Shane & Riley’s surprise engagement session has got to be one of the most exciting surprise proposals I have done to date. I have photographed numerous surprise proposals before, sometimes having pretending that I’m a tourist, or a flower enthusiast, or an avid bird photographer. On this particular day I got to pretend to be a sailboat’s captain-in-training. Shane contacted me a month before his planned surprise proposal in Newport, RI aboard the Starlight, a private charter boat with Sightsailing of Newport. When the day came, I wore a Sightsailing t-shirt, hid my cameras in the cabin and discreetly covered it with a hat. Riley and Shane, who flew in from Minnesota, introduced themselves to me and to the actual captain. I nervously shook her hand and told her that I’m just here to train. A half hour into the sail, Shane and Riley strolled up to the boat’s bow. Shane looked at me to give the greenlight, and he knelt and proposed to an unsuspecting Riley. Everything went exactly according to plan. Their proposal was captured and was then followed by a golden sunset and a windswept engagement session. And, at last, the camera could finally come out of the hat. Congratulations, Shane & Riley!
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