My alarm goes off at 6:00 am, a time I rarely ever see. I’m not a morning person but today is different because I get to photograph Danny’s Austin proposal on Town Lake (Lady Bird Lake). I crouch on a nearby dock about 6 feet away and pretend to be photographing kayakers, the sunrise, crew team practice.. anything to look busy because my clients will arrive in about 15 minutes.
Minutes tick by, the sun starts to climb higher, and the city comes alive for a busy 4th of July holiday. I start to get nervous. I stick out like a sore thumb! Everyone is in workout gear and I’m still just crouching on the dock, afraid to move a foot from my spot just in case.
Finally my phone dings, and it’s a message from Danny. A bit of a stomach bug kept them up late but they’re awake and are on their way in 10 minutes. I’m almost wishing I had a tracker on their location, but I kept scanning the area and quickly spotted them on bikes headed towards me. Renting bikes from their hotel were Danny’s idea – an easy sell – as bike riding was something they did together as a couple.
I had coached Danny via countless emails to walk slow, letting Kate enjoy the view before saying some sweet words and dropping to one knee. Danny nailed it, taking his time before asking Kate that all important question. Taking a moment to breathe, or say a few sentences garners more of a reaction on your lady’s face.
In the few minutes we had left before the sun got directly overhead and the runners took over the trail, I asked them to snuggle up for some post-proposal engagement photos. I’m pretty sure Kate was in shock the whole time, and I knew Danny was relieved to get this huge, stressful secret off his chest. 
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