When The Plan Changes, And Somehow Becomes Even Better
A Cape Town engagement photographer’s take on Ruben & Indra’s story
Ruben and Indra travelled all the way from Belgium for a road trip through South Africa.
There was a proposal tucked into the middle of that trip, too.
Ruben had planned to ask Indra at Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga — somewhere he had visited before and remembered for its incredible landscape. And, from what I gathered, he was carrying around quite a lot of anticipation waiting for the right moment.
She said yes!
A few days later, we were supposed to meet in Cape Town for their engagement session.
And then South Africa decided to remind us that she doesn’t always follow the itinerary.
They had been travelling through the Karoo when heavy rain caused flooding around Oudtshoorn, leaving them unsure whether they would even be able to get through to Cape Town. We were also watching the forecast for their shoot, which was looking decidedly less than promising.
This is probably a good place to mention that, as a Cape Town engagement photographer, I’ve learned not to get too attached to a plan when photographing couples.
The plan is useful.
But the experience is more important.
Eventually, they made it to Cape Town, and we kept watching the weather.
We had originally talked about beaches and dramatic coastal landscapes, but with the forecast doing its best to complicate things, we stayed flexible and let the day tell us what it wanted to do.
And then, somehow, we got a little pocket of beautiful weather.
Ruben had told me beforehand that neither of them had really done a photoshoot before. I think that is something a lot of couples worry about — that they won’t know what to do, that they’ll feel awkward, or that somehow they’ll have to become different versions of themselves in front of a camera.
You don’t.
You just have to be willing to be there.
We walked, talked, laughed, and let things unfold without trying to manufacture too much. There was no need to create big dramatic moments. They were already there in the way they looked at each other, the way they moved together, and in all the little pauses in between.
Those are usually the moments I’m looking for anyway.
The photographs are beautiful because Cape Town gave us beautiful things to work with — the ocean, the mountains, the changing light. It’s one of the reasons an engagement session here so rarely disappoints, whatever the sky decides to do.
But that isn’t really what I’ll remember about this session.
I’ll remember that they travelled a very long way to start this chapter together. That Ruben carried a secret through the first part of their journey. That their plans changed more than once. And that, somewhere between the uncertainty of the weather and the excitement of what had just happened, we got to make photographs that belong to this very particular moment in their lives.
Before the wedding.
Before the next chapter.
Just the two of them, newly engaged, travelling through South Africa.
And I think those are some of the photographs that become more meaningful with time.
Because years from now, they won’t just remember what Cape Town looked like that afternoon.
They’ll remember who they were when they were standing there.
Planning your own engagement session and want a Cape Town engagement photographer who will let the day unfold exactly as it wants to, weather and all? I’d love to hear your story.
I’m here to help you plan something amazing, tailored just for you! Contact me today, just click HERE. And let’s create something beautiful and memorable for you two!
Some more interesting reads and inspiration:
7 Reasons Engagement Photos Have Become A Thing
Engagement Shoot At Golden Hour: Nina And Nick