Staged Proposal Shoot on Manhattan Beach at Dusk

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the picturesque Manhattan Beach in South Brooklyn, I had the privilege of capturing a unique and heartwarming moment for Joe and his fiancée.
The scene was set for a staged sunset proposal shoot; as the actual proposal had already taken place elsewhere earlier in the day.
We started out with some photos of the happy couple strolling on the beach together while a carefully crafted backdrop was being set up by close family members nearby. And while this proposal may have been ‘fake’, the emotions and happiness were definitely genuine as they popped champagne and celebrated the beginning of this new chapter of their lives.

Here are some of my favorite images from this shoot (click/tap to view full size and un-cropped):

To see more examples of this style of photography, visit my couples gallery >>

All images in this blog post were shot on a Nikon D850 using a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, and all individually post-processed in Adobe Lightroom using custom-built presets.


Jinnifer Douglass is a full-time freelance photographer based in NYC, shooting for both individuals and brands such as Google, Sotheby’s, Uber, Make Up For Ever, Squarespace, and more! Specializing in portraits, food, and special events, she works to make every piece of your social and website content ‘Insta-worthy’ with high resolution, full-frame DSLR photography and expert Lightroom editing. Interested in chatting? Leave a comment below, or send an email to hello@jinyc-photo.com!