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## crimbfighter (Apr 9, 2013)

On a more technical notw, these were actually some of the most challenging photos I've edited. There was so little contrast due to the lighting conditions, and there were so many conflicting colors that caused really tough color casts over everything. I actually had to create two separate edits, one for the background, and one for us, then use a layer mask to bring the two together. That was the proposal ones, anyway. The rest of the photos were much easier.


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## pgriz (Apr 9, 2013)

Just remember, masking doesn't work when married.  

Excellent images, and even better story.


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## gregtallica (Apr 9, 2013)

Awesome photos, killer story. Congrats


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## HL45 (Apr 9, 2013)

Great story and pics! Congrats!


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## kundalini (Apr 9, 2013)

Congratz.  You were way more prepared to capture the moment than I was just a couple of weeks ago.  Best wishes.


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## manaheim (Apr 9, 2013)

Wow. I feel inferior. Lol


Awesome story, beautiful pictures, amazing sky... Congrats!!!!


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## DarkShadow (Apr 9, 2013)

Congrats! I think the photos are great and very pleasing to the eye and perfect for the moment. Doesn't get much better then that.


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## BrandonLaw (Apr 9, 2013)

That was epic!! Congratulations to both of you and kudos on the great shots!


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## LinusM (Apr 9, 2013)

Great idea to capture the moment yourself - think I would have briefed someone else to get the frames.  There again you could be sure of the decisive moment I suppose working on the remote!
Great setting & congrats!


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## pgriz (Apr 9, 2013)

You know, by raising the bar THIS high, you're going to make it difficult for the next guy who tries to propose.  "Oh, so where's my beach?  And the sunrise?  And how come your pictures look nowhere as good as "crimbfighter"'s.  And the weeklong vacation where I could get my tan on?  And where are the gorgeous clouds?"  Oh yes.  The bar is high.


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## crimbfighter (Apr 9, 2013)

pgriz said:


> You know, by raising the bar THIS high, you're going to make it difficult for the next guy who tries to propose.  "Oh, so where's my beach?  And the sunrise?  And how come your pictures look nowhere as good as "crimbfighter"'s.  And the weeklong vacation where I could get my tan on?  And where are the gorgeous clouds?"  Oh yes.  The bar is high.



I think I sorta screwed myself on this one, actually. What's she going to be expecting for the next big thing?!?! I'm not sure I can top it


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## pgriz (Apr 9, 2013)

crimbfighter said:


> pgriz said:
> 
> 
> > You know, by raising the bar THIS high, you're going to make it difficult for the next guy who tries to propose.  "Oh, so where's my beach?  And the sunrise?  And how come your pictures look nowhere as good as "crimbfighter"'s.  And the weeklong vacation where I could get my tan on?  And where are the gorgeous clouds?"  Oh yes.  The bar is high.
> ...



Oh come on!  If you can conjure up that magnificent sunrise and location for a proposal, you'll probably be able to book the spirit of Elvis to croon at your wedding.  Not to mention the gold carriage drawn by silver unicorns and an honor guard of elfs.  That is awesome power you have - use it wisely.


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## crimbfighter (Apr 9, 2013)

pgriz said:


> crimbfighter said:
> 
> 
> > pgriz said:
> ...



*scribble*scribble*scribble* Don't mind me, I'm just writing those ideas down.


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