Secret Proposal - Vila Joya, Albufeira - Algarve

At the beginning of June we were contacted by Seamus if we could possibly shoot a secret engagement & proposal. The only stipulation is that we had to be hidden or that Seamus's partner Laura didn't know that photos were being taken. Challenge excepted!!

Seamus & Laura both live in Boston MA, USA and they have been dating for over five years. Seamus starting planning the proposal well in advance of the big date and researched a list of ideas he had. He narrowed it down to beach locations and as Laura loves the beach and warm weather it seemed fitting.

Seamus researched a list of top restaurants and resorts in the area and Vila Joya in Albufeira came to the top of the list. Seamus contacted Vila Joya with his ideas for the proposal and the staff at Vila Joya suggested a concealed location on a cliff looking out onto their beach. They would also help to prepare the location using blankets, fresh flowers, chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne.

The all important ring for the proposal was Laura's grandmothers engagement ring that was gifted to them by her on a recent visit.

To keep the proposal secret right up to the big day Seamus invented a story that his brother had contacted him with a restaurant recommendation and it was the great two Michelin Star restaurant at Vila Joya. Seamus told Laura that he managed to get a last minute booking on the day and that it was at 7pm. Separately Seamus worked with the restaurant to arrange a decoy on their arrival. They had somebody meet the couple at reception and take them to the beach bar for a drink as "dinner was not ready"

As they walked towards the cliff Laura didn't suspect a thing until at the last minute she saw the beautiful cliff top setting.

This is where Phaze Photography came in and started secretly capturing the proposal. As it was a cliff top location we decided to shoot from a nearby cliff top. We ended up around 100 meters away from the couple but with a powerful 400mm Sony G lens and the Sony A7Rii this didn't cause us any problems. The problem was how to secretly shoot from an exposed cliff top without looking like we were shooting the couple.

The solution? Team Phaze family to action. Using our little girl we made it look like we were doing a family photo shoot from the top of the cliff. It worked a treat and only after the proposal when Seamus pointed us out did Laura realise that we had been capturing the whole event. From there it was to some posed shots at

the cliff top and then onto the beautiful beach.

It was a beautiful photo shoot and the images below are just a few of the many we captured that evening.