Planning a Proposal at the Pyramids

A proposal is the one shoot where the photography is the least of it. What actually decides whether it goes well is the half hour beforehand — whether the setup is ready, whether they suspect anything, and whether the person holding the camera knows to stay out of sight until the right moment.

The setup

The Pyramids Proposal Romance Setup is $150, runs an hour, and is at the Giza Pyramids and the Nine Pyramids View. It is styled and ready before you arrive — which is the part that matters, because the alternative is arranging something in front of the person you are proposing to.

Professional photography is available with it, through the Pyramids Proposal Photoshoot add-on, rather than being built into the setup price. Worth deciding early: a proposal is the single hardest thing to re-stage if you decide afterwards that you wish someone had been photographing it.

Keeping it a surprise

• Book it yourself, from your own email. The confirmation is the most common way these get spoiled.
• Give the real story as a cover: a sunrise visit to the Pyramids needs no explanation in Egypt.
• Tell us it is a proposal when you book, so the timing and the photographer’s position are planned around the surprise rather than improvised.
• Decide who else knows. A group that is in on it changes the photographs — sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Timing

Sunrise and the last hour before sunset are the two windows worth building around, for light and for crowds. Sunrise is quieter, which matters more for a proposal than for most sessions. Book the date as early as you can — those slots go first.

Afterwards

With the photography add-on you get a professionally edited gallery, and the raw unedited photos the same day — which means you can send the photograph to family the same evening rather than a week later. Pickup and drop-off are included, so neither of you is arranging a taxi immediately after.

Tell whoever you book the moment you intend to ask. A proposal photographed well is a proposal someone planned backwards from that one sentence.